Afghan, Coalition Forces Pursue Insurgents

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2011 – Afghan and coalition forces have been heavily engaged in Afghanistan’s southeastern region in recent days, killing and detaining numerous insurgent fighters there, military officials reported.

A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed several insurgents and detained several more while searching for a senior Taliban leader in Helmand province’s Musa Qalah district yesterday.

As the combined force began clearing a compound believed to belong to the suspect, numerous insurgents opened fire. The force returned fire, resulting in the deaths of the attacking insurgents. The detainees were taken in for further questioning.

In other operations yesterday:

-- A combined force operating in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province detained a Taliban member and several of his associates involved in the kidnapping of local police and in the movement of lethal aid from their Pakistan-based associates.

-- In the Shajoy district of Zabul province, a combined force detained a suspected insurgent during an operation targeting a Taliban leader who directs roadside-bomb attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force detained a Taliban facilitator and another suspected insurgent in the Mohammad Agha district of Logar province. They are suspected of staging and assisting attacks against Afghan and coalition forces from Logar province to Kabul City.

-- In Ghazni city, a combined security force detained a Taliban leader responsible for directing fighters, planning attacks and coordinating tactics with other insurgents in the area. Two of his associates also were detained.

-In the Khost district of Khost province, a combined force detained several suspected insurgents while searching for a Haqqani terrorist network leader who provides strategic-level coordination for roadside-bomb attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces.

In Aug. 14 operations:

-- A combined patrol detained two suspects during an operation targeting a terrorist network that supplies lethal aid to insurgents in Helmand’s Washer district. The operation secured and safely destroyed 2,315 pounds of ammonium nitrate, a banned fertilizer used in homemade explosives.

-- A combined patrol detained two suspected insurgents during an operation targeting a Taliban leader in Helmand’s Musa Qalah district. The target of the operation is responsible for numerous attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, and for supplying lethal aid to insurgents. The operation secured a quantity of assault rifles and ammunition, which were safely destroyed.

In Aug. 13 operations:

-- A combined force captured a Taliban leader and another suspected insurgent in Helmand’s Nahr-e Saraj district. The leader was responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalitions force in the Marja and Nahr-e-Seraj districts. He also provided resources to other Taliban insurgents in the area.

-- A combined force detained two suspected insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader in the Pul-e Khumri district of Baghlan province. The leader directs roadside-bomb attacks against Afghan security forces.

-- In the Almar district of Faryab province, the security force detained a man with suspected ties to the Taliban.