Force Kills Insurgents, Captures Taliban Leaders

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 22, 2011 – An Afghan-led combined security force killed two armed insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader in Afghanistan’s Laghman province yesterday, military officials reported.

Reports indicate the leader is finalizing preparations for an attack in Laghman’s Alingar district, officials said. The man is known to support both Taliban and Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin networks, and has been involved in attacks against the Afghan army, they said.

The force saw the insurgents holding rocket-propelled grenade launchers and small-arms weapons while hiding in a nearby tree line.

In other operations in Afghanistan yesterday:

-- A combined force killed an insurgent and captured a Taliban leader and his assistant during a security operation in Kandahar province’s Zharay district. The leader conducted roadside-bomb and direct-fire attacks against Afghan forces, and his assistant is believed responsible for attack planning and moving materials inside the district. Other suspected insurgents were detained.

-- In Helmand province’s Marjah district, a combined security force detained a suspected insurgent while searching for a Taliban leader responsible for coordinating attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force captured a Taliban organizer during an intelligence-driven security operation in Laghman province’s Mehtar Lam district. The leader supported insurgents through surveillance of possible targets and by distributing weapons, ammunition and supplies to area leaders.

-- A combined force in Paktika province’s Dilah wa Khoshamand district captured a Haqqani terrorist network leader and several of his associates. The leader directed attacks against security forces.

-- During a search in Khost province’s Sabari district, a security force detained a suspected insurgent while searching for a Haqqani organizer responsible for planning attacks against security forces in the district.

-- Tips from residents led a force patrol in Bamyan province’s Kahmard district to a weapons cache containing three rocket-propelled grenades, a high-explosive rocket, a 107 mm incendiary shell, three 152 mm shells, eight 82 mm mortars, 14 hand grenades, two mortar fuses, two flares, nine RPG boosters, 22 mortar-propelling cartridges, eight grenade fuses, eight anti-personnel landmines and 14.7 mm ammunition.

-- A coalition force in Ghor province’s Chaghcharan district found 50 82 mm mortar rounds and eight mortar fuses.