Combined Force Kills Taliban Leader

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON – A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed a Taliban leader and two of his associates during an operation in the Achin district of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province yesterday, military officials reported.

The leader, Khetab Gul, was responsible for a recent suicide car bomb attack in Nangarhar, officials said. He also constructed roadside bombs, planned attacks and distributed bomb-making materials to insurgents throughout the province.

During the operation, several armed insurgents barricaded themselves inside a building and fired at the security force, officials said. The force returned fire, killing Gul and two other insurgents.

The security force also confiscated firearms during the operation.

In other Afghanistan news yesterday:

-- A combined force captured a Taliban leader, detained several suspects, and seized 150 pounds of hashish in the Zharay district of Kandahar province. The leader distributed weapons, planted roadside bombs and led direct-fire attacks against Afghan forces.

-- A combined force captured two Taliban leaders in the Nad ’Ali district of Helmand province. One leader manufactured explosives for use in attacks against Afghan forces throughout the Marjah and Nad’ Ali districts, and the other distributed funds to insurgent groups.

-- A combined force captured a Haqqani network leader, detained several suspects, and seized multiple chest racks and weapons in the Sabari district of Khost province. The leader planned roadside bomb attacks and procured weapons for insurgents in Khost.

-- In the Khost district of Khost province, an Afghan-led and coalition-supported force detained several suspects while searching for a Haqqani network member who distributes supplies to insurgents and conducts attacks against Afghan forces using rockets and machine guns.

-- A combined force killed one insurgent, detained two others and seized several weapons while searching for a Taliban leader in the Zurmat district of Paktiya province. The leader directs ambush and roadside bomb attacks throughout the district.

In Afghanistan news:

-- Six International Security Assistance Force service members died following a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash. It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities and more information will be released.

-- Afghan soldiers detained a man for possession of a small weapons cache in the Dehyak district of Ghazni province.

-- Coalition forces detained a man for questioning after indirect shots were fired around Camp Clark in Khost province.

-- Afghan soldiers detained a man found with a weapons cache in the Sar Rowzah district of Paktika province. The detainee was transported to a nearby base for questioning.

-- Coalition forces detained four suspects matching the description of a senior Haqqani network commander in the Baraki Barak district of Logar province. The detainees were transported to a nearby base for questioning.