Combined Force Arrests Taliban Leader

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 6, 2012 – An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader who was responsible for acquiring and distributing weapons and explosives to insurgents during an operation in the Dahanah-ye Ghori district of Afghanistan’s Baghlan province today, military officials reported.

The combined force also detained several other suspects and seized a number of improvised explosive device-making components, officials said.

In other Afghanistan operations today:
— A combined force arrested a Taliban leader in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province. The leader directed the activities of a group of insurgents in Uruzgan province, and was involved in the planning and execution of direct-fire and improvised-explosive-device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained two other suspects.
— In the Maidan Shahr district of Wardak province, a combined force detained one suspect during a search for a district-level Taliban leader who oversees IED operations in Maidan Shahr.
And yesterday, a combined force killed the Taliban leader, Akhbar, and several other insurgents in the Dara-e Pech district of Kunar province. Akhbar had coordinated the movement of insurgents and was responsible for supplying money and equipment to insurgents for use in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.