British Forces in Afghanistan have killed their second senior Taliban leader in a little over two weeks, striking a critical blow to the insurgency’s command and control capabilities in Helmand. Bishmullah was a senior key facilitator and logistician responsible for the Northern Helmand region. He is believed to have commanded numerous fighters and was identified by Task Force Helmand as a key player in the insurgency, and criminality, before the strike.

He was killed in a firefight in Now Zad in the early hours of Saturday, 12 July 2008, just 15 days after Sadiqullah, another senior Taliban facilitator was killed in an Apache missile strike.

Bishmullah’s death will reduce the Taliban’s ability to conduct operations against coalition forces, and in particular, Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks, while also denting the Taliban leadership structure, which had recently been instructed to reorganise and improve. It will also decrease their ability to disrupt the rule of law being extended across Helmand by the Afghan Government.