von KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition security forces spent the month of August continuing to capture and kill key Taliban and Haqqani Network insurgent leaders.
The leaders were associated with the facilitation of improvised explosives device attacks, suicide attacks, and the facilitation of foreign fighters against coalition and Afghan troops.
In August, the security force detained more than 500 insurgents and killed 160 more in security force operations. More importantly, the security force captured or killed 23 Haqqani Network and 53 Taliban leaders.
These leadership figures include shadow governors, commanders, sub-commanders and weapons facilitators. Clear rules of engagement and extreme measures were taken to avoid civilian casualties, resulting in 85 percent of the 186 operations conducted without shots fired.
“The insurgent groups are feeling the increased pressure. August was an extremely successful month for Afghan and coalition forces in which several high-level Haqqani and Taliban leaders were captured,” said U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director. “These operations have degraded the insurgents’ capabilities to execute complex attacks against the Afghan population, and helped facilitate further security force operations to degrade insurgent criminal activities in Afghanistan.”
The month of August began with an Afghan and coalition security force killing Malauwi Ghulam Haideri, a senior Taliban commander, and Malauwi Sher Agha, during an operation August 4. Insurgents immediately engaged the assault force, and the subsequent hour-long fire fight resulted in at least 14 insurgents killed. During a break in fighting, the assault force searched the area and found 26 rocket-propelled grenades, multiple automatic weapons, grenades, a recoilless rifle, an anti-personnel mine and approximately 1,000 rounds of ammunition at the scene.
A week later, the security force conducted a multi-day deliberate clearing operation against Haqqani Network foreign fighter camps and safe havens in Dzadran district of Paktiya province. Afghan and coalition forces killed 23 armed insurgents, including Arab, Chechen and Pakistani fighters during the operation. They also discovered and destroyed multiple completed IEDs, as well as IED components, including trip wire and blasting caps. Additionally, they found two 82mm mortar systems with dozens of mortar rounds, a recoilless rifle, a heavy machine gun, and multiple grenades. Coalition forces also conducted a precision air strike against an enemy ammunitions bunker, preventing it from future use.
This week Afghan and coalition forces captured and killed several Haqqani Network commanders following attempted attacks on Forward Operating Base Salerno and Chapman. Immediately following the attacks, coalition forces conducted a precision air strike on a vehicle occupied by three Haqqani Network fighters as they were fleeing the area. Mudasir, a Haqqani facilitator of suicide bombers and IEDs, was killed in the strike along with two additional insurgents. Mudasir, who is also known as Qari Ishaq, had direct ties to Haqqani Network senior leadership based in Pakistan and was a teacher at a madrassa known to facilitate suicide bombers.
“We will continue to kill or capture these insurgent groups who are constantly terrorizing the peaceful people of Afghanistan,” said Torres. “These combined operations establish the security needed to make feasible ANSF training, local populace protection and improving governance throughout the country”.
Source:
Allied Command Operations
NATO