A US remotely piloted aircraft on Sunday reportedly killed a senior Taliban commander in northern Afghanistan. Mullah Abdul Salam and some of his key commanders were killed in Kunduz province, Voice of America reported, citing Taliban leaders and Afghan officials. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Sunday that Mullah Salam was “destroyed” in an “important demonstration for the security of Kunduz,” according to VOA. Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis on Monday confirmed a strike occurred, but said the US was still assessing the results of it. However, if the reporting is confirmed, it would be “welcome” news, he said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth foot-stomped the Pentagon's push for acquisition speed and contractor accountability in a Jan. 12 speech at Lockheed Martin’s production hub in Fort Worth, Texas—the heart of the department’s biggest acquisition program, the F-35.

