A key Taliban commander was killed yesterday in a drone strike that targeted a militant hideout in Afghanistan's Laghman province. The strike was following a tip-off. The commander's identity was not disclosed.

Meanwhile, security forces are battling the Taliban for the third straight day after the insurgents' attack in Ghazni, an Afghan official said. The Taliban pushed into the city from different directions and destroyed a telecommunication tower, cutting off landline and cellphone communications.