Afghan police kill Taliban regional commander

Afghan police killed a regional Taliban commander Monday blamed for multiple attacks on coalition and Afghan forces and captured two of his supporters during a gunbattle in a southern province, police said. Mullah Abdul Halim was shot dead after police, acting on a tip-off, surrounded a house he and two Taliban members were hiding in near Qalat, Zabul's provincial capital, about 150 kilometers (95 miles) northeast of Kandahar city, said provincial police chief Ghulam Nabi Malakhail.

Police called on the rebels to surrender but they responded with gunfire, sparking the firefight that resulted in Halim's death. The two other militants then surrendered, Malakhail said. Halim was known in Zabul province for orchestrating attacks against Afghan troops and U.S. forces based in the area, as well as burning multiple oil tankers traveling to American military facilities, reports the AP.

N.U.