ISAF said that three Haqqani Network commanders were killed during a raid in the Nadir Shah Kot district in Khost province on April 22. One of the commanders was the district leader and personally led assaults on US combat outposts in the district. From the ISAF press release:
Among those killed was the senior Haqqani leader for the Nadir Shah Kot district, Salih Khan. He directed explosive-device attacks, logistics and communications for Haqqani insurgents operating in the area. Over the last week, he led 20 fighters in two separate attacks on coalition forward operating bases.
Salih Khan also directed homemade bomb fabrication training and worked with other Haqqani leaders employing vehicle-borne explosive-device attacks throughout the district.
Also killed during the operation was Salih Khan’s deputy, Sarghai. He worked alongside Salih Khan orchestrating attacks, most notably explosive-devise attacks throughout the district.
The third insurgent killed was a Haqqani leader named Shamour, who was co-located with the other two leaders in a remote compound. According to intelligence reports, he was a trusted member in Khan’s attack cell and was responsible for explosive-device and small-arms attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.
This year, Afghan and coalition forces have been able to disrupt multiple planned attacks by targeting key Haqqani personnel. The combined force has captured or killed more than 15 Haqqani leaders and over 130 Haqqani insurgents since Jan. 1. More than 90 of these captures were in Khost province.
The Haqqani Network is intricately linked with al Qaeda and allied terror groups. Khost province is also a key hub for al Qaeda and an allied terror group known as the Islamic Jihad Union (or Islamic Jihad Group). ISAF special operations forces have carried out 25 raids against al Qaeda and IJU cells in Khost since September 2009. On April 20, ISAF raided an al Qaeda safe house in Khost.
