A US airstrike killed a Taliban splinter-group commander and several other fighters in the western Afghan province of Herat, Afghan and military sources say.
The commander, named as Mullah Nangyalay, was killed in Shindand district, close to the border with Iran, says Herat provincial governor’s spokesman Jailani Farhad.
Nangyalay split from the main branch of the Taliban after the 2013 death of founder Mullah Omar and joined a smaller breakaway faction led by a commander known as Mullah Rasool.
A senior provincial police source says the airstrike was carried out by a US drone.
Resolute Support, NATO’s mission in Afghanistan, tells AFP their forces have launched “a defensive airstrike in support of Afghan forces,” with a spokesman confirming US participation in the operation.
The main Taliban group has been negotiating with Washington for more than a year over the withdrawal of US troops in exchange for security guarantees from the jihadists that could pave the way to intra-Afghan peace talks.
— AFP
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 9, 2020
