Leader of Pakistani Taliban killed by U.S. drone strike, Afghanistan says

The Pentagon confirmed U.S. forces had carried out a strike close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, targeting the leader of a terror group.</s>Afghan Defense Ministry says Pakistan Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah killed in US drone strike in northeastern Kunar

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan Defense Ministry says Pakistan Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah killed in US drone strike in northeastern Kunar.</s>A US drone strike in eastern Afghanistan has killed Mullah Fazlullah, one of the world's most wanted terrorists and chief of the Pakistani Taliban, sources in Afghanistan reported Friday.

A tribal leader from Afghanistan's Kunar province, Jahan Sardar, said that "five people including Mullah Fazlullah were killed on 13 June, at 10 pm (1730 GMT). Another four Pakistani Taliban were killed in the attack, which was carried out by a drone."

A spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry confirmed the information, citing US sources.

However, a spokesman for the US forces in Afghanistan on Friday would only confirm that a "senior leader of a designated terror organization" had been targeted in a drone strike in Afghanistan's Kunar province on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the Pakistani army said it could not confirm that Fazlullah was killed in the drone strike.

Mullah Fazlullah was elected to lead the Pakistani Taliban in 2013 after the death of his predecessor, Hakimullah Mehsud, in a US drone strike.

He ordered the attack on the world's youngest Noble Laureate, Malala Yousafzai, in 2012.

In March, the US State Department announced a 5-million-dollar reward for information leading to Fazlullah.

Pakistani political and military leaders have demanded that international and Afghan security forces take firmer action against Fazlullah's group, which is currently said to be based in Afghanistan.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan Defense Ministry says Pakistan Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah killed in US drone strike in northeastern Kunar.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>JALALABAD, Afghanistan/PESHAWAR, Pakistan, June 15 (Reuters) - P akistani Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah has been killed in a U.S.-Afghan air strike in Afghanistan, a senior Afghan Defence Ministry official said on Friday, a killing likely to ease tension between the United States and Pakistan.

The U.S. military said in Washington on Thursday it had carried out a strike aimed at a senior militant figure in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, which is on the Pakistani border, and one U.S. official said the target was believed to be Fazlullah.

Fazlullah was Pakistan's most-wanted militant, notorious for attacks including a 2014 school massacre that killed 132 children and the 2012 shooting of schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

"I confirm that Mullah Fazlullah, leader of the Pakistani Taliban, has been killed in an joint air operation in the border area of Marawera district of Kunar province," Mohammad Radmanish, spokesman for Afghan defence ministry, told Reuters, adding the air strike was carried out at about 9 a.m. on Thursday.

Fazlullah's death could ease strained ties between Islamabad and Washington even as Afghanistan observes an unprecedented three-day ceasefire with the larger Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan is considered key to persuading Afghan Taliban leaders, who Washington believes shelter on Pakistani soil, to open negotiations to end the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan.

In March, the United States offered a $5 million reward for information on Fazlullah.

A member of the Pakistani Taliban told Reuters by telephone on Friday the group was trying to get word from Afghanistan, where most of the Pakistani Taliban fighters are now based.

"We have been hearing since early Friday that our Emir(leader) was martyred along with four other militant commanders in Marawar area of Kunar. They were staying at a house when a drone fired missiles and martyred them," said Taliban member Maulvi Abdur Rasheed.

Fazlullah emerged as an Islamist leader in the Swat Valley, northwest of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, more than a decade ago. He was known as "Mullah Radio" for his fiery broadcasts.

He was reviled in Pakistan for the 2014 assault on an army-run school in the city of Peshawar in which Pakistani Taliban gunmen killed at least 132 children.

He is also believed to have ordered the 2012 shooting of then-15-year-old Yousafzai over her advocacy of girls' education.

The Pakistani Taliban have waged a decade-long insurgency seeking to establish a harsh interpretation of Islamic rule but most of their fighters have now fled to Afghanistan.

They are separate from the Afghan Taliban who ruled Afghanistan for five years before being ousted in a 2001 U.S.-led military action.

