Peshawar: At least three suspected Taliban militants, including a commander, were killed and several others injured in a United States (US) drone strike in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province on Saturday night.
US Army Colonel Michael Lawhorn confirmed the attack, saying: “US forces conducted a strike in Bati Kot District, Nangarhar Province, December 19 against individuals threatening the force.”
Security sources say the strike, which targeted a Taliban meeting, completely destroyed the militants’ hideout.
The claims, however, have not yet been independently verified. Tracking of drone strikes in Afghanistan is patchy since many of them take place in remote regions. There has also been no comment on the number of casualties as yet from American officials.
After years of costly involvement in Afghanistan, most Nato troops pulled back from the frontlines by the end of 2014, although a residual force of around 13,000 remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.
The Taliban’s incursion into Kunduz earlier this year, raises troubling questions over the capacity of Afghan forces as they battle militants largely on their own.
