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Taliban commander killed in recent Helmand operation, Afghan intelligence sources say

An Afghan soldier keeps watch at a checkpoint in the Maiwand district of Kandahar province on November 14, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

A Taliban commander was killed last week during an operation by Afghan forces in the southern province of Helmand, intelligence sources say.

Afghanistan's main intelligence agency said in a statement on Sunday that Mullah Shah Wali, also known as Mullah Naser, was killed in an air raid.

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) added that Wali was killed alongside a bomber and two other commanders.

Wali became the commander of the Taliban's "Red Unit" as well as the deputy shadow governor of Helmand three years ago and was directly involved in the offensives of the militant group.

According to the Afghan military, the "Red Unit" is thought to be equipped with advanced weapons, including night vision scopes, 82mm rockets, heavy machine guns and US-made assault rifles.

Another commander was killed in an Afghan airstrike in the northeastern province of Kapisa on Friday. The strike in Nijrab district killed Dilawar Khan and five of his family members.

Last month, the Taliban launched several attacks on a number of checkpoints and military bases across the war-ravaged country, leaving more than 100 Afghan soldiers dead and dozens more injured.

Afghanistan is engulfed by violence and many parts of the country remain plagued by militancy despite the presence of foreign troops. The United States and its NATO allies invaded the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror in 2001.

Over the past 16 years, the Taliban have been engaged in militancy across Afghanistan, killing and displacing government officials, security forces, and civilians.


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