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| U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Travis M. Barnes provides close-air support over Afghanistan's Helmand province, Nov. 8, 2012. Barnes is assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Keonaona C. Paulo |
Combined Force Arrests Taliban Operative
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban suicide attack operative in Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.
The arrested insurgent is suspected of planning and executing suicide attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout Kandahar province, officials said.
The security force also detained a number of suspected insurgents as a result of the operation.
In other Afghanistan operations today:
-- A combined force arrested a Taliban facilitator and detained two suspects in Helmand province. The arrested insurgent is believed to have organized the acquisition and transportation of mass shipments of homemade explosives and improvised explosive device-making materials to insurgents throughout Kandahar and Helmand provinces.
-- In Logar province, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader. The arrested leader is alleged to have performed high-profile attack planning, conducted indirect-fire attacks against Forward Operating Base Shank and carried out IED attacks on Afghan security patrols throughout southern Logar province.
In operations yesterday:
-- A combined force arrested two Taliban weapons and explosives facilitators, detained one other suspected insurgent and seized IED-making materials in Kandahar province. The first detained Taliban facilitator is an IED expert who is believed responsible for the acquisition, construction and emplacement of IEDs for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the province. The second detainee is a weapons trafficker alleged to have coordinated transport of weapons and IED components to Taliban insurgents in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
-- A combined force arrested five insurgents and seized 20 pounds of illegal narcotics during a search for a Taliban lethal aid facilitator in Helmand province.
In Nov. 17 operations:
-- A combined force arrested a Taliban leader and detained one other suspect in Kandahar province. The arrested leader is believed to have coordinated the movement and storage of machine guns, weapons, and ammunition to support the Taliban insurgency.
In Nov. 16 operations:
-- Afghan commandos and coalition forces discovered a weapons and drug cache which included AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and nearly 88 pounds of heroin in Helmand province.
-- Afghan National Army Special Forces and coalition forces discovered 15 emplaced IEDs and two caches in Kandahar province. The caches consisted of IED-making materials, one AK-47 magazine, some nine-volt batteries, and 500 Pakistani Rupees. The IEDs and both caches were destroyed.
-- Afghan Provincial Response Company Ghazni and coalition forces detained one suspected insurgent and seized a cache of weapons, homemade explosives and IED-making materials in Ghazni province. All discovered items were destroyed on site.
