KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Afghan forces were credited Sunday with bringing down a Taliban leader who was responsible for directing a campaign of roadside bombings in Kandahar province.
Mullah Mahmood was killed during an operation this week near village of Ghoresh, a NATO official said in a statement.
Tipped off to his whereabouts, Afghan security forces, backed by NATO troops, surrounded the compound where Mahmood was said to be hiding.
He was given the option to surrender, but apparently chose to attack instead and was killed in the resulting gunbattle, a spokesman for the military alliance said.
"With Mahmood no longer operating in the area, the insurgents' ability to conduct operations will be significantly degraded in Kandahar province," said Canadian Brig.-Gen Richard Blanchette, in a release.
Aside from being a ringleader in the placement of bombs and booby traps, Mahmood was also said to be instrumental in the recruiting of suicide bombers.
Canadian troops have suffered through a series of roadside bomb attacks, which have claimed 11 lives since early December.
There was no comment from the Canadian military Sunday on the apparent step forward.
Roadside bombs kill indiscriminately, a point the NATO spokesman highlighted in his statement.
"The most important outcome from this operation is the benefit to the Afghan people," said Blanchette.
"Their safety has improved as Mahmood's blatant disregard for the lives of innocent civilians has been brought to an end."
The senior leadership of Afghan security forces and the commander of NATO troops in the southern region gathered at Kandahar Airfield over the weekend in a public show of solidarity and co-operation.
One of the themes of a joint news conference was the increasing ability of Afghan forces to plan and conduct their own operations, yet no mention was made among commanders about the Afghan-led raid that killed Mahmood.
Meanwhile, a battle just outside of Kandahar has killed at least six Taliban fighters, while an air strike against militants elsewhere in the south killed eight, officials said Sunday.
A battle in the Panjwaii district -- 25 kilometres west of Kandahar city -- began late Saturday after Taliban militants ambushed a police patrol, wounding two officers, said Abdullah Khan, the province's deputy police chief.
NATO and Afghan forces responded, unleashing bombs that could be heard by residents in Kandahar city. Khan said at least six militants were killed in the fighting, which continued into Sunday.
A spokesman for the Canadian Forces said no Canadian troops were involved.
In neighbouring Helmand province, an air strike on a minivan killed eight militants late Saturday, said Daud Ahmadi, the governor's spokesman. Ahmadi said an informant told the government that insurgents were riding in the vehicle and authorities told coalition military officials, which hit it with an air strike.
Southern Afghanistan is the Taliban's spiritual homeland and the most violent region in Afghanistan.
The militants, which were driven from power in a 2001 U.S.-led invasion, have increased their attacks in the past three years and now control wide swaths of the countryside.
President Barack Obama announced last week that the United States would send 17,000 additional forces to Afghanistan to bolster the 38,000 Americans already in the country.
Many of those forces are expected to deploy to the south to back up British troops fighting in Helmand and Canadian forces fighting in Kandahar.
With files from The Associated Press
