KABUL, Afghanistan — The body of the Taliban’s most feared commander was put on display yesterday after he was killed in Afghanistan in an operation including U.S. Special Forces.

It was the Islamic rebels’ biggest single loss since it was toppled from power in 2001.

Mullah Dadullah Akhund, a one-legged battlefield veteran, was so bloodthirsty that the Taliban once dismissed him from office because of his excessive brutality.

His bloodied corpse was displayed in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, about 24 hours after his death.

The Afghan government took credit for the killing, but diplomatic sources in the capital, Kabul, said U.S. Special Forces and intelligence officers provided the “guiding hand” behind the operation. It appears that the operation did not directly involve NATO forces, except in an air support role.

The Taliban quickly denied that Dadullah was dead and promised a voice recording as proof that he was still alive.

But both Afghan and NATO officials said they were certain Dadullah had been killed.

The mullah is a familiar figure in the region after giving numerous television interviews and appearances in Taliban propaganda videos. The face of the corpse indicated that it was indeed Dadullah.

Although amputees are not uncommon in war-ravaged Afghanistan, the body was missing the left leg at the knee, just like Dadullah.

Bullet wounds were visible — two to his stomach and one to the back of the head.

Asadullah Khalid, the governor of Kandahar province, insisted that the body was that of Dadullah, saying that he was deliberately targeted based on “exact information.”

“After the operation we picked his body from among other bodies,” he said. “The appearance, specific signs match those of Mullah Dadullah.”

As well as commanding Taliban ground forces in southern Afghanistan, Dadullah was a member of the Taliban’s 10-man Ruling Council.

However, Mullah Dadullah was known primarily for his brutality. He claimed responsibility for a spate of high-profile attacks that included kidnappings and a wave of suicide bombings. Beheadings were his trademark.

“Mullah Dadullah was the backbone of the Taliban,” said Asadullah Khalid, governor of the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. “He was a brutal commander who killed and beheaded civilians.”

Rahimullah Yusufzai, an authority on the Taliban and editor of a Pakistani newspaper, the News, said, “This is the biggest loss for the Taliban in the last six years. I don’t think they can find someone as daring and as important as Dadullah.”

Western diplomats and Afghan analysts said the death of Dadullah was unlikely to have a long-term impact on the military effectiveness of the Taliban.

But they said his death would be a powerful psychological loss, and a boost to the beleaguered Afghan government of President Karzai. A statement issued by NATO said, “Mullah Dadullah will most certainly be replaced in time, but the insurgency has received a serious blow.”