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Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah reported killed
CTV.ca News Staff, 13 May 07
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Afghan troops have killed Mullah Dadullah, the Taliban's top operational commander, Afghan security officials say. They are saying he died Saturday night in a clash in the southern province of Helmand. He would be the highest-ranking Taliban official killed since the 2001 invasion. However, other reports over the years of Dadullah's capture or death have proven to be false. If confirmed, his death will likely be a heavy blow to the Taliban. Besides leading Taliban attacks, the one-legged Dadullah is believed to be behind numerous kidnappings of foreigners.
Breaking News: Officials say Mullah Dadullah killed in Helmand Fighting
Matt Dupee, Afgha.com (AFG), 13 May 07
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Mullah Dadullah, the most feared and battlefield savvy of all the remaining Taliban chieftains from the old guard, has been killed in recent fighting in Helmand province between Coalition and Taliban forces, according to Afghan government officials.
Said Ansari, the spokesman for the Afghan Intelligence Service, said on Sunday the Taliban leader was killed during a ferocious battle in Helmand on Saturday.
So far ISAF has not confirmed the report but insisted they are looking into intensely.
Dadullah has survived many near attempts on his life and evaded capture several times since 2001. Previously he lost a leg during fighting in Herat against Ismail Khan's forces in the late 1990's and later survived a grenade attack on his compound.
Largely known for his brutality on the battlefield, he is labeled a blood-thirsty sadist who enjoys killing and torturing by military analysts. Hazara residents in the central highlands who endured mass killings and a scorched earth campaign by Dadullah and his men in the late 1990's agree; referring to him as the 'Black Mullah,' a term signifying his dark heart.
He has routinely appeared in interviews with Al Jazeera and issued telephone calls to the press via satellite phones, a sloppy habit that may have allowed Coalition Forces to pin point his location.
The site of the clash is in between Sangin and Nahri Sarraj districts, both long serving Taliban bastions until recently. UK and US forces have recently made gains in resting control of these areas back from the Taliban's grip over the last two weeks.
The death of Mullah Dadullah if proven true will severely impact the coordination, organization and the momentum of the Afghan insurgency particularly in the south. His death will also serve as the most important Taliban leader to die in combat since 2001.
Afghan Taleban commander killed
BBC Online, 13 May 07
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The Taleban's top military commander in Afghanistan, Mullah Dadullah, has been killed in fighting in the south of the country, officials say.
They say he died in a clash with Afghan and Western forces in Helmand province.
Soldiers later took the body to the city of Kandahar, where it was seen by a BBC reporter.
Mullah Dadullah recently told the BBC that he had hundreds of suicide bombers awaiting his orders to launch an offensive against foreign troops.
Suicide bombings in Afghanistan have soared since late 2005.
Mullah Dadullah has been linked to several recent kidnappings in southern Afghanistan.
The BBC's Alastair Leithead, in Herat, in western Afghanistan, says the commander has produced videos showing beheadings of foreign hostages.
Previous reports of his death or capture had proved untrue, but officials displayed the body to confirm the killing.
It was not immediately clear if the commander was killed as part a major operation in Helmand province launched in early March by Nato's International Security Assistance Force and Afghan troops.
'Top commander'
Mullah Dadullah was a member of the Taleban's 10-man leadership council before the US-led invasion in 2001.
He has been called "Afghanistan's top Taleban commander" by Nato officials, and is high on the US list of most-wanted people in the country.
Mullah Dadullah lost one of his legs as a mujahideen fighter against the Soviet occupation troops in the 1980s and has since used an artificial limb.
He had the reputation of a fearless man.
Despite his disability, he fought and led major battles for the Taleban against the rival Northern Alliance forces during the 1990s.
He was one of the first Taleban commanders to organise attacks against US-led coalition forces after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.
And he was the first Taleban commander to give interviews to print and electronic media after the fall of the regime.
Unlike other Taleban leaders who never allowed themselves to be photographed for religious and security reasons, Mullah Dadullah did just the opposite.
He granted an interview to the Arabic television channel al-Jazeera.
Occasionally he called journalists, including those from the BBC in Afghanistan and Pakistan, on his satellite phone to provide information about Taleban attacks and issue new threats against foreign and Afghan forces.
Correspondents say his death will be a huge setback for the Taleban.
