Local Taliban leader killed in Afghanistan's Kandahar

A local Taliban leader has been killed in an operation in southern Afghan province of Kandahar, said the NATO-led coalition forces on Tuesday.

"An Afghan and coalition security force killed a Taliban leader, Mohammad Khan, during an operation in Panjwai district, Kandahar province, yesterday," the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a press release.

"Khan served as an intelligence operative who enabled command and control attack coordination in the local area. He was directly responsible for directing improvised explosive device (IED) emplacements and ambush attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces," the release noted.

The killed leader also facilitated the movement of weapons and IEDs in Panjwai district. The Taliban, fighting an insurgency for more than one decade, is yet to make comments.

The Afghan security forces in partnership with the NATO-led coalition troops have intensified operations against Taliban and other militant groups recently. But the insurgent groups responded by bombings and attacks.

On Monday evening, a local elder and a member of local council in neighboring Zharay district were shot dead in provincial capital Kandahar city, 450 km south of Kabul.

The attackers fled the scene shortly after they realized Shahista Gul was killed, a provincial government spokesman, Jawid Faisal, told Xinhua on Tuesday.