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A11
WORLD NEWS Saturday 16 June 2018

Afghan official: US drone kills Pakistan Taliban chief

By AMIR SHAH zlullah's attempts to silence
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — her backfired and instead
A U.S. drone strike in north- he amplified her voice
eastern Kunar province around the world.
killed Pakistan Taliban chief A ruthless leader, Fazlullah
Mullah Fazlullah, the insur- ordered the bombing and
gent leader who ordered beheadings of dozens of
the assassination of Nobel opponents when his band
Peace Prize winner Malala of insurgents controlled
Yousafzai, an Afghan De- Pakistan's picturesque Swat
fense Ministry spokesman Valley from 2007 until a
said Friday. massive military operation
In a telephone interview, routed them in 2009.
Mohammad Radmanish In Yousafzai's hometown of
said Fazlullah and two oth- Mingora in the Swat Val-
er insurgents were killed ley, residents welcomed
early Thursday morning, just reports of Fazlullah's death
hours before Afghanistan's with one resident saying
Taliban began a three- many feared he would re-
day cease fire to mark the turn one day to re-impose
Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. his violent rule.
The three-day holiday fol- "We witnessed the brutal-
lows the end of Islam's holy ity of the Taliban in Swat
month of Ramadan when when Fazlullah and his men
devout adherents fast from In this file image made from video broadcast on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, undated footage of were present here and we
sunrise to sunset. Mullah Fazlullah is shown on a projector in Pakistan. are happy to know that
However, Sakhi Mashwani, Associated Press he has gone to hell," said
a Parliamentarian from Ku- Idrees Khan, a member of
nar province told the Asso- U.S. carried out a "counter- Fazlullah's death saying any recent peace overtures. a local elders peace com-
ciated Press that Fazlullah, terrorism strike" Thursday in information would have to In his Eid greeting this week, mittee. "People in Swat will
along with five other insur- the border region between come from Washington. Afghan Taliban chief Hai- feel safer after the killing of
gents, died when the strike Afghanistan and Pakistan Yet Fazlullah's death would batullah Akhunzada re- Fazlullah."
slammed into the vehicle in targeting "a senior leader be welcome news in Paki- peated the Taliban de- His insurgent group, the
which they were driving. of a designated terrorist or- stan, where the govern- mand for direct talks with Tehrik-e-Taliban, also took
Mashwani said dozens ganization." ment has repeatedly com- the United States before responsibility for the brutal
of people, including Fa- The statement did not say plained that Fazlullah and opening negotiations with attack on an Army Public
zlullah's brother, Moheen whether the strike had killed his Tehrik-e-Taliban had the Afghan government. School in Pakistan's north-
Dada, gathered Friday in anyone and did not iden- found safe havens across Until now, Washington has western city of Peshawar
the Ghaziabad district of tify Fazlullah as the target. the border in Afghanistan. refused. in December 2014 when
Kunar province, to offer However, the statement Meanwhile, Kabul and It was Yousafzai's open call more than 140 children and
prayers for the dead Tal- did note that the drone Washington both complain for girls' education and their teachers were slaugh-
iban leader. attack did not violate a that Pakistan has for years criticism of the Taliban that tered.
A U.S. official said the U.S. cease-fire announcement allowed Afghanistan's Tal- infuriated Fazlullah. She Survivors of the attack
believes that it is likely the made June 7 by Afghan iban free movement as was just 14 when she sur- told of insurgents roaming
strike killed Fazlullah, but ef- President Ashraf Ghani. well as medical treatment vived the assassination at- through the school shoot-
forts are ongoing to confirm The Taliban's promise of a for battlefield wounds. tempt in 2012. Her return to ing their victims, some as
his death. The official spoke temporary truce came on Still, the recent cease-fire her hometown earlier this young as six years old, in
on condition of anonymity Monday. announcement by Af- year seemed a particular the head.
to discuss preliminary infor- Radmanish said the drone ghanistan's Taliban is being triumph as it was also to Mohammad Akhtar, whose
mation. attack took place in Mar- at least partially credited open a school funded by 12-year-old son Fahad Khan
According to a statement awara district, near the to Pakistan, which some a charity she established died in the 2014 massacre,
attributed to U.S. Forces- border. observers say has been to promote girls education said he had been waiting
Afghanistan spokesman Lt. Pakistan's military refused to pressing the leadership to globally. for confirmation of "terrorist
Col Martin O'Donnell, the comment on the report of accept President Ghani's She has often said that Fa- Fazlullah's" death.q