Taliban commander captured as US raids intensify

[July 09, 2010]  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- The international force in Afghanistan says it has captured a Taliban commander responsible for bringing Pakistani militants across the border to launch attacks.

NATO says combined international and Afghan forces seized the Taliban chieftain in the eastern province of Nangarhar on Tuesday.

It said in a statement Friday he facilitated a recent influx of operatives for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani militia accused of terrorist attacks. NATO did not identify him by name for intelligence reasons.

NATO has recently ratcheted up its pursuit of insurgent leaders, staging near-nightly raids it says have captured more than 100 senior Taliban figures since April. However, the number of attacks by insurgents has not declined.

[Associated Press]

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