Taliban shadow governor killed in US airstrike

PESHAWAR: A senior Taliban commander has been killed in an air strike in northern Afghanistan, the militant group confirmed on Monday. Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, who commanded Taliban forces in Kunduz, was killed in a drone attack in Dashte Archi town. Akhund, who oversaw the Taliban offensive that briefly seized Kunduz city in 2015, had previously been reported dead several times by Afghan officials. This time however, his death was confirmed by Taliban. A US military spokesman said the command did “not have confirmation of the results”.