KABUL — Tens of thousands of Afghan and NATO troops killed or captured 200 insurgents in eastern Afghanistan during two operations targeting the violent Haq qani network blamed for the majority of attacks in Kabul, the U.S.-led coalition said Monday.
At least 20 of the insurgents had ties to the Haqqani group, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban, said German Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, a coalition spokesman in Afghanistan. The roughly 180 others were from the Taliban or other groups, though not all have been identified.
About half of the Haqqani fighters were identified as leaders, and the other half were bombmakers or individuals who help in various ways, such as distributing weapons and supplies, running safe houses or preparing areas for attack.
“Removal of the midlevel cell leaders with their expertise and leadership has significantly disrupted insurgent operations and degrades the Haqqani network’s ability to coordinate and execute future attacks against combined team forces and the people of Afghanistan,” Jacobson said.
Afghan and coalition forces have made gains in southern Afghanistan in the past two years, routing insurgents from their strongholds. They are now trying to hold that territory in the south while shifting resources to deal with insurgent hotspots in the east.
The Haqqani network is based in Pakistan but operates primarily in Paktia, Paktika and Khost provinces along Afghanistan’s eastern border. U.S. and Afghan officials have demanded that Pakistan do more to eliminate militant sanctuaries on its side of the border.
The Haqqanis aim to have maximum control over eastern Afghanistan and access to Kabul from the south, Jacobson said, adding they are “a family clan, a criminal patronage network and a terrorist organization.”
Roughly 25,000 Afghan soldiers and policemen and 11,000 coalition troops were involved in the operations, said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings, a spokesman for the coalition in Kabul. More than 880 pounds of explosives, weapons, munitions and computers were seized.
