UK troops kill 'dangerous' Taliban leader

[Turborama]

Source: CNN

British troops killed a "most dangerous" Taliban leader responsible for the deaths of two British service members and likely hundreds of civilians, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

Mullah Mansur is described as "one of the most dangerous Taliban leaders in Helmand," the province where British troops are based. He was killed on Monday by troops in British Apache helicopters northeast of Lashgar Gah, Helmand's capital.

Mansur is believed to be behind the May 7 suicide attacks that killed Sgt. Ben Ross of the Royal Military Police and Gurkha Cpl. Kumar Pun in Gereshk in southern Afghanistan.

Mansur is also thought to be behind other suicide attacks that killed Afghan police and civilians, including one on May 11 that killed 13 Afghan police and civilians and wounded 27 other people. He is also implicated in a March attack that killed 9 Afghan policemen and two civilians, with 28 people wounded.

Mansur was believed to have links to insurgent commanders from the Baluch tribe in the south and acted as the link between the insurgency in the south and central Helmand.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/06/02/afghan.taliban/index.html

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Lt. Col. Nick Richardson, Helmand spokesman: "...the strike itself was carefully coordinated and checked to ensure there were no civilians in the area".

How many times have we heard about the British troops causing civilian casualties in Iraq or Afghanistan? Maybe there's something to be learnt from their MO...?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

1. Is there such a thing as a non-dangerous Taliban leader? -nt

[Turborama]

2. The CNN title doesn't give the proper quote...

From the rest of the article:

"UK forces conducted a successful precision strike against one of the most dangerous men in Helmand, and what we consider to be the most dangerous man in the central area around Lashkar Gah," Lt. Col. Nick Richardson, Helmand spokesman.

"The attacks he helped plan and execute have probably killed or wounded hundreds of people, and most of them have been either Afghan civilians or police. This operation was the culmination of months of effort and the strike itself was carefully coordinated and checked to ensure there were no civilians in the area."

[Bozita]

3. Must be the #2 guy. We're real good at getting those #2s.

[santamargarita]

4. Yeah, and we've got the #1 guy a few times now too...or was he #3

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