Coalition Forces Kill Senior Taliban Leader

American Forces Press Service ^

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2006 – A coalition air strike Dec. 19 in Afghanistan’s Helmand province killed a senior member of the Taliban’s inner circle, military officials reported today.

Credible intelligence led coalition forces to Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani’s location near the border with Pakistan, officials said. His vehicle, traveling in a deserted area, was destroyed by the air strike, instantly killing him and two unidentified associates.

"Osmani was in the top ring of the Taliban leadership and he was also a close associate of Osama bin Laden and Gulbuddin Hekmatyr," said Army Col. Tom Collins, a coalition spokesman. "His death is a major achievement in the fight against extremists and their terrorist networks."

Osmani was the Taliban’s chief of military operations in the provinces of Uruzgan, Nimroz, Kandahar, Farah, Herat and Helmand. He played a central role in facilitating terrorist operations involving Taliban, al Qaeda and the Haqqani network, including roadside bomb and suicide attacks, kidnappings, numerous atrocities against innocent civilians, and direct attacks on coalition, NATO and Afghan forces, Collins said.

In other news from Afghanistan, Afghan security forces with coalition forces captured five suspected terrorists today during an operation in Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, east of the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Credible information led to the capture of the primary suspect, a known roadside bomb facilitator with ties to al Qaeda and other militant groups operating against the Afghan government and international forces, officials said.

There were no reported injuries to civilians, Afghan or coalition forces.

[SandRat]

FR WAR NEWS!

WAR News You'll Hear Nowhere Else!

All the News the MSM refuses to use!

[kinoxi]

"That's why I say hey man nice shot..."

[Defender2]

No doubt FOX's Jennifer Griffin will give a somber and tear shed epitaph for him.

[xcamel]

Put the WHAMO on the "MAMO"

[browngreengold]

Darn, I just hate it when that happens.

[RightWhale]

They were watching this malefactor so long they could have dropped a net on him.

[Clifford The Big Red Dog]

Another Evil-doer who is now an Evil-did-er...

[Cicero]

So long, Mullah Osmani. You will not be missed.

[SoldierDad]

Oooh! That's gonna leave a mark!

[TWhiteBear]

Yuk, yuk!!
This kind of news brightens up my holiday!!
Nice job, folks!! And wishing you many more in the next year.

[RedRover]

HAR-HAR-HAR-HAR!!!

[Long Island Pete]

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

[TNCMAXQ]

And all over, Democrats are mourning.

[word_warrior_bob]

This is the only version of "talking" I will accept, now let's let Ahmidinejad "talk" to the business end of a missile.

[Ieatfrijoles]

All the newspapers I saw on Thursday ran the pix of the accused Marines(front page TOF)but I bet this won't even make the first sections of said papers.

[the_daug]

[slapshot]

na na na na

na na na na

hey heeeeyyyy

gooooodbbyyyyyyeeeeee (not)

[hnj_00]

Christmas Eve early.....

what a fine present.....

let's hope there are more of these announcements under the tree!!!

[csvset]

What makes this even sweeter is that the SOB had escaped custody back in '02.

{snip}

Osmani was arrested by coalition forces in July 2002 and was inadvertently released a few weeks later, The Washington Times newspaper reported in 2002.

Bin Laden's "close associate" killed in southern Afghanistan

[sgtbono2002]

Same story different Abu-name.

They never get the top. Always the second or third in command. How many second or hirds can they have left.

[dirtbiker]

Oooh! That's gonna leave a mark!

Or at least, a smoking crater!

[StarCMC]

WOOHOO!!

[Lurker]

It's got to be difficult to be a 'top lieutenant' in AQ anymore.

I mean they can't sleep very well. The hours must suck. And I can't imagine many people get past that line in the job description which says "May be reduced to pink mist at any time by American missiles. Overtime required."

L