Taliban leader, deputy killed in strike

A joint Afghan-coalition security force conducted an air strike in Kunar province, killing a senior Taliban leader and his deputy, military officials said. Maulawi Nur Mohammad -- also known as Turabi -- and deputy Atiqulla -- known as Khalid -- were killed in the air strike Saturday in a remote area of Chapah Darah district, the International Security Assistance Force said in a release Sunday. Turabi was a senior leader in the district and planned and directed all Taliban activity in the area, including attacks on civilians and Afghan and coalition forces, the release said. Security forces observed a large group of armed insurgents in the area and after determining no civilians were nearby, engaged in a precision air strike, ISAF said. A follow-up assessment of the strike area revealed no civilians were harmed and no civilian property was damaged. Other combined forces operations in the Helmand, Kandahar, Khost, Kunar and Laghman provinces led to the arrests of several suspected insurgents in each province.