An Afghan-international security force killed several insurgents, including Faizullah, a Taliban subcommander, as the insurgents were planting a roadside bomb near Kandahar City in Afghanistan yesterday.

Faizullah was responsible for previous roadside-bomb attacks in Kandahar province’s Arghandab district, officials said, and was believed to be responsible for the death of at least one coalition soldier in March.

The combined force verified no civilians were at risk before calling for a precision strike from coalition aircraft.

Following the air strike, the security force went to the site and was immediately engaged by insurgents staged in prepared defensive positions. The ground force returned fire, killing several insurgents. They also found and destroyed the roadside bomb and confirmed the deaths of the insurgents from the earlier precision air strike.

In Khost province last night, another combined security force captured a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator linked to multiple bombing attacks throughout the province. The assault force detained the facilitator without incident while searching a series of compounds in Khost’s Terazayi district.

Afghan and international forces have been involved in intense engagements with the Haqqani network along the Khost-Gardez pass over the past couple of weeks, officials said. Several insurgent commanders and a large number of insurgents have been killed during the operations. A large number of insurgents were killed when an Afghan-international patrol came under attack by an estimated 50 insurgents and called in a precision air strike in Badghis province’s Qadis district yesterday.

In other news from Afghanistan, Afghan forces working with International Security Assistance Force partners conducted an operation the night of June 23 east of Marja in Helmand province. Officials said the operation was designed to increase security to the Afghan population by disrupting a network known to supply explosives and other material used in making roadside bombs.

As the Afghan-led force approached a compound known to be housing insurgents, two armed men presented a direct threat and were killed. Afghan special police ensured all remaining residents left the compound safely. Several women and children were protected, and two men were taken into police custody.

No civilians were reported harmed in any of these operations, officials said.

Afghan and international forces in southern Afghanistan conducted several operations in and around Kandahar over the last two days, military officials reported.

A combined security force destroyed a major roadside-bomb factory, killed the Panjwai district Taliban commander and several other insurgents, and captured a number of other insurgents after an air strike in Kandahar province yesterday.

The deceased Taliban commander, Izzatullah, had planned and conducted attacks against coalition forces and was involved in the attack on Sarpoza prison outside of Kandahar City in June 2008, officials said.

After verifying insurgent activity, the combined force carefully planned the operation to avoid civilian casualties and mitigate collateral damage, and then called in a precision air strike, which destroyed the bomb-manufacturing site. Following the air strike, a combined security force quickly overwhelmed insurgent forces defending the area.

Post-strike assessment revealed large quantities of bomb-making materials, as well as multiple automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenade launchers with RPG rounds, and communications equipment.

The Zharay district governor confirmed the Taliban deaths and thanked the combined force for its efforts.

A separate Afghan-international security force detained two suspected insurgents in Kandahar province yesterday. The suspected insurgents were travelling on a motorcycle in the Maiwand district when they were stopped for questioning and then detained. No shots were fired.

Another Afghan-international security force detained a suspected insurgent in Kandahar province last night. The security force detained the man while Afghan forces were clearing a series of compounds near Kandahar City. No shots were fired, and women and children present during the search were protected by the combined force.

Since the beginning of May, officials said, security forces have conducted numerous successful offensive operations in Kandahar province, capturing or killing numerous insurgents, including almost a dozen Taliban commanders.

“With our Afghan partners, [the International Security Assistance Force] will continue to expand its operations in and around Kandahar in order to create the space needed so the Afghan government can provide improved governance and essential services to the people of Kandahar,” said Marine Corps Col. William Maxwell, ISAF Joint Command’s operations center director.

In operations outside of Kandahar, an Afghan-international security force used precision air strikes to kill a number of insurgents in Kunduz province last night while pursuing a Taliban subcommander who played a crucial role in the ambush of a German convoy in Chahar Darah district last month. The strikes were conducted in an unpopulated area of Chahar Darah district, and coalition forces ensured there were no civilian casualties, officials said.

An Afghan-international security force detained two suspected insurgents in Paktiya province last night during continuing operations aimed at dismantling a suicide-bombing ring blamed for several attacks. The terrorist ring is known to use vehicle-borne bombs and suicide bombers to target Afghan soldiers and police and international forces, officials said.

The combined security force detained the individuals while searching a series of compounds in the Gardez district. The security force also found a grenade and a weapon at the scene. No shots were fired, and women and children present during the search were protected by the combined security force.

An Afghan-international security force detained two suspected insurgents in Zabul province last night while pursuing a Taliban cell leader and facilitator suspected of procuring roadside bombs, weapons and ammunition for the Taliban. The combined security force detained the suspected insurgents after Afghan forces cleared an area near a truck stop in the