KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A senior Taliban commander and associate of al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden was killed in Afghanistan, U.S. military officials said Saturday.
A vehicle carrying Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Usmani was hit during an air strike in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, the BBC said Saturday. U.S. officials said Usmani was the Taliban's chief military commander in southern Afghanistan.
Col. Tom Collins, a U.S. military spokesman, said Usmani "had been deeply involved in terrorist acts against the people of Afghanistan, NATO and the government."
Usmani was one of four top commanders for the Taliban and also handled the militia's finances, Collins said.
Two people with Usmani also died in the air strike, which reportedly happened Tuesday, the U.S. military said.
U.S.-led forces have been battling an upsurge in Taliban attacks, with much of the violence centered in Afghan provinces bordering Pakistan.
