US forces in Afghanistan continue to destroy the Taliban leadership:

Mullah Abdullah Jan, the Taliban commander who led the kidnappings of 23 Korean hostages in Afghanistan, was killed in an air strike by U.S. forces.

U.S. forces launched an airstrike on a house in Ghazni province where a council of Taliban commanders was meeting on Monday night, the Associated Press reported.

Twelve Taliban leaders were killed including Abdullah, the commander of Qarabagh district in Ghazni, AP said on Tuesday, citing Ghazni provincial police chief Ali Shah Ahmadzai.

Abdullah was believed to have planned and carried out the kidnappings of the Korean missionaries on July 19.

Abdullah was directly and indirectly in contact with press around the world during the hostage crisis, including Korean media.

According to the Afghan government, at least four other Taliban leaders who were involved in the kidnappings have been killed this month, including Mullah Mateen, a commander under Abdullah. [Chosun Ilbo]

The effectiveness of the airstrikes at killing Taliban leadership targets is why you see such a misinformation campaign being launched in Afghanistan against airstrikes by the Taliban claiming all these civilians are being killed.  The misinformation campaign worked to get the US Marines kicked out of Afghanistan with the aid of the willing media and now is even being used in Iraq by Al-Sadr to try and get the Blackwater security contractors removed from that country.  Once again totally aided by the uncritical media.

Of further note is that if President Roh Moo-hyun of Korea had dispatched a contingent of ROK Army special forces soldiers after the release of the Korean hostages just imagine how much the symbolism of the methodical killing of the Taliban leadership would have had for Korea even if it was the US forces doing all the work?  Additionally it would have been a measure to save some face internationally after paying millions of dollars in ransom to terrorists who then proceeded to brag and mock Korea about it.  As it stands now the US military is avenging the murder of Korean civilians that ROK soldiers should have been helping to do themselves. 

You can read more over at One Free Korea.

Popularity: 3%