From
an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 11, 2012 –
Afghan and coalition forces today confirmed the death of two senior Taliban leaders,
including the suspected mastermind of an August 2008 ambush that left numerous
French soldiers dead and 21 wounded, military officials reported.
The Taliban leaders -- Mullah Hazrat and
Shakir -- were killed in a precision airstrike Sept. 9, officials said, when
Afghan and coalition forces positively identified a group of armed insurgents
in the Alisheng district of Laghman province and engaged them.
Hazrat is believed to have planned and
directed the Aug. 18, 2008, ambush, 40 miles east of Kabul, which resulted in a
two-day running battle between coalition and Afghan security forces and more
than 100 Taliban insurgents, officials said.
In the years since, Hazrat was promoted
to serve as the Taliban leader for the Alisheng district, officials said. He is
believed to have ordered several attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in
recent months, including the use of suicide bombers in Kabul. He also
coordinated the movement of foreign insurgents from Pakistan into Afghanistan.
Shakir, also known as Attullah, was one
of Hazrat’s associates and is believed to be responsible for several ambushes
and attacks throughout western Laghman province, officials said. At the time of
his death, Shakir was suspected of attempting to recruit foreign insurgents to
rebuild his attack cell.
In operations in Afghanistan today:
-- A combined force detained numerous
suspects and found and destroyed a Taliban weapons cache in the Pul-e Alam
district of Logar province. The cache contained several rocket-propelled grenades
and RPG components, grenades, heavy and small-arms ammunition, a firearm and
bomb components.
-- A combined force killed an armed
insurgent and detained several suspects during a search for a Taliban leader in
the Khugyani district of Nangarhar province. The security force also seized and
safely destroyed multiple assault rifles, several grenades and grenade
components, and some illegal narcotics and homemade explosives.
-- A combined force detained two
suspects during a search for an improvised explosive device facilitator in the
Talah wa Barfak district of Baghlan province. The facilitator is believed to
coordinate the movement of IED components throughout the district for insurgent
attacks.
In operations yesterday:
-- A combined force discovered and
cleared 31 IEDs in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province during a two-day
operation. In total, the discovered IEDs consisted of more than 200 pounds of
homemade explosives.
-- Coalition patrols seized more than
1,600 pounds of opium and detained two suspected narcotics smugglers in the
Dishu and Nawah-ye Barakzai districts of Helmand province. In both incidents,
the units investigated the area after observing suspicious activity through
aerial surveillance. The seized opium was destroyed.
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