A senior commander of the Taliban, two of his deputy commanders and 27 other people were 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 (Dec 2).
“Mullah Muhammad Rahim Akhand alias Maulvi Manan, who was in charge of Helmand province for the insurgent group, was killed along with 29 others by an air strike while he was meeting local commanders and fighters in the Nawzad district,” said Helmand Governor Mohammad Yasin Khan. The two deputy commanders were identified as Hafiz Rashid and Mullah Javed.
“I don’t have complete information related to the martyrdom of Maulvi Manan so I cannot comment at the moment,” said Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid.
“Maulvi Manan, shadow governor of Helmand province, came under a drone strike in Nawzad district last night … his vehicle was hit,” said the statement. “He was critically injured and expired today [Sunday] … Janaza [funeral] is in process.” “He was the most senior Taliban commander in the south and his death will have an overall impact on security,” one senior security official in Kabul said. Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish, added: “His death will lower the morale of the enemy, and result in (the) improvement of security in Helmand and other southern provinces.”
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17 November, 2019
