3 Taliban freed in exchange for Italian said to die in raid
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Three Taliban released in exchange for a kidnapped Italian journalist were killed alongside the insurgency’s top field commander, the Afghan intelligence service said Wednesday.
Mullah Dadullah, the one-legged militant who orchestrated suicide attacks and beheadings, died of gunshot wounds in a U.S.-led operation over the weekend in the southern province of Helmand.
An Afghan intelligence official identified the three who died with him as Mullah Shah Mansoor, Dadullah’s brother; Mullah Hamdullah and Commander Ghafar. They had been freed in March in exchange for the release of Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo.
The swap was widely criticized in Afghanistan, partly because two Afghans kidnapped with Mastrogiacomo were executed by the Taliban after their government refused to negotiate their release.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Afghan forces helped the U.S.-led coalition track down Dadullah using “modern technology,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
He said Dadullah was buried in a secret location.
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