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Eugene

(61,791 posts)
Sun Dec 2, 2018, 02:52 PM Dec 2018

Senior Afghan Taliban commander killed in air strike

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS DECEMBER 2, 2018 / 8:15 AM / UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO

Senior Afghan Taliban commander killed in air strike

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A top commander of the Taliban was killed in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand in a joint operation by Afghan and U.S. Special Forces, Afghan officials and Taliban members said on Sunday.

Abdul Manan, who was in charge of Helmand province for the insurgent group, was killed along with 29 others by an air strike on Saturday while he was meeting local commanders and fighters in the Nawzad district, Helmand provincial governor Mohammad Yasin Khan said.

His death was confirmed by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid and by the U.S. military, which said Afghan forces had gone on the offensive with U.S. support, notably through precision air strikes to push the Taliban to accept peace talks.

“They’re going to have trouble intensifying the fight when their fighters and leaders are under constant assault. Peace talks are the only solution,” Col Dave Butler, spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, said in an emailed statement.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban/senior-afghan-taliban-commander-killed-in-air-strike-idUSKBN1O10GR
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