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The recent death of Taliban senior commander Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani, was apparently the result of British and American intelligence troops connecting Osmani to a specific satellite phone, and then using that to locate Osmani and kill him with a smart bomb. A British electronic reconnaissance aircraft monitored satellite telephone traffic over the area, so that when Osmani made a call, his location was quickly found and tracked. Taliban and al Qaeda members are well aware of the risks of using cell or satellite phones. But they are greatly restricted if they do not use wireless communications, and they try...

KABUL, Afghanistan - A top Taliban military commander described as a close associate of Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Omar was killed in an airstrike this week close to the border with Pakistan, the U.S. military said Saturday. Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani was killed Tuesday by a U.S. airstrike while traveling by vehicle in a deserted area in the southern province of Helmand, the U.S. military said. Osmani was the Taliban's chief military commander in southern Afghanistan and played a "central role in facilitating terrorist operations" including roadside bombs, suicide attacks and kidnappings, the U.S. said.