The leader of Pakistan's Taliban armed group has been killed in neighbouring Afghanistan's Kunar province, the Afghan defence ministry said on Friday.
"I confirm that Mullah Fazlullah, leader of the Pakistani Taliban, has been killed in an joint air operation [with the US] in the border area of Marawera district of Kunar province," Mohammad Radmanish, spokesman for Afghan defence ministry, told Reuters news agency, adding the air attack was carried out at about 9am local time on Thursday.
In a separate statement to the Associated Press news agency, Radmanish said that two other armed fighters were killed alongside Fazlullah.
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (known by the acronym TTP) acknowledged that its leader had been killed, according to Turkey's Anadolu Agency.
TTP accused the Afghan intelligence service NDS, which has long been suspected by Pakistan of harbouring Fazlullah, of providing information for the drone attack.
According to a statement attributed to US Forces-Afghanistan spokesman, Lt Col Martin O'Donnell, the US carried out a "counterterrorism strike" near the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan targeting "a senior leader of a designated terrorist organisation."
The US statement did not say whether the attack had killed anyone and did not identify Fazlullah as the target.
O'Donnell said that the US and NATO "continue to adhere" to Afghanistan's ceasefire declaration with the Afghan Taliban.
But he said the the ceasefire "does not include US counterterrorism efforts" against other armed groups in the region.
In March, Fazlullah's son, Abdullah, was among 20 TTP armed fighters killed in a US drone attack also in Kunar.
"I confirm that Mullah Fazlullah, leader of the Pakistani Taliban, has been killed in an joint air operation [with the US] in the border area of Marawera district of Kunar province," Mohammad Radmanish, spokesman for Afghan defence ministry, told Reuters news agency, adding the air attack was carried out at about 9am local time on Thursday.
In a separate statement to the Associated Press news agency, Radmanish said that two other armed fighters were killed alongside Fazlullah.
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (known by the acronym TTP) acknowledged that its leader had been killed, according to Turkey's Anadolu Agency.
According to a statement attributed to US Forces-Afghanistan spokesman, Lt Col Martin O'Donnell, the US carried out a "counterterrorism strike" near the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan targeting "a senior leader of a designated terrorist organisation."
The US statement did not say whether the attack had killed anyone and did not identify Fazlullah as the target.
O'Donnell said that the US and NATO "continue to adhere" to Afghanistan's ceasefire declaration with the Afghan Taliban.
But he said the the ceasefire "does not include US counterterrorism efforts" against other armed groups in the region.
In March, Fazlullah's son, Abdullah, was among 20 TTP armed fighters killed in a US drone attack also in Kunar.
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