NATO-led international forces reported Wednesday that its troops have killed a Taliban commander and fellow insurgent who shot down a helicopter Friday that killed at least 30 US troops, dpa reported.
Coalition forces killed the Taliban insurgents involved with the recent downing of the CH-47 helicopter, with a precision airstrike in Chak district in central province of Wardak, the military alliance said in a statement.
The airstrike killed Mullah Mohibullah, the commander, and the insurgent who fired the shot on the chopper, it read.
Last week, a US-commanded military helicopter was downed by insurgents in Wardak, killing 30 American special forces and eight Afghan army commandos, the biggest single-loss for the international troops.
Mohibullah was a key facilitator in an insurgent attack cell, the coalition reported. The inbound helicopter that crashed was ferrying special operations forces pursuing insurgents from his network.
"After an exhaustive manhunt, Special Operations forces located Mullah Mohibullah and the shooter after receiving multiple intelligence leads and tips from local citizens," the statement said. "The two men were attempting to flee the country in order to avoid capture."