NATO forces in Afghanistan have confirmed that insurgent leader Mullah Mahmood was killed in fighting with troops in southern Afghanistan.
The alliance released a statement Sunday saying Mahmood died during a recent Afghan-led military operation near Ghoresh, in Kandahar province. It says foreign forces supported the mission, and Mahmood was killed when he attacked troops after being given the option to surrender.
NATO says Mahmood was the mastermind behind roadside and suicide bombings in southern Afghanistan, as well as other criminal activities.
In separate fighting in Kandahar, officials say insurgents attacked a police patrol in the Panjwayi district late Saturday, wounding two police officers. Authorities say international and Afghan troops responded with a military operation that lasted into early Sunday, and six fighters were killed during the battle.
Southern Afghanistan is the center of the Taliban-led insurgency.
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