By Xinhua
Kabul : US-led coalition forces have killed five Taliban extremists, one of them a senior commander, in an operation in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, a coalition statement said Monday.
“Several militants were killed in an operation Sunday targeting Taliban command-and-control networks in the area,” the statement said.
In an air strike in the Musa Qaleh district, the coalition forces destroyed a vehicle and killed all the five occupants, including one presumed to be a senior Taliban commander, the statement said.
The commander is believed to be involved in the March 2007 kidnapping of Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, his interpreter and his driver.
The statement further said that the Taliban commander was also responsible for a number of attacks on coalition bases.