Senior Haqqani leader killed in US drone strike in Afghanistan

According to Afghan officials, Sirajuddin Khadmi provided logistic support to militants; Taliban deny leader's death

A senior leader of the Sirajuddin Haqqani network was killed in a US drone strike in Paktika province, Afghan officials said on Thursday.

According to initial reports, Sirajuddin Khadmi used to provide logistic support to militants.



Khademi, a Haqqani network facilitator who was providing weapons for insurgents, was killed in a foreign troops drone strike in southeastern Paktika province on Wednesday night, the provincial governor's office said in a statement, according to Tolo News.

The drone strike took place in Sarwaza district of the province and some weapons were also destroyed in the strike, the statement said.

Earlier on May 22, Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a rare US drone strike in Kuchaki area of Naushki district, over 200 kilometres from Quetta, Balochistan.

The strike had drawn stern reaction from Pakistan which termed it a violation of it's territorial boundaries and warned the US of its implications on bilateral ties.

On the contrary, the US held the stance that it respected Pakistan's territorial integrity but insisted that it reserved the right to continue strikes wherever it deemed necessary.



The US has carried out hundreds of drone strikes in Pakistan, mainly in the country’s border tribal regions with Afghanistan, with leaked documents showing Islamabad had quietly consented, despite publicly protesting.

On May 18, senior officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States and China had agreed to give peace a chance, saying talks remain the only option for bringing an end to the lingering conflict in Afghanistan.

Taliban deny leader’s death

Afghan Taliban have denied the death of their leader in a US drone strike in Paktika province.

"We categorically reject claim by officials of the puppet Kabul administration that American aircraft had targeted a vehicle of the Mujahideen and the martyrdom of a member of the so-called Quetta Shura with three colleagues," said spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.

"We dismiss it as the part of the enemy's propaganda. The aerial strike hit a vehicle of locals and killed three passengers," the statement added.