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