US military says 17 Taliban killed in Afghanistan

The US-led coalition said Wednesday it used a precision air strike to kill a Taliban commander with reported links to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and up to 16 militants with him in western Afghanistan. The strike was called in against rebel leader Mullah Mustafa, who commanded about 100 men, in the remote western province of Ghor on Tuesday, the US military said in a statement. The militant was targeted while he was travelling. "When he stopped in a remote area, he was joined by multiple militants," it said. "Determining no civilians would be endangered, forces used precision aerial munitions to strike the group, killing Mustafa and as many as 16 other associated militants," it said. The statement said the commander "had recently met with senior Taliban leaders, and reportedly had connections to Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -- Quds Force."