AUSTRALIAN special forces and Afghan troops have killed a senior Taliban insurgent leader responsible for improvised explosive device (IED) and suicide attacks against Australian forces.Mullah Abdul Bari was known to have controlled suicide bombers, the training of foreign fighters and distribution of weapons, the Australian Defence Force's chief of joint operations Mark Evans said. Mullah Bari was also identified as a primary IED facilitator and was responsible for the coordination of device emplacement in Oruzgan province.
"His weapons of choice were roadside bombs and suicide bombers and his death means that Taliban insurgents operating in the region have lost one of their key facilitators,'' Lieutenant General Evans said.
The removal of Mullah Bari would significantly disrupt Taliban insurgent efforts to conduct actions that injured and killed Afghan and coalition troops, he said. "Mullah Bari has also been confirmed to have been directly involved in the placement of the improvised explosive devices which have targeted Australian troops,'' he said.
IEDs have claimed the lives of four Australian soldiers, most recently Sergeant Brett Till, an explosive ordnance disposal technician killed on March 19 in the detonation of a device he was trying to disarm.
Members of the Australian special operations task group have specifically targeted insurgent leaders and bomb makers, killing or capturing more than a dozen in the past year.
Defence revealed few details of the latest operation, other than to say it resulted in the death of several other Taliban insurgents. "This operation will contribute to a safer, more stable environment for the people of Oruzgan,'' Gen Evans said.