In Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, the British Defense Ministry said, British troops killed a senior Taliban leader. Mullah Bismullah Akhund was killed Saturday in the Now Zad district of Helmand, long a Taliban bastion.The Defense Ministry, in a statement Wednesday, called Bismullah "a senior key facilitator and logistician responsible for the northern Helmand region." The ministry says his death will disrupt the Taliban's leadership structure and hamper the group's ability to conduct attacks. "He is believed to have commanded numerous fighters and was identified by Task Force Helmand as a key player in the insurgency, and criminality, before the strike," according to the International Security Assistance Force.
British troops, who are part of the assistance force, announced the killing Thursday. Saturday's operation occurred 15 days after British troops killed another senior Taliban militant, Sadiqullah, in an Apache missile strike. "Bismullah was closely associated with local Taliban leader Mullah Rahim, whose brother was also killed during this operation," the International Security Assistance Force said.
The Defense Ministry said that "combined with the elimination of Sadiqullah, this is the most significant blow struck against the Taliban logistics and facilitation chain in northern Helmand this year."
The U.S.-led coalition said it also is investigating an airstrike in western Afghanistan's Farah province. Launched after a coalition convoy was attacked Tuesday, it struck a house and killed eight.