Taliban key commander killed in E Afghan province

ASSADABAD -- A drone attack has claimed the life of Mullah Asmatullah, a Taliban key commander in the eastern Kunar province with Assadabad city as its capital 185 km east of Kabul, provincial police chief Abdul Habib Sayed Khili said Monday.

"Acting upon intelligence report, security forces conducted drone attack on Taliban hideout in Chapa Dara district Sunday evening, killing Taliban key commander Mullah Asmatullah," Sayed Khili told reporters.

Mullah Asmatullah was the commander of some 100 fighters and his physical elimination could prove a major setback to the armed militants, Sayed Khili said.

The official also added that a mortar fired by Taliban on Sunday night struck a house in the neighboring Manogai district, injuring four persons from the family.

Taliban militants fighting the government have yet to make comments.