Taliban local leader killed, 2 NATO drone crashed in E. Afghanistan

Taliban local leader killed, 2 NATO drone crashed in E. Afghanistan

Afghan and NATO-led forces killed a significant Taliban leader in Sayyidabad district of Wardak province, some 35 km west of capital city of Kabul, NATO said Thursday.

"In Sayyidabad district, Wardak province, a combined Afghan and coalition security force killed a significant Taliban leader and one of his associates during a security operation Tuesday," said a statement issued by NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) here.

"A precision air strike killed a significant Taliban leader, Qari Tahir, after the security force located Tahir and an associate in a dry riverbed in Sayyidabad district," it said.

Tahir was the Taliban's top leader in Tangi Valley and was the target of a previous combined operation on Aug. 5, 2011, that resulted in the loss of the CH-47 Chinook last month. He led a group of insurgent fighters throughout the valley and was known to use roadside bombs and rockets to intimidate the local populace, the statement added.

A total of 30 U.S. soldiers, seven Afghan army commandos and an Afghan translator were killed when insurgents shot down the CH47 Chinook in Sayyidabad district on Aug. 5.

Afghan and the ISAF forces have conducted more than 40 security operations in the Sayyidabad district and killed 35 insurgents and detained more than 80 suspected insurgents since beginning this year, according to the statement.

In another development, two NATO drones have crashed in eastern Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, ISAF's Regional Command-East confirmed in a separate statement on Thursday morning.

"Two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) crashed in the Pul-E-Alam District of Logar Province and the Behsud District of Nangarhar Province because of mechanical problems. Both UAVs were recovered and there was little to no enemy activity in the area prior to the crash," the statement said.

The Taliban stepped up their attacks on Afghan and NATO-led troops since a spring rebel offensive was launched in May this year in the war-ravaged country.

English.news.cn   2011-09-22 15:10:36 FeedbackPrintRSS
KABUL, Sept. 22 (Xinhua)