Senior Taliban leader detained in S. Afghanistan

KABUL - A senior Taliban leader was detained in an operation in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar on Monday, the NATO-led coalition forces said.

"An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban senior leader in Kandahar province today," the coalition or International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a press release presenting daily operational updates.

The arrested leader commanded all Taliban fighters within provincial capital Kandahar city and eastern Panjwai district, it added without disclosing the name of the arrested leader in the province 450 km south of Afghan capital Kabul. ?

"He directed attacks against Afghan and coalition forces while coordinating the movement of supplies, weapons and improvised explosive device (IED) making-materials throughout Kandahar province to support the Taliban insurgency," the release said. ?

In eastern Ghazni province, 100 south of Kabul, Afghan Police members of Provincial Response Company, supporting by coalition forces, seized a cache of explosives and IED making materials on Sunday, it noted. ?

In addition, the joint forces detained three suspected insurgents during a security operation in search of a Haqqani leader in eastern Khost province, 160 km southeast of Kabul, earlier Monday.

A Taliban-linked group of militants, the Haqqani network mostly operates in eastern Afghan provinces and capital Kabul, has been responsible for many high-profile attacks including suicide bombings and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) against security forces.

Separately, the joint forces killed two insurgents engaged in threatening activity during separate operations in eastern Kunar and neighbouring Logar province also Sunday, according to the coalition press release.

The Taliban insurgents, who have been waging an insurgency of more than one decade, have yet to make comments.