Afghan police forces ambushed and killed two known Taliban commanders, one of whom served as a shadow district governor, in the remote southwestern province of Nimroz yesterday. Both of the slain Taliban commanders were reportedly from Arghandab district in Kandahar province, and had been recently assigned to Nimroz.
More details were reported by Khaama Press:
According to local authorities in western Nimroz province of Afghanistan, a senior Taliban leader was killed during an operation by Afghan national police forces in this province.
The officials further added that Taliban leader Mullah Fatiullah who was also appointed as district governor for Khashrud was killed along with another Taliban commander.
A spokesman for provincial security commandment Jawid Ahmad confirming the report said Taliban district governor Mullah Fatiullah was killed with Mullah Sher Ali during an ambush by Afghan police forces in Khashrud district on Saturday.
Slightly conflicting details were provided by Bakhtar News Agency, which noted that Fatiullah was acting as the Taliban shadow chief for Chakhansour district, an area adjacent to Kashrud:
The so-called district governor of armed Taliban for Chakhansour, Nimroz province [was] killed with his men. Sediq Sediqi Interior Ministry Spokesperson [told] BNA, two armed opposition named Mullah Fatah resident of Arghandab district, Kandahar province so-called district governor, with Mullah Shir Ali Aqa an active member of Armed Taliban was killed in a clash with Afghan security forces and their bodies remained in the area.A Kalashnikov, RPG 7 launcher, a vehicle, a motorcycle with two mobile sets were seized from them.
The death of Mullah Fatiullah marks the third time a Taliban shadow district governor has been killed this month.
On June 13, a joint Afghan and Coalition night raid in northern Kunduz province left seven militants dead, including the Taliban’s shadow governor for the Dasht-e-Archi district, Qari Mohammad Halim. [See Threat Matrix, Taliban shadow district governor killed in Afghan security operation.]
Earlier, on June 8, a senior Taliban commander and acting shadow district chief for the Narai district in Kunar province was reportedly gunned down during a dispute among local Taliban militants, according to Pajhwok Afghan News.
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3 Comments
Good work.
Now if only the Afghans & their International cohorts can find their way to a better more comprehensive ‘grip’ on Farah. Just ‘guessing’ but I’m under the impression that many(majority?) of ‘The Rat Lines’ connecting Farah to insurgency have their source of origin in Iran. Whereas Nimroz is most likely almost exclusively tethered to Quetta via the Helmand & Kandahar Provinces as evidenced by the article placing 2 of the killed individuals from the “Arghandab district in Kandahar province.”
Even if the above recently deceased were receiving logistical/manpower support from Western Balochistan, hence Quetta, that’s still a significantly longer ‘Rat Line’ than the previously mentioned Iran Farah link.
“… was killed… during an ambush by Afghan police forces…,” = ‘information’ provided by locals
Something tells me that this wasn’t the Taliban’s intent for this “historic” fighting season.
Wow!!
Just 395 to go.