Washington and Kabul accuse Pakistan of harbouring Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network, which Islamabad denies. Islamabad says the Pakistani Taliban maintain sanctuaries in Afghanistan. (Additional reporting by Qadir Sediqi in Kabul Writing by Kay Johnson and Nick Macfie Editing by Robert Birsel)</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (CBS News) — An Afghan Defense Ministry official says a U.S. drone strike in northeastern Kunar province has killed Pakistani Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah. Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish told CBS News and other media outlets on Friday that Fazlullah was traveling in a vehicle along with an unknown number of his fighters when it was struck by a missile on Thursday morning.

According to a statement attributed to U.S. Forces-Afghanistan spokesman, Lt. Col Martin O’Donnell, the U.S. carried out a “counterterrorism strike” Thursday near in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan targeting “a senior leader of a designated terrorist organization.”

CBS News senior national security correspondent David Martin said a U.S. official confirmed early Friday morning that Fazlullah was the target of the drone strike.

Radmanish said the attack took place in Marawara district of Kunar province, near the two countries’ shared border, known as the Durand Line.

The Pakistani Taliban is a separate group to the Afghan Taliban, which the U.S. has been battling since 2001 in Afghanistan. They were once more closely linked, but for years have had separate leadership structures.

Earlier this month the U.S. military said it would respect a cease-fire announced by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani with the Afghan Taliban. In a statement sent Thursday, the U.S. military noted that the truce was only with the Afghan group, and “does not include U.S. counterterrorism efforts against IS-K, Al-Qaeda, and other regional and international terrorist groups.”

Fazlullah was chosen in 2013 as the new leader of Tehreek-i-Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban Movement following the death of Hakimullah Mehsud, the previous leader, who was himself killed in a U.S. drone strike.

In 2012, he ordered the assassination of Malala Yousafzai, then a 14-year-old school girl, for writing and speaking out against his orders to close girls’ schools. She was shot in the head, but survived and has gone on to become a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a global symbol of defiance against the oppression of women and girls.

CBS News’ Ahmad Mukhtar in Kabul says Fazullah’s death may help to further improve ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which were at their lowest point just a month ago, before Afghan officials led by National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar visited Pakistan and then last week the head of the Pakistani army visited Kabul for talks.

Pakistan had demanded many times in the past that the Afghan government to take action against Fazullah whom they said was hiding in Afghanistan’s northeastern Kunar province.</s>Pakistani Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah has been killed in a US-Afghan air strike in Afghanistan, a senior Afghan Defence Ministry official said on Friday, a killing likely to ease tension between the United States and Pakistan.

An official at the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan confirmed Fazlullah was killed on Thursday.

 The U.S. military said earlier in Washington it had carried out a strike aimed at a senior militant figure in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, which is on the Pakistani border, and one U.S. official said the target was believed to have been Fazlullah.

Fazlullah was Pakistan’s most-wanted militant, notorious for attacks including a 2014 school massacre that killed 132 children and the 2012 shooting of schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

“I confirm that Mullah Fazlullah, leader of the Pakistani Taliban, has been killed in an joint air operation in the border area of Marawera district of Kunar province,” Mohammad Radmanish, spokesman for Afghan defence ministry, told Reuters, adding the air strike was carried out at about 9 a.m. on Thursday.

U.S. Forces-Afghanistan spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Martin O’Donnell said U.S. forces conducted a “counterterrorism strike” which targeted “a senior leader of a designated terrorist organisation”.

“U.S. Forces-Afghanistan and NATO-led Resolute Support forces continue to adhere to … Afghanistan’s unilateral ceasefire with the Afghan Taliban,” O’Donnell said.

The government announced the ceasefire last week and it took effect this week.

“The ceasefire does not include U.S. counterterrorism efforts against (Islamic State and al Qaeda) and other regional and international terrorist groups, or the inherent right of U.S. and international forces to defend ourselves if attacked,” O’Donnell said.

“We hope this pause leads to dialogue and progress on reconciliation and a lasting end to hostilities.”

