A Taliban commander was shot dead and an American soldier died in a training accident as violence continued ahead of Afghanistan's parliamentary elections scheduled for next month, officials said on Friday. A U.S. military statement said Qari Amadullah was killed near Wazikhwa in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, according to Reuters. "Amadullah was believed to have commanded up to 50 Taliban fighters in the region and was thought to be in possession of a number of weapon systems to include rockets and rocket propelled grenades," it said. Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi confirmed the incident. Amadullah was killed during a clash with Afghan soldiers and U.S. paratroopers in which five other militants died and three U.S. servicemen were wounded. "Killing this individual will significantly disrupt Taliban operations in the region," said U.S. Brigadier-General James G. Champion. The U.S. military also said one American soldier died in a training accident involving explosives near Tarin Kot in the southern province of Kandahar. The death brought to six the number of U.S. military personnel killed this month in Afghanistan, three of whom died in combat.
