Kabul, October 28: A militant believed to be a close aid to Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has been killed along with seven others in Afghanistan, local officials report.
Jamal-ulddin lost his life in an overnight operation in the Miansheen district of southern province Kandahar, AFP reported Wednesday, quoting provincial authorities.
“He was a friend of Mullah Mohammad Omar and also (the) Taliban commander in Miansheen district,” a statement from the provincial press office said.
Miansheen is one of the districts in Kandahar not under the full control of the Afghan government. Security forces carry out raids based on intelligence tips, but do not have a permanent base there.
The operation details that led to this apparent high profile death in Afghanistan, along with identities of the others killed in the incident, have not yet been released.
Moreover, the authenticity of the claim that Jamal-ulddin was “close” to the fugitive leader could not be verified independently.
Kandahar has in recent times become the spiritual home of the Taliban and base from which many of their operations are launched. Thousands of US-led troops and Afghan forces have stepped up operations in the province in a bid to reclaim the stronghold and secure what is considered the largest city in the south.
The Taliban have so far this year killed at least 603 foreign troops and thousands of Afghan civilians since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down their regime.
Over 150,000 US-led forces are currently stationed in Afghanistan, failing to establish security and stability in the country as they have repeatedly vowed.
——–Agencies