NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Photo:  Afghanistan.  Credit:  U.S. DOD

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Combined Force Arrests Taliban Bomb Facilitator
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 15, 2012 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force in Afghanistan's Kandahar province today arrested a Taliban leader suspected of distributing bomb components to insurgents and facilitating ambushes and attacks, military officials reported.

The security force also detained several other suspected insurgents, officials said.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined force in Nangarhar province arrested a Taliban weapons, ammunition and suicide-attack facilitator suspected of resourcing and delivering lethal aid to insurgents. The security force also detained several other suspected insurgents and seized grenades and firearms.

-- Afghan and coalition forces killed two insurgents engaged in threatening activity in Ghazni province.

-- In Farah province, an Afghan provincial response company, enabled by coalition forces, detained several suspected insurgents and seized and destroyed more than 100 pounds of opium, two assault rifles, ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades.

In operations yesterday:

-- Afghan and coalition forces in Helmand province arrested a Taliban explosives expert believed to have acquired, built and distributed dozens of improvised explosive devices to insurgents. The security force also detained several other suspected insurgents.

-- A combined force, acting on a tip, found and removed eight IEDs in Kandahar province.

-- In Kandahar province, combined forces seized and destroyed two opium presses and chemicals and equipment used in making explosives.

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR OCTOBER 30, 2012

Afghanistan Patrol  Credit:  U.S. Army

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE,

Combined Force Arrests Taliban Leader

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 30, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader in Afghanistan's Helmand province today, military officials reported.

The arrested insurgent leader is believed to be involved in providing tactical guidance to Taliban senior leaders while facilitating the movement of improvised explosive device components to other insurgents.

The security force also detained a number of suspected insurgents as a result of the operation.

In other operations today:

-- A combined force arrested a Taliban weapons and IED facilitator in Kandahar province. The arrested facilitator is suspected of smuggling weapons throughout Kandahar province and acquiring homemade explosives and other IED-making materials for use in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force detained a number of insurgents during a search for a Haqqani leader in Logar province. The sought-after Haqqani leader is believed responsible for coordinating and executing IED and small-arms fire attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces throughout northern Logar province.

And during an Oct. 29 operation, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader in Kandahar province. The arrested insurgent leader is believed to have assisted in inspecting and relocating IEDs within western Kandahar province.

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Photo:  U.S. Navy Seals.  Credit:  U.S. Navy.
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Forces Confirm Deaths of 2 Taliban LeadersFrom 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.