As many as 17 members of the Haqqani network, including its ringleader, were killed in the eastern province of Khost in an operation conducted by operatives of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said a statement issued by the NDS today, March 31.
Sabil Ahmadi, the ringleader of the Haqqani network, was also among the terrorists dead in an NDS operation which was carried out upon request by the locals, according to the statement.
The operation was conducted in Maktab Bazar, Zambar, Mershah China, and Tawda Kalay areas of the province following a decision made by Khost Military Council. A large number of weapons and munitions belonging to the Haqqani network were seized during the operation, the statement said.
As per account of the NDS, the local residents of Sabari, Zazi Maidan, and Bak districts of Khost had requested the security forces to conduct an operation after they faced frequent harassment by the Haqqani and Taliban militants in the district.
The NDS claimed that the Haqqani and Taliban militants got a mother along with her child to plant a roadside bomb in a route frequented by the Afghan defense and security forces. The bomb went off killing the mother and her child, the statement further noted.
The Taliban, however, blamed the local militia backed by the CIA which is known as Khost Protection Force (KPF) for killing the civilians, particularly the mother and her child, in the Sabari district of Khost.
Talking to Kabul Now, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed that the militant group has launched a missile attack on the KPF base in Khost and inflicted heavy casualties on the local militia.
Khost Police Department confirmed the Taliban missile attacks, saying that the missiles landed in a residential area near the base with no casualty.
