Afghan army kills Haqqani network's local leader

A Haqqani militant group's local leader has been killed in eastern Afghan province of Paktika, the provincial government said in a statement on Monday.
"The Afghan National Army (ANA) launched an operation in Malik Shahi area of Barmal district, killing Mullah Ramazhan, a known Haqqani network leader," the statement said.
The killed leader has been involved in several anti-government activities within the past eight years in the district bordering Pakistan, the statement said, adding that an AK-47 rifle and two hand grenades were also seized during the operation.
As a Taliban-linked group of militants, the Haqqani network mostly operating in eastern provinces and capital Kabul, has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against security forces.
The network was designated as terrorist group by the United States in 2012.