An air strike has killed an Afghan Taliban commander who twice oversaw the capture of a strategic northern city, officials said Monday, in a major blow to the insurgent group.

Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, the Taliban shadow governor in Kunduz province, was killed on Sunday when he was holding a meeting in the volatile Dasht-e-Archi district.

"He was killed with five others in the house," said provincial governor Asadullah Amarkhil.

The Taliban acknowledged the death of "the conquerer of Kunduz", saying he was killed in a "cowardly attack by US invaders".

The US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Akhund had led the insurgents to mount several attacks in Kunduz since 2011.

The Taliban seized the provincial capital Kunduz city for about two weeks in September 2015, in their biggest victory since they were toppled from national power by a US-led invasion in 2001.

The militants briefly overran the city again in October last year before they were beaten back by NATO-backed Afghan forces.</s>Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers stand to attention during a ceremony at the military base in Herat on July 3, 2016 (AFP Photo/AREF KARIMI)

An air strike has killed an Afghan Taliban commander who twice oversaw the capture of a strategic northern city, officials said Monday, in a major blow to the insurgent group.

Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, the Taliban shadow governor in Kunduz province, was killed on Sunday when he was holding a meeting in the volatile Dasht-e-Archi district.

"He was killed with five others in the house," said provincial governor Asadullah Amarkhil.

The Taliban acknowledged the death of "the conquerer of Kunduz", saying he was killed in a "cowardly attack by US invaders".

The US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Akhund had led the insurgents to mount several attacks in Kunduz since 2011.

The Taliban seized the provincial capital Kunduz city for about two weeks in September 2015, in their biggest victory since they were toppled from national power by a US-led invasion in 2001.

The militants briefly overran the city again in October last year before they were beaten back by NATO-backed Afghan forces.</s>Kabul: A Taliban Governor for the northern Afghan province of Kunduz, was killed in a drone attack today along with two of his men.

 

 

 

 

 Provincial Governor Assadullah Omarkhil said, “Acting upon intelligence report, a drone strike was conducted against a Taliban hideout early today (Sunday).”

Governor Omarkhil told reporters, “As a result, the Taliban Governor for Kunduz province, Mullah Abdul Salam, and two of his men were killed.”

 

 

 

 

 He added, the Taliban group has not yet made any comment.

Taliban militants have been in control of parts of Kunduz province over the past few years and the government forces have recently launched attacks in an effort to evict the militants from their positions.</s>PESHAWAR, Pakistan: After having been declared dead several times in the past, a senior Taliban commander has been killed in an air strike in northern Afghanistan, officials of the militant group confirmed on Monday.

Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, who commanded Taliban forces in Kunduz, was one of three fighters killed in a weekend strike by an unmanned aircraft, a senior Taliban official in the province told Reuters, on condition of anonymity to ensure his safety.

"He was on a journey a few days ago and stopped at a house at Dashte Archi town when the drone fired missiles," said the official.

A U.S. military spokesman said an American warplane had conducted a strike in Kunduz on Sunday, but the command did "not have confirmation of the results".

The strike killed Akhund and eight other Taliban, said Sher Aziz Kamawal, a senior police commander in northern Afghanistan.

Akhund, who oversaw the Taliban offensive that briefly seized Kunduz city in 2015, had previously been reported dead several times by Afghan officials.

This time however, his apparent death was confirmed by top Taliban officials, including a commander in the eastern province of Khost.

"It's part of our life," the commander told Reuters. "We are proud to confirm that he was martyred for a cause."</s>Afghan officials and the Taliban say a senior commander of the militant group has been killed in northern Afghanistan.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on February 27 that Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund was killed in a "special operation." He gave no details.

Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said Akhund was killed along with nine other Taliban militants.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed Akhund's death in a statement, saying he was killed by a U.S. air strike in the Dashti-e-Archi district in the northern province of Kunduz.

Akhund, the commander of Taliban forces in the northern province of Kunduz, had been declared dead several times in the past only to reappear.

A U.S. military spokesman told Reuters that an American warplane had conducted an air strike in Kunduz on February 26 but said there was "no confirmation of the results."

Taliban militants have briefly seized control of the provincial capital, Kunduz City, for two consecutive years, in a major embarrassment to the Kabul government.

Akhund's death is a blow to the Taliban as the militants prepare their annual spring offensive against government forces.

With reporting by Reuters</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says that a senior Taliban commander has been killed.

During a ceremony Monday honoring the country's security and defense forces, Ghani said that Mullah Abdul Salam, the Taliban's shadow governor for Kunduz province, had been killed on Sunday.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also confirmed Salam's death, saying it was from an American airstrike in the Dashti Archi district of Kunduz province. Ghani, in his comments, did not elaborate on how Salam died.

During the ceremony Ghani emphasized Afghanistan independence and said that the Taliban and other militant groups are no match for the Afghan security forces.</s>Taliban confirms Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund's death, saying he was killed by a US bombing raid in Afghan province.

