Mullah Dadullah, the Taliban's top military commander, has been killed in southern Afghanistan, according to a government announcement denied by the extremist movement. Dadullah is the most important rebel commander to be killed since the Taliban was driven from government by a US-led coalition in late 2001, the Afghan intelligence department said. "Dadullah and his brother have been killed during an operation in Helmand province," the Ministry of Interior press office said. His body was shown to reporters in the southern city of Kandahar. The city's provincial governor, Asadullah Khalid, said the militant was killed in an operation carried out based on very accurate information. He would not give precise details. The NATO and US-led military forces tackling the Taliban and its Islamist allies refused to comment and referred all queries to the Afghan Government. Television stations interrupted programs to advise of the killing.
Intelligence agency spokesman Sayed Ansari described Dadullah as the biggest Taliban commander ever killed. "He was the commander of commanders," he said.
A Taliban spokesman rejected the Government's claim. "This is nothing more than propaganda," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. "They claim they will show the body of Mullah Dadullah to media -- we are waiting to see that. We also promise to present to the media a fresh voice recording of Mullah Dadullah." The one-legged militant was the key strategist behind the Taliban and was said to be close to the fugitive Taliban supreme commander, Mullah Mohammad Omar.