A U.S. drone attack has reportedly killed the militant commander believed to be holding Idaho soldier Bowe Bergdahl captive, according to news reports out of Pakistan.
The strike dealt a blow to the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network.
The New York Times, Reuters, the Associated Press and other international news outlets cite Pakistani intelligence officials. They say the drone attack in the northern border region near Afghanistan killed at least six people, including Mullah Sangeen Zadran.
Zadran is considered a terrorist by the U.S. The State Department links him to multiple kidnappings and attacks in Afghanistan.
Zadran appeared in a 2010 Taliban video of Bergdahl, who was captured in the summer of 2009 near his base in Afghanistan. Reports indicated he was moved across the border into Pakistan, where he remained a prisoner of the Haqqani Network.
It was not immediately clear what Sangeen's death will mean for Bergdahl. The soldier from Hailey, Idaho, was expected to be offered up in a prisoner swap if peace negotiations between the Taliban and the U.S. resume.