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a ceasefire lasting until June 20 but on Friday suggested it could be extended.

On Friday night, Major General Asif Ghafoor, Pakistani military spokesman tweeted: “President of Afghanistan Mr. Ashraf Ghani called General Qamar Bajwa, Chief of the Army Staff and shared news about killing of Mullah Fazlullah in a drone strike in Afghanistan Kunar province.”

“Killing of TTP (Pakistan Taliban) commander is a positive development, it gives relief to scores of Pakistani families who fell victims to TTP militacy including the Army Public School (APS) massacre.”

“Mullah Fazlullah was hiding in Afghanistan since 2009 and masterminded scores of militant attacks against Pakistan including APS,” the spokesman added in his tweet.

Fazlullah’s death could ease strained ties between Islamabad and Washington even as Afghanistan observes an unprecedented three-day ceasefire with the larger Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan is considered key to persuading Afghan Taliban leaders, who Washington believes shelter on Pakistani soil, to open negotiations to end the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman did not reply to requests for comment on Friday, nor did the official military spokesman.

“This attack shows that there is now an inclination in U.S policy towards Pakistan, which could further improve the security situation,” Shah told Pakistan’s Hum News TV.

In March, the United States offered a $5 million reward for information on Fazlullah.

A member of the Pakistani Taliban told Reuters by telephone on Friday the group was trying to get word from Afghanistan, where most of the Pakistani Taliban fighters are now based.

Fazlullah emerged as an Islamist leader in the Swat Valley, northwest of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, more than a decade ago. He was known as “Mullah Radio” for his fiery sermons broadcast over a radio channel.

He was reviled in Pakistan for the 2014 assault on an army-run school in the city of Peshawar in which Pakistani Taliban gunmen killed at least 132 children.

He is also believed to have ordered the 2012 shooting of then-15-year-old Malala Yousafzai over her advocacy of girls’ education.

The Pakistani Taliban have waged a decade-long insurgency seeking to establish a harsh interpretation of Islamic rule but most of their fighters have now fled to Afghanistan.

They are separate from the Afghan Taliban who ruled Afghanistan for five years before being ousted in a 2001 U.S.-led military action.

Washington and Kabul accuse Pakistan of harbouring Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network, which Islamabad denies. Islamabad says the Pakistani Taliban maintain sanctuaries in Afghanistan.</s>Alwaght- The leader of Pakistan's Taliban terrorists group has reportedly been killed by a drone strike in neighboring Afghanistan's remote Kunar province.

Mullah Fazlullah, believed to have been operating from hideouts in the forests of eastern Afghanistan.

"I confirm that Mullah Fazlullah, leader of the Pakistani Taliban, has been killed in a joint air operation in the border area of Marawera district of Kunar province," Mohammad Radmanish, spokesman for Afghan defense ministry said on Friday.

This is not however the first time reports have emerged of the death of Fazlullah after the elusive chief of the banned group was named TTP chief in late 2013. He succeeded Hakimullah Mehsud who was killed in a drone strike in November of that year.

Later on Friday, the Pakistani army said that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called Pakistani army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa to share the news of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader's death.

"Killing of TTP commander is a positive development," the Pakistani army said in a statement.

"Pakistan military leadership has always maintained that a cooperative and coordinated approach is the best response to the menace of terrorism."

According to analysts, because Fazlullah was in Kunar, Islamabad continually accused Afghanistan of supporting groups that target Pakistan.</s>JALALABAD, Afghanistan/PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Afghan officials and militant figures on Friday were investigating reports the leader of the Pakistani Taliban may have been killed in a U.S. air strike inside Afghanistan but his fate remained unclear.

The U.S. military said in Washington on Thursday it had carried out a strike aimed at a senior militant figure in Kunar province near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and one U.S. official said the target was believed to be Pakistan Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah.

