Taliban commander Mullah Mustafa was killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province near the country's border with Tajikistan, a local source revealed on Friday.
According to the source, the commander was the head of the Taliban's Red Army, who was in charge of foreign fighters. He was a resident of Uzbekistan, the source added.
Local residents of the Devana Qashlaq area of the Kunduz Imam Saib district have confirmed the attack, but the Taliban movement has not yet commented.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said he had cancelled secret peace talks with the Taliban at the Camp David presidential retreat after the Taliban had admitted to staging an attack in which a US soldier was killed. Following the collapse of talks with Washington, a Taliban delegation arrived in Moscow to discuss the possible withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is suffering from an unstable political, social and security situation due to the activity of the Taliban movement and Daesh* terrorist group. The national security forces, supported by the international coalition, are involved in counterterrorism operations across the country.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia
