Combined Force Captures Taliban Leader

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 15, 2011 – A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban leader and one of his associates during an intelligence-driven operation in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province yesterday, military officials reported.

The leader was responsible for coordinating and executing roadside-bomb attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

The force also discovered and safely destroyed more than 20 bricks of homemade explosives.

In other operations in Afghanistan yesterday:

-- An Afghan-led combined force in Kunduz province’s Imam Sahib district detained several suspected insurgents during a search for a Taliban facilitator who supports the Kunduz attack network in conducting suicide and roadside-bomb attacks against Afghan government officials and Afghan security forces. The force confiscated several roadside bomb-making materials, including ammonium nitrate, explosive blasting caps, detonation cord and initiators.

-- An Afghan-led combined force detained several suspected insurgents in Kandahar province’s Zharay district while searching for a Taliban leader responsible for planning imminent attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force in Helmand province’s Kajaki district detained several suspected Taliban insurgents while searching for a Taliban facilitator who coordinates shipments of weapons and narcotics. The force also discovered several land mines during the search.

-- A combined force in Kandahar province’s Panjwa'i district found and destroyed a drug cache consisting of 445 pounds of marijuana.

-- In Kandahar province’s Panjwa'i district, a coalition force patrol seized five 82 mm rounds, three 155 mm casings, two bags of explosive chemicals, 500 7.62 mm rounds, four assault rifle magazines, 1,000 9 mm rounds, three rocket-propelled grenades, 10 propellant tubes and other assorted weapons.

-- A combined force captured several suspected insurgents while searching for two Haqqani terrorist network facilitators during separate operations in Khost province’s Musa Khel and Sabari district. The facilitators are responsible for the transfer and emplacement of roadside bombs targeting Afghan and coalition security forces, and also are responsible for transporting supplies and equipment to senior Haqqani leaders in Miram Shah, Pakistan.

-- In the Farah province’s Bala Boluk district, a coalition force patrol discovered three grenade launchers, three tripods, one mortar tube, three anti-aircraft machine guns, one mortar plunger, two cans of ammunition and 14 5-gallon jugs filled with homemade explosives.