Fazlullah is Pakistan's most-wanted militant, notorious for attacks including a 2014 school massacre that killed 132 children and the separate 2012 shooting of schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

If he were confirmed killed by the United States, it could ease strained ties between Islamabad and Washington even as Afghanistan observes an unprecedented three-day ceasefire with the larger Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan is considered key to persuading Afghan Taliban leaders, who Washington believes shelter on Pakistani soil, to open negotiations to end the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan.

In March, the United States offered a $5 million reward for information on Fazlullah.

A member of the Pakistani Taliban told Reuters by telephone on Friday said the group was trying to get word from Afghanistan, where most of the Pakistani Taliban fighters are now based.

"We have been hearing since early Friday that our Emir(leader) was martyred along with four other militant commanders in Marawar area of Kunar. They were staying at a house when the drone fired missiles and martyred them," said Taliban member Maulvi Abdur Rasheed.

"Since then we are making all-out efforts to check if it's true, but most of our senior colleagues are out of access."

In Afghanistan, government officials in Kunar province declined to comment on the air strike.

Fazlullah is reviled in Pakistan for the 2014 assault on an army-run school in the city of Peshawar in which Pakistani Taliban gunmen killed at least 132 children.

He is also believed to have ordered the 2012 shooting of then-15-year-old Yousafzai over her advocacy of girls' education.

The Pakistani Taliban have waged a decade-long insurgency seeking to establish a harsh interpretation of Islamic rule but most of their fighters have now fled to Afghanistan. They are separate from the Afghan Taliban who ruled Afghanistan for five years before being ousted in a 2001 U.S.-led military action.

Washington and Kabul accuse Pakistan of harboring Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network, which Islamabad denies. Islamabad says the Pakistani Taliban maintain sanctuaries in Afghanistan.</s>Maulana Fazlullah, the dreaded chief of Pakistani Taliban, has been killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan’s restive Kunar province, an Afghan defence ministry official said today.

Fazlullah was the man in charge of the Pakistan Taliban’s (TTP) operations in Pakistan’s Swat Valley when student activist Malala Yousafzai was shot in 2012.

He was designated as a global terrorist by the US and carried a bounty of USD 5 million. He had been on the run since his loyalists were routed in a major military operation in Pakistan’s Swat district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in 2009.

US forces had conducted the strike close to the border of Pakistan, targeting the “Emir” of the group, according US Forces-Afghanistan spokesman Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell.

Fazlullah had been a major figure in the TTP even before he became emir in late 2013, and led a Pakistan Taliban militia in the country’s Swat Valley prior to his elevation to leadership of the group.

The US military said yesterday it carried out a strike targeting a senior militant leader in Afghanistan. It, however, did not identify the militant.

In Kabul, Afghan Ministry of Defense spokesman Mohammad Radmanish confirmed to CNN that Fazlullah, who is believed to be in his forties, was killed in the strike on Wednesday.

The Express Tribune, citing sources, also said the drone strike that took place in the Nur Gul Kalay village of Dangam district in eastern Kunar province killed Fazlullah and four other TTP commanders.

Fazlullah, also known by the alias Radio Mullah or Maulana Radio due to his long sermons on a private radio channel, and his commanders were having an Iftar party at a compound when a remotely piloted US aircraft targeted them, reports said.

The TTP, however, did not confirm the death of its chief in the drone strike.

Fazlullah had directed numerous high-profile attacks against the US and Pakistani targets since he was appointed the group’s leader in 2013, including the December 2014 attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar that killed 151 people, including more than 130 children.

The US strike comes amid a ceasefire between the Afghan Taliban and Afghan security forces to mark the end of the Muslim’s holy month of Ramazan.

Gen John Nicholson, the commander of US Forces-Afghanistan and the NATO-led Resolute Support, said the United States would adhere to the ceasefire announced by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, which did not include US counterterrorism attacks on other terror groups.

In 2014, there were reports that Fazlullah had been killed. However that information turned out to be false. In 2010, similar news about his death had broken out but later proved false.
The Afghan Ministry of Defense reports that Mullah Fazlullah, the emir of the Pakistani Taliban, was killed in Kunar province by an U.S. drone strike two days prior on June 13.