Coalition Force Captures Taliban Leader

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2012 — An Afghan-led and coali­tion-sup­port­ed force cap­tured a Tal­iban facil­i­ta­tor in the Ghazni dis­trict of Afghanistan’s Ghazni province today, mil­i­tary offi­cials report­ed.

The facil­i­ta­tor planned road­side-bomb attacks and dis­trib­uted heavy weapon­ry through­out province. Mul­ti­ple addi­tion­al sus­pect­ed insur­gents were detained dur­ing the operation.

In Afghanistan oper­a­tions yesterday:

— A coali­tion patrol detained four sus­pects and dis­cov­ered sev­er­al drugs and weapons caches in the Reg‑e Khan Neshin dis­trict of Hel­mand province. The caches totalled about 660 pounds of var­i­ous com­pounds used to make home­made explo­sives, var­i­ous bomb com­po­nents and about 110 pounds of mar­i­jua­na seeds. The secu­ri­ty force also detained four sus­pects for ques­tion­ing about their con­nec­tion to the drugs and weapons. 

— A com­bined patrol found and destroyed about 440 pounds of hashish in the Pan­jwai dis­trict of Kan­da­har province. 

— A com­bined force found sev­en rock­et-pro­pelled grenades, more than 4,500 rounds of small-arms ammu­ni­tion and mul­ti­ple impro­vised explo­sive device mate­ri­als in the Shah Wali Kot dis­trict of Kan­da­har province. 

— A com­bined force con­fis­cat­ed mul­ti­ple rifles and detained a sus­pect dur­ing a search for a Haqqani net­work leader in the Ter­ayzai dis­trict of Khost province. The leader pro­cures weapons and ammu­ni­tion, coor­di­nates the place­ment of road­side bombs and coor­di­nates kid­nap­pings through­out the area. 

— In the Sha­ran dis­trict of Pak­ti­ka province, three sui­cide bombers wear­ing Afghan army uni­forms entered the Pak­ti­ka com­mu­ni­ca­tions depart­ment build­ing just south of the provin­cial governor’s com­pound. They held eight civil­ians as hostages. Afghan police and sol­diers breeched the build­ing, killing three insur­gents, one of whom det­o­nat­ed his sui­cide vest. Two indi­vid­u­als sus­pect­ed of help­ing the insur­gents were arrested.

— A coali­tion airstrike killed two insur­gents after troops watched them plant­i­ng device road­side bomb in the Shin­war dis­trict of Nan­garhar province.

— Afghan police detained an indi­vid­ual sus­pect­ed in a kid­nap­ping in the Shin­war dis­trict of Nan­garhar province. The detainee turned out to be a Tal­iban commander.

— In the Nerkh dis­trict of War­dak province, Afghan sol­diers detained an indi­vid­ual want­ed for questioning.

— Afghan troops detained one sus­pect in the Zur­mat dis­trict of Pak­tia province. 

Source:
Com­piled from Inter­na­tion­al Secu­ri­ty Assis­tance Force Joint Com­mand News Releases 

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