Taliban Leader Killed In Air Strike, page 1

posted on Dec, 23 2006 @ 07:00 PM

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Taliban Commander in charge of attacks on NATO forces in southern Afghanistan is reported killed in a U.S. air strike. Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani, is the Taliban treasurer and thus far the most senior member of the Taliban to be killed in war. The Taliban spokesman has said that he is still alive. Military has reported that he was killed by an airstrike on his vehicle as he left an Afghanistan village.

www.dailytimes.com.pk
The United States said on Saturday that its forces in Afghanistan had killed a top Taliban military commander, whom it described as a close associate of Osama Bin Laden and Mullah Omar, in an air strike close to the border with Pakistan.

US military spokesman Col Tom Collins identified the man as Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani. He said that Osmani and two of his associates had been killed on December 19 by a US air strike while travelling by vehicle in a deserted area in the southern province of Helmand.

Collins said that Osmani had been “utilising both sides” of the Afghan-Pakistan border, and that the US military had been tracking him “for a while”.

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From what this news article says it sounds like NATO forces have been tracking this man for a while. So based on that I would half to summarize that the man they say has been killed has indeed been killed. Despite what the release from the Taliban has said. However what is more to the point since this man did have contact with OBL it is unfortunate that he was not taken alive. I also think the threat of violence is now more real over the holidays then it was before.

Related News Links:
www.chron.com
www.timesonline.co.uk
www.ndtv.com
abcnews.go.com

infinite8

posted on Dec, 23 2006 @ 09:12 PM

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Would be nice to have this confirmed on the ground. Might as well have said they got anyone without confirmation.

RedGolem

posted on Dec, 24 2006 @ 03:35 AM

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Originally posted by infinite8
Would be nice to have this confirmed on the ground. Might as well have said they got anyone without confirmation.

Thats a very good point. I think they would make that attempt but guess will half to wait and see.

xpert11

posted on Dec, 27 2006 @ 02:18 AM

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Heres an update.

He has died. We got this information on the day of the strike but our leadership ordered us not to disclose it," the commander told a Reuters reporter in the Pakistani border town of Chaman.

"He was not only an experienced military commander but also good in making financial transactions for us. He had good contacts," he said, without elaborating.

"His death will have some bad impact on our movement for some time."

Osmani was the most senior Taliban leader to be killed since the hardline Islamists were ousted from power in late 2001, weeks after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

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Assuming that this isn't an attempted to mis lead Western Intel agencys the killing of Osmani was a coalition success. Many more successes will be needed before the war is won in Afghanistan.

RedGolem

posted on Dec, 27 2006 @ 05:19 AM

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Originally posted by xpert11

Assuming that this isn't an attempted to mis lead Western Intel agencys the killing of Osmani was a coalition success. Many more successes will be needed before the war is won in Afghanistan.

Xpert,
Thanks for the info. Good to know it has been confirmed. I agree with you coment but also.