Taliban chief 'killed in Afghanistan'

Updated 06.32 Mon May 14 2007

Keywords: killed, Mullah Dadullah, Taliban, Afghanistan

Top operational Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah has been killed in a clash in southern Afghanistan, according to security officials.

They claim he died in a neighbouring Helmand province and his body was taken to Kandahar.

Dadullah was known for leading most Taliban attacks in the south

Dadullah is known for leading most Taliban attacks in the south, and was believed to be behind a series of kidnappings and some beheadings which earned him the title of Afghanistan's Al Zarqawi, after the Qaeda leader in Iraq who was killed in a US-led attack.

He is a member of Taliban's ten member leadership council and close to the movement's fugitive leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.

If reports are confirmed, his death would be a heavy blow for the Taliban who have been fighting to expel foreign troops since they were ousted in a US-led offensive after the 9/11 attacks.

In December, another top Taliban official, Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Osmani, was killed in an air attack in the south of the country after a tip-off by Pakistan.