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.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
