NATO security force kills insurgent in air strike

Following a terrorist attack on the Hotel Intercontinental in Kabul on Tuesday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) killed Haqqani insurgent leader Ismail Jan in an airstrike on Wednesday. Jan, who was deputy to a senior Haqqani commander, was linked to the hotel attack that killed 12 people.  The Taliban has taken responsibility for the attack, but ISAF says the Taliban-backed Haqqani network is equally to blame. The attack followed President Obama’s announcement that he would begin withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan. Many people in the country are concerned as to whether Afghan security forces can hold their own against the Taliban without Western support.

Reuters