Pakistan Taliban leader reported killed in Afghanistan

Times:

A senior Pakistani Taleban leader who spearheaded the insurgency in the Swat Valley may have been killed fighting Afghan forces near the border.

A senior Afghan police officer said that Mullah Fazlullah was killed on Wednesday with six of his commanders in a clash with troops in the eastern Afghan province of Nuristan, when about 300 militants led by Fazlullah tried to capture Barg-e-Matal district near the Pakistani border.

...

Nicknamed “Mullah Radio”, because of his habit of making speeches over the airwaves, Fazlullah was one of the most feared militant commanders, responsible for killing hundreds of people in Swat. Pakistan has put a £200,000 bounty on his head.

He had reportedly fled to Afghanistan last year after the Pakistani Army seized control of the valley which was once a tourist destination. He was reported to have been seriously wounded when Pakistani jets bombed his hidedout. About 30,000 Pakistani troops are still battling the remnants of the Taleban in remote mountainous areas of the valley. A local official said that the death of Fazlullah could help break the resistance.

...

The Taliban are denying the death at this time. It would be an interesting kill for the Afghans and it would also confirm Pakistan claims that many of the Taliban have fled to Afghanistan. If true it is a win for both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

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