Al-Qaida operative captured in E. Afghanistan: U.S. military

The U.S. coalition forces have captured another suspected al-Qaida operative in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province, a press release of the U.S. military said Monday.

"Afghan and Coalition forces captured a known al-Qaida terrorist and five other extremists during an operation nearly Monday morning near Khost city," the press release added.

It said the detainee had ties with al-Qaida network's leadership. However, it declined to identify his name but added, "The detainee along with five other terrorists found in the compound including Saudi and Pakistani nationals."

The press release also claimed that several women and children were found from the compound where the suspected terrorists were hiding, saying the "terrorists willingly place non-combatants in danger."

No Afghan or coalition soldiers were injured during the operation while a number of arms and ammunition including AK-47 assault rifles and hand grenades had been found from the compound.

According to officials, over a dozen terrorists have been arrested over the past couple of months in Khost and the neighboring provinces of Paktia and Paktika.

Source: Xinhua