KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec 23, SPA - A top Taliban military commander was killed in an air strike this week close to the border with Pakistan, the U.S. military said Saturday. Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani was killed Tuesday by a U.S. air strike while traveling by vehicle in a deserted area in the southern province of Helmand, the U.S. military was quoted as saying today by the Associated Press. Osmani was the Taliban's chief military commander in southern Afghanistan and played a "central role in facilitating terrorist operations" including roadside bombs, suicide attacks and kidnappings, the U.S. said.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/413260