Shadow district chief among 14 Taliban dead

Monitoring Desk

JALALABAD: A shadow district governor among 14 Taliban was killed during night raid in Nangarhar province, officials said Thursday. Afghan Special Forces conducted surprise operations in the Doab and Aab Zanganai areas of Hisarak district last night, killing 14 Taliban, Attaullah Khugyani, spokesman of Nangarhar governor, told Afghan Islamic Press (AIP).

He said Taliban shadow governor for the same district, Abdul Hasan a.k.a Aajez, prison official Nabi a.k.a Ghorzang, education official Yar Muhammad a.k.a Haqyar and another commander, Sadiqullah, were among the dead. He said Taliban customs house and detention centre were also destroyed during the operation, adding there was no harm to the security forces and civilians.

A local resident confirmed that a clash took place between the security forces and Taliban, leaving Abdul Hasan and 13 other Taliban dead. A local Taliban fighter put the Taliban death toll at 12, saying Abdul Hassan was the resident of neighbouring Logar province. But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told media that besides Taliban gunmen, a large number civilians were also killed during ground operations and airstrikes.

He said the combined forces raided civilian houses in the Doab area, killing an auto mechanic, Gull Mama, his three sons and another villager. In the Ghowagiz area of the same district, he said, aircrafts bombed Taliban prison, killing 18 prisoners and wounding two others, adding Taliban had detained these people for committing crimes and other offences.

He said the Taliban did not suffer any casualties in the operations He, however, conceded that five Taliban were killed when US aircrafts targeted a Taliban vehicle in the Kokdara area, adding Commander Maulvi Aajez was among the dead.