KABUL, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- A senior Taliban leader was captured by a joint Afghan and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) security force in southern Zabul province Tuesday, the ISAF forces said Wednesday.
"An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a senior Taliban leader in Tarnak wa Jaldak district, Zabul province, during an operation yesterday," the ISAF said in a press release providing daily operational updates to the media.
The senior Taliban leader organized a complex Improvised Explosive Device (IED) network responsible for multiple IED attacks in the region, the release said without disclosing the name of the leader.
"He was also responsible for directing suicide bombings and for planning and executing multiple attacks against Afghan security forces and civilians throughout the district." it said.
Earlier Wednesday, another joint security force conducted an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in Zharay district in southern Kandahar province, the release added.
"During the operation, a group of armed insurgents attacked the Afghan and coalition troops. The security force engaged the insurgents and killing several of them. After the engagement, the security force detained multiple suspected insurgents."
The Afghan and ISAF forces also conducted a counter-narcotics operation in the Shorabak district of Kandahar province Tuesday, according to the press release. "As a result of the operation, the combined force seized 1080 kilograms (2381 pounds) of hashish and detained two suspected narcotics traffickers. The drugs were destroyed on site, "it said
Separately, two suspected Taliban insurgents were detained by the joint forces in Pul-e Khurmi district of the northern Baghlan province Wednesday morning.
"The Afghan and coalition troops discovered a cache of improvised explosive device components and ammunition while searching the compound of a suspected Taliban leader," in the above operation, the ISAF release said.
Violence has been on the rise since Taliban launched an annual spring offensive on May 3.
A total of 50 countries are contributing 130,000-strong forces in Afghanistan with over 90,000 of them American mainly stationed in the east and south, followed by 9,500 from UK mainly based in southern Afghanistan.
The Taliban insurgents, who have been waging an insurgency of more than one decade, have yet to make comments.
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