US drone strikes kill 17 Taliban militants in Afghanistan
Kabul, June 5 (IANS) At least 17 alleged Taliban members were killed in two bombings by US drones in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, a police source told Efe news agency on Friday.
The bombings took place late Thursday in Chaparhar district as the insurgents were moving in three vehicles, according to regional police spokesperson Hussain Mashriqiwal.
"An important Taliban commander", Mawlawi Azizullah, was among the dead and there were no civilian victims, Mashriqiwal said.
In recent weeks, the US has conducted numerous bombings by drones, killing more than 50 alleged insurgents in Nangarhar.
Nangarhar province, bordering Pakistan, has strategic value for insurgents in Afghanistan, where the scenario has been changing owing to new groups pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.
On Wednesday, at least 10 Taliban members were decapitated by alleged IS militants in Nangarhar as the two groups are embroiled in a struggle for control over the region.