Kabul: NATO says an airstrike and a raid by ground troops killed a Taliban leader and seven fighters in northern Afghanistan.
An alliance statement on Thursday says Maulawi Jawadullah — accused of organising deadly ambushes, roadside bomb attacks, and abductions of Afghan security forces — was killed in the airstrike. Seven other Taliban also died in the assault on Wednesday in Takhar province. Among them were three who were killed in a gunbattle after they opened fire from a forest after coalition forces moved in.
NATO says Jawadullah was linked to the recent deaths of 10 Afghan National Police officers during an attack on a police station in neighbouring Kunduz province.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, October 07, 2010, 12:33