Taleban commander killed
The Taleban's top military commander in Afghanistan, Mullah Dadullah, has been killed in fighting in the south of the country, officials say.
They say he died in a clash with Afghan and Western forces in Helmand province.
Soldiers took the body to the city of Kandahar, where it was shown to reporters.
[...]
'Top commander'
Mullah Dadullah was a member of the Taleban's 10-man leadership council before the US-led invasion in 2001.
He has been called "Afghanistan's top Taleban commander" by Nato officials, and is high on the US list of most-wanted people in the country.
Mullah Dadullah lost one of his legs as a mujahideen fighter against the Soviet occupation troops in the 1980s and has since used an artificial limb.
He had the reputation of a fearless man.
Despite his disability, he fought and led major battles for the Taleban against the rival Northern Alliance forces during the 1990s.
He was one of the first Taleban commanders to organise attacks against US-led coalition forces after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.
And he was the first Taleban commander to give interviews to print and electronic media after the fall of the regime.
Unlike other Taleban leaders who never allowed themselves to be photographed for religious and security reasons, Mullah Dadullah did just the opposite.
He granted an interview to the Arabic television channel al-Jazeera.
Occasionally he called journalists, including those from the BBC in Afghanistan and Pakistan, on his satellite phone to provide information about Taleban attacks and issue new threats against foreign and Afghan forces.
The Taleban's top military commander in Afghanistan, Mullah Dadullah, has been killed in fighting in the south of the country, officials say.
They say he died in a clash with Afghan and Western forces in Helmand province.
Soldiers took the body to the city of Kandahar, where it was shown to reporters.
[...]
'Top commander'
Mullah Dadullah was a member of the Taleban's 10-man leadership council before the US-led invasion in 2001.
He has been called "Afghanistan's top Taleban commander" by Nato officials, and is high on the US list of most-wanted people in the country.
Mullah Dadullah lost one of his legs as a mujahideen fighter against the Soviet occupation troops in the 1980s and has since used an artificial limb.
He had the reputation of a fearless man.
Despite his disability, he fought and led major battles for the Taleban against the rival Northern Alliance forces during the 1990s.
He was one of the first Taleban commanders to organise attacks against US-led coalition forces after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.
And he was the first Taleban commander to give interviews to print and electronic media after the fall of the regime.
Unlike other Taleban leaders who never allowed themselves to be photographed for religious and security reasons, Mullah Dadullah did just the opposite.
He granted an interview to the Arabic television channel al-Jazeera.
Occasionally he called journalists, including those from the BBC in Afghanistan and Pakistan, on his satellite phone to provide information about Taleban attacks and issue new threats against foreign and Afghan forces.
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