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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Afghan Taleban commander killed | Afghan Taleban commander killed |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The Taleban's top military commander in Afghanistan, Mullah Dadullah, has been killed in fighting in the south of the country, officials say. | The Taleban's top military commander in Afghanistan, Mullah Dadullah, has been killed in fighting in the south of the country, officials say. |
| They say he died in a clash with Afghan and Western forces in Helmand province. | They say he died in a clash with Afghan and Western forces in Helmand province. |
| Soldiers later took the body to the city of Kandahar, where it was seen by a BBC reporter. | Soldiers later took the body to the city of Kandahar, where it was seen by a BBC reporter. |
| Mullah Dadullah recently told the BBC that he had hundreds of suicide bombers awaiting his orders to launch an offensive against foreign troops. | |
| Suicide bombings in Afghanistan have soared since late 2005. | Suicide bombings in Afghanistan have soared since late 2005. |
| QUICK GUIDEAfghanistan | |
| Mullah Dadullah has been linked to several recent kidnappings in southern Afghanistan. | Mullah Dadullah has been linked to several recent kidnappings in southern Afghanistan. |
| The BBC's Alastair Leithead, in Herat, in western Afghanistan, says the commander has produced videos showing beheadings of foreign hostages. | |
| Previous reports of his death or capture had proved untrue, but officials displayed the body to confirm the killing. | Previous reports of his death or capture had proved untrue, but officials displayed the body to confirm the killing. |
| It was not immediately clear if the commander was killed as part a major operation in Helmand province launched in early March by Nato's International Security Assistance Force and Afghan troops. | |
| 'Top commander' | |
| Mullah Dadullah was a member of the Taleban's 10-man leadership council before the US-led invasion in 2001. | Mullah Dadullah was a member of the Taleban's 10-man leadership council before the US-led invasion in 2001. |
| He has been called "Afghanistan's top Taleban commander" by Nato officials, and is high on the US list of most-wanted people in the country. | He has been called "Afghanistan's top Taleban commander" by Nato officials, and is high on the US list of most-wanted people in the country. |
| Mullah Dadullah lost one of his legs as a mujahideen fighter against the Soviet occupation troops in the 1980s and has since used an artificial limb. | |
| He had the reputation of a fearless man. | |
| Despite his disability, he fought and led major battles for the Taleban against the rival Northern Alliance forces during the 1990s. | |
| He was one of the first Taleban commanders to organise attacks against US-led coalition forces after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. | |
| And he was the first Taleban commander to give interviews to print and electronic media after the fall of the regime. | |
| Unlike other Taleban leaders who never allowed themselves to be photographed for religious and security reasons, Mullah Dadullah did just the opposite. | |
| He granted an interview to the Arabic television channel al-Jazeera. | |
| Occasionally he called journalists, including those from the BBC in Afghanistan and Pakistan, on his satellite phone to provide information about Taleban attacks and issue new threats against foreign and Afghan forces. | |
| Correspondents say his death will be a huge setback for the Taleban. |