Official: US drone kills 26 Taliban in eastern Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says two U.S. drone strikes this week hit a building where dozens of Taliban were meeting in southeastern province of Ghazni, killing 26 insurgents and wounding 22.

Arif Noori, a provincial spokesman, says the drone assault was carried out on Tuesday during an offensive in Ghazni province’s Andar district where the U.S. military came to the aid of Afghan security forces battling the Taliban.

He says among those killed was a senior commander, known only as Aqhani, who ran the insurgency in Ghazni province. The first U.S. drone strike hit the building, the second struck an hour later after more Taliban had gathered at the scene.