Afghan, Coalition Forces Detain Taliban Leaders

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2011 – Afghan and coalition forces detained several Taliban leaders and other insurgents in operations yesterday in Afghanistan, military officials reported.

-- In Paktia province’s Gardez district, combined forces acting on leads detained a Taliban leader and a suspected insurgent. The Taliban leader is responsible for a group of insurgents who attack coalition forces with roadside bombs, has connections to a Pakistan-based bomb-attack training program and facilitates sending Taliban members abroad to receive training, officials said. Recent reporting indicates he planted a bomb at a playground, they added. The detained men had weapons and armor-piercing ammunition.

-- Partnered Afghan and coalition forces in Nangarhar province detained a Taliban leader who operates in the Pachir wa Agam district during an operation in the province’s Surkh Rod district. The Taliban leader coordinated, organized and facilitated attacks against Afghan government officials and coalition forces throughout the region, officials said, and planned to gather weapons, ammunition and bomb-making materials for a forthcoming attack.

-- Afghan and coalition forces detained three Taliban leaders and another suspected insurgent in Paktia’s Gardez district. One of the detainees, the Taliban leader for the district, had taken over planning for upcoming insurgent operations after other Taliban leaders had been detained. The second detained leader also had been involved in attack planning, and the third is a facilitator who provided financial support to the insurgency through narcotics trafficking, officials said.

-- Partnered Afghan and coalition forces detained a Taliban leader who operated out of Kandahar City and Arghandab district in Kandahar province, along with another suspected insurgent. The Taliban leader was responsible for supplying material to insurgents, attacking Afghan and coalition forces, and reporting attacks to Pakistan-based Taliban leadership, officials said.

-- In Zabul province’s Shah Joy district, Afghan and coalition forces following leads while looking for a Taliban facilitator who operates primarily in the Shah Joy district detained two suspected insurgents during a security operation. The targeted facilitator is responsible for support to Taliban operations, including the movement of bomb-making material and money associated with Taliban activities, and recently had directed an insurgent to bring him some bomb-making materials, officials said.

No women or children were injured or detained during these operations, and the security forces conducted them without firing their weapons, officials said.