A senior Taliban commander has been killed in an air raid in northern Afghanistan, the armed group said on Monday.

Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, who oversaw a Taliban offensive that briefly seized Kunduz city in 2015, had previously been reported dead several times by Afghan officials.

Akhund was one of three fighters killed in an air raid by an unmanned aircraft in the Kunduz province, a senior Taliban official in the province told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.

"He was on a journey a few days ago and stopped at a house at Dasht-e-Archi town [in Kunduz] when the drone fired missiles," the official said.

The raid killed Akhund and eight other Taliban members, Sher Aziz Kamawal, a senior police commander in northern Afghanistan, said.

READ MORE: Afghan civilian casualties at record high in 2016 - UN

A US military spokesman said an American jet had carried out a bombing raid in the city on Sunday, but the command did "not have confirmation of the results".

Taliban gains in the Helmand and Uruzgan regions, where they also threaten provincial capitals, have underlined the group's growing strength and exposed weaknesses in the government.

The group maintains that its fight is against foreign military forces and the foreign-backed government, not ordinary Afghans.

On Sunday, its leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, urged Afghans to plant more trees in a statement, calling on civilians and fighters to "plant one or several fruit or non-fruit trees for the beautification of Earth and the benefit of almighty God's creations".

The message, carried on official Taliban outlets, was a shift from the usual fiery rhetoric against the Afghan government and NATO forces.</s>PESHAWAR - An air strike has killed an Afghan Taliban commander who twice oversaw the capture of a strategic northern city, officials said Monday, in a major blow to the insurgent group.

Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, the Taliban shadow governor in Kunduz province who had been declared dead several times in the past, was killed on Sunday when he was holding a meeting in the volatile Dasht-e-Archi district.

“He was killed with five others in the house,” provincial governor Asadullah Amarkhil told AFP.

The Taliban acknowledged the death of “the conquerer of Kunduz”, saying he was killed in a “cowardly attack by US invaders”.

Mullah Akhund was one of three fighters killed in a weekend strike by an unmanned aircraft, a senior Taliban official in the province told Reuters, on condition of anonymity to ensure his safety.

“He was on a journey a few days ago and stopped at a house at Dashte Archi town when drone fired missiles,” said the official.

A Taliban commander in the eastern province of Khost said, “It’s part of our life… We are proud to confirm that he (Akhund) was martyred for a cause.”

A US military spokesman said an American warplane had conducted a strike in Kunduz on Sunday, but the command did “not have confirmation of the results”.

Akhund had led the insurgents to mount several attacks in Kunduz since 2011.

The Taliban seized the provincial capital Kunduz city for about two weeks in September 2015, in their biggest victory since they were toppled from national power by a US-led invasion in 2001.

The militants briefly overran the city again in October last year before they were beaten back by Nato-backed Afghan forces.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan -- A senior Taliban commander was killed Sunday in Afghanistan's Kunduz province, according to the Afghan president and the militant group.

During a ceremony Monday honoring the country's security and defense forces, President Ashraf Ghani said that Mullah Abdul Salam, the Taliban's shadow governor for Kunduz province, had been killed.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also confirmed Salam's death, saying it was from an American airstrike in the Dashti Archi district of Kunduz province.

Ghani, in his comments, did not elaborate on how Salam died. Speaking to thousands of security forces members in a ceremony at the Kabul military airport, Ghani said that Salam and his fighters "were eliminated in Kunduz, because of you."

At the ceremony Ghani emphasized Afghanistan independence and said that the Taliban and other militant groups are no match for the Afghan security forces.</s>The Taliban militants group formally confirmed the death of its key leader Mullah Abdul Salam in northern Kunduz province of Afghanistan.

The group in a statement said Mullah Abdul Salam has been killed, insisting that the group’s activities will not be affected with his loss.

The statement further added that Mullah Salam’s main dream was to seize control of Kunduz and vowed that hundreds of more youths will follow his steps.

A spokesman for Afghan National Police’s 808th Spinzar Zone in northeastern parts of the country, Mahfoozullah Akbari, earlier confirmed the death of Mullah Abdul Salam and the other insurgents.

He said another senior Taliban leader Qari Amin who was appointed as district chief by the group was also among those killed.

The officials are saying that Mullah Abdul Salam had a key role in the collapse of Kunduz city besides he plotted numerous other attacks in this province.

Kunduz is among the relatively volatile provinces in northern Afghanistan where the Taliban insurgents are actively operating in a number of its remote districts.

Taliban launched numerous attacks on Kunduz city since they announced their spring offensive earlier last year.

The group also managed to briefly take partial control of the strategic Kunduz city but the militants were pushed back after the Afghan security forces launched an offensive with the support of the US forces based in Afghanistan.

There are conflicting reports regarding the circumstances surrounding his death as some officials are saying Mullah Salam was killed in a US airstrike while others are saying he was killed in a special military operation conducted by the Afghan forces.

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According to the Afghan Interior Ministry, Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, a senior Taliban commander, is killed in a U.S. airstrike in Kunduz Province.