Afghan airstrike kills Taliban commander: official

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - An Afghan airstrike killed a Taliban commander and five of his family members in the northeastern Kapisa province on Friday, an Afghan official said.

The strike was launched early morning in Nijrab district, killing Taliban commander Dilawar Khan and two women and three children from his family, said Qais Qaderi, a spokesman for the province's governor.

He said authorities were also searching for Khan's brother who apparently escaped during the strike.

He said Khan was firing shots at Afghan helicopters from his home before the airstrike.

Elsewhere, on Thursday, security forces in the Wardak province launched an operation to clear the Jalreiz district of Taliban, killing 24 Taliban, according to Abdul Rahman Mangal, a spokesman for the province's governor. He added that two Afghan security forces were killed in the operation and six others wounded.