Taliban chief killed in Afghanistan

A Taliban commander has been killed in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.

An Afghan-led security force, supported by coalition troops, shot dead Fayez Jan and another insurgent during an operation in Daman district, Kandahar province.

The MoD said that as the coalition troops approached Jan's location, they were attacked with small-arms fire and shot back.

Jan constructed, distributed and directed the placement of improvised explosive devices throughout Daman and Shah Wali Kot districts. At the time of his death he was planning to launch an IED attack against Afghan and coalition convoys in the area, the MoD said.

In another operation, a Taliban leader, said to be an expert in homemade bombs and who co-ordinated insurgents throughout the region, was captured with two other suspected fighters.

And "multiple insurgents were killed" during a helicopter-led operation targeting the movements of suspected anti-Afghan forces in Reg-e Khan Neshin district, Helmand province, the MoD said.

The Afghan National Security Force stopped a suspicious vehicle in the area, searched it and found 1,606 pounds (730 kilograms) of dry opium and 3,500 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.

One of the detainees led the soldiers to another vehicle hidden in the desert.

Troops found a rocket propelled grenade launcher, four RPG anti-tank rounds, four machine guns and five hand grenades.

Also inside were several IED components and 440 pounds (200kg) of homemade explosives.