Taliban head of suicide operations killed in Afghanistan air strike: local media

KARACHI: A senior Taliban figure, who was in charge of their suicide operations, has been killed among more than a dozen others in an air strike in Afghanistan's Helmand province, local media reported Monday. Maulvi Ahmad Masroor was killed along with 15 others in an air strike in Greshk district, Afghan media outlets quoted local officials as saying. The air strike was conducted in Shoraki area late Sunday, the Helmand provincial government media office said in a statement. Helmand is among the volatile provinces in southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban actively operate in its various districts and frequently carry out attacks. Two other senior Taliban leaders killed in the strike were identified as Mullah Sediqullah and Maulvi Sajad. The air strike was carried out as the Taliban militants were looking to shift six suicide bombers to Nahr-e-Saraj district, the statement added. The Taliban have not yet commented on the report.