Second 'most prominent' Taliban commander killed in Afghanistan

Mawlawi Ahmad Kandahari, the second 'most prominent' Taliban commander, has been killed by the Afghan national forces in an operation in Kandahar, Khaama Press reported.

Afghan National Directorate Chief, Ahmad Zia Saraj on Tuesday informed that Kandahari was reportedly assigned as the group's military chief in Kandahar province of the country.

Saraj said Kandahari was the second most prominent figure in the Taliban following Mullah Akhtar Mansour.

Reports indicate the incident happened on Monday afternoon at around 3:00 pm local time, as per Khaama Press.

This comes as the US and its allies have announced that they will withdraw their troops from Afghstan till September 11.

Speaking on the growing menace of Taliban, Saraj said the Taliban have provided a platform for other terrorist groups to operate in Afghstan and that the Taliban uses them by any means to attack the Afghan forces.

Explained that 60 percent of Daesh affiliates in Afghstan are Pakists, Saraj said that 407 detained Daesh members belong to 14 different countries.

Daesh in Afghstan travel to Iran and Pakistan through Turkey and then reaches the Afghan premises, he added.

Among the killed militants are the Taliban mastermind and key commander Mullah Mohammad Rahim known as Ahmad, and five other leaders, Kandahar province officials told Khaama press.

The official also informed that Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) also discovered and defused 556 various types of IEDs in Kandahar.

( With inputs from ANI )