Taliban leader who downs NATO helicopter killed

KABUL - A local Taliban leader, who was accused of shooting down a NATO CH-47 Chinook helicopter last year, was killed in Afghanistan's eastern province of Kunar, the NATO-led coalition forces confirmed on Wednesday.

"An Afghan and coalition force killed a Taliban leader in an operation in Kunar province, Monday. The Taliban leader, Abdullah, was accused of shooting down a CH-47 Chinook helicopter July 25, 2011 in Kunar province. During the operation, the security force positively identified Abdullah with two other militants engaging in insurgent activity in an isolated area away from civilians. The security force conducted a precision airstrike, killing Abdullah and two additional insurgents," the coalition said in a statement.

However, no death was reported in last years' crash. ?

Up to 10 NATO and US helicopters had gone down since beginning this year, leaving three dozen coalition soldiers and eight Afghans dead.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched annual spring offensive on May 3 against Afghan government and about 100,000 NATO-led troops.