Taliban commander dies in shootout
Sunday December 27 2009
A heavily-armed Taliban commander has been killed during a pre-dawn shootout at a mosque in eastern Afghanistan, Nato said.
A joint Afghan-international force went to a compound in Wardak province on Saturday to look for an insurgent believed to be responsible for planning attacks and buying weapons and parts for making bombs, the international coalition said.
When the force approached the compound, the Taliban commander, armed with grenades and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, ran to a nearby mosque.
Afghan security forces surrounded the mosque outside the town of Pirdad in the Nirkh district and called for him to surrender. When he did not, they went inside.
"The Taliban commander opened fire with his AK-47 while in the mosque and was killed by the Afghan security force," Nato said.
Nato said Taliban insurgents frequently sought protection in mosques, but the Afghan-international force said it did everything possible to avoid fighting in or around any known mosque.
Abdul Haq, acting police commander of Nirkh province, said the 3am shooting happened in the mosque compound.
"As the Afghan forces were about to enter the mosque, he escaped through a window," Mr Haq said.
"For the second time, the Afghan forces shouted at him to stop. He didn't, and they opened fire on him and he was killed. He was not killed inside the mosque, but in the mosque compound."
Meanwhile an American service member died following a roadside bomb attack in southern Afghanistan on Friday, Nato said. No other details were disclosed.
Press Association
