Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan has confirmed that a coalition air strike on Dec. 19 killed senior Taliban leader, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani. The strike utilized intelligence that placed him in a deserted area near the Pakistan border, targeting his vehicle and killing Osmani and two unidentified associates. According to a coalition spokesman, Osmani was a close associate of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban’s chief of military operations in key Afghanistan provinces.
Officials at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., said the range is “fully mission capable” to support launches following a major May 28 mishap involving Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket.