Taliban commander disguised in women’s clothes killed

KABUL - A senior Taliban commander disguised in women’s clothes was killed by Afghan and NATO forces south of Kabul, the military alliance said Saturday.

The joint forces surrounded a compound in Pul-e-Alam, the capital of the central province of Logar, Friday night to arrest senior regional commander Ghulam Sakhi, NATO said in a statement.

The soldiers called for women and children to exit the house before a search got underway. That is when “Sakhi came out with the group, disguised in woman’s attire, and pulled out a pistol and a grenade and shot at the security force”, the statement said.

A woman and two children were injured when Sakhi was shot and dropped a grenade that detonated, according to the statement.

The injured were evacuated for medical treatment.

Sakhi has been linked to ambush, indirect-fire and roadside-bomb attacks against the Afghan and international forces throughout Logar. He also allegedly kidnapped and killed a senior intelligence officer in the province, the statement said.

In a separate incident Saturday night, foreign troops killed “several insurgents with a precision airstrike” in the southern province of Zabul, the military said.

“The combined security force verified insurgent activity, and after careful planning in order to avoid civilian casualties and mitigate collateral damage, called in the airstrike,” it said.

Following the air raid, the forces found bombing-making materials when they inspected the area.

Violence is on the rise in Afghanistan, particularly in the restive southern region, where both the Taliban and US-led troops are preparing for major battle in summer. Thousands of extra US troops are set to arrive in the region by August.