LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A top commander of the Taliban was killed in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand in a joint operation by Afghan and U.S. Special Forces, Afghan officials and Taliban members said on Sunday. Abdul Manan, who was in charge of Helmand province for the insurgent group, was killed along with 29 others by an air strike on Saturday while he was meeting local commanders and fighters in the Nawzad district, Helmand provincial governor Mohammad Yasin Khan said. His death was confirmed by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid and by the U.S. military, which said Afghan forces had gone on the offensive with U.S. support, notably through precision air strikes to push the Taliban to accept peace talks. Colonel Dave Butler, spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said: "They're going to have trouble intensifying the fight when their fighters and leaders are under constant assault. Image copyright EPA Image caption Security has been stepped up in the aftermath of the killing of Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund

One of the Taliban's most senior commanders has been killed in a US airstrike in Afghanistan.
A senior Taliban commander, Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, is killed in a U.S. air strike in Afghanistan.