Four Haqqani commanders killed in US air strikes

gardez — US air strikes in Afghanistan have killed four commanders of the Haqqani network, a militant group affiliated with the Taleban, as government forces try to retake a district captured by insurgents last week, Afghan officials said on Tuesday.

Naqeeb Ahmad Atal, a spokesman for the governor of Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan, said 120 militants were also killed in the strikes in Jani Khil, a strategically located district at a crossroads on a major route into Pakistan.

That toll could not be independently confirmed.

Insurgents overran the district centre late on Friday, gaining a significant success after stepping up attacks across the country in recent weeks, putting government forces on the back foot.

Afghan army spokesman Fazlkhuda Ibrahimkhil said US drones carried out the air strikes that killed the commanders, hitting fighters gathered in the town overnight.

Colonel Michael Lawhorn, director of public affairs for Afghanistan’s Nato-led mission, confirmed that US forces had carried out attacks in support of Afghan forces on Monday. —