By Xinhua
Kabul : The Afghan National Army (ANA) has captured a key Taliban insurgent from the eastern province of Khost, a statement released by the US-led coalition forces said Tuesday.
Taliban commander Nasimulla was arrested during a joint operation by the ANA and coalition forces in the Dand Faqiran area of Yaqubi district Feb 9, the statement said.
“Nasimulla is suspected of being a facilitator responsible for several attacks against Afghan National Security Forces using improvised explosive devices (IED),” it said.
According to the statement, the insurgent is suspected of commanding an IED cell based in the Sabari district and travels throughout eastern Khost and Paktika provinces to conduct attacks against the security forces and civilians.
In a related development, three men suspected of carrying out IED operations near the Pakistan border in Bermel district were arrested by the police Feb 6.
“The Taliban insurgents have changed their tactics. Now, they are turning to IED attacks,” said Vanessa R. Bowman, a spokesperson for the coalition forces.
In another statement early Tuesday, the coalition forces said two civilians were injured Monday in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province when a remote-controlled IED was detonated by insurgents.
The device exploded just as a convoy of the Afghan army and coalition soldiers in Shah Wali Kot district was passing. The soldiers remained unhurt, the statement said. The police later detained four suspects.
Around 60,000 strong foreign security forces, under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and US-led coalition forces, are deployed in war-torn Afghanistan, to fight militants and ensure security.
On Monday, the Taliban’s fugitive chief Mullah Mohammad Omar has vowed to step up its activities against the Afghan government forces and foreign troops, according to a statement read out to the media by a spokesman in southern Afghanistan.