US, Afghan Forces Hammer Haqqani Network

[unhappycamper]

US, Afghan Forces Hammer Haqqani Network
June 24, 2010
Long War Journal|by Bill Roggio

US and Afghan forces again battled with the deadly Haqqani Network in eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan earlier this week.

The joint US and Afghan force killed "a large number of insurgents, including several key leaders for both the Haqqani network and Taliban" during a military operation in the Jani Khel district in Paktia province, according to the International Security Assistance Force. "Arabs, Uzbeks, Turks, and Chechens" were among those killed, according to the ISAF report.

The fighting took place during a two-day offensive in Jani Khel that targeted the "largest insurgent camp in the area." Local villagers in Jani Khel joined the fight in an attempt to block the retreat of Haqqani Network fighters into neighboring Khost province.

"When Haqqani network fighters attempted to retreat from Jani Khel to Musa Khel, a neighboring district in Khost, villagers from Kotkai prevented the foreign fighters from moving through their village," ISAF stated.

Among those reported killed were a Haqqani network commander named Hamiddullah, a Taliban commander named Qari Ismael, and a foreign fighter facilitator named Maulawi Sadiq.

[Swamp Rat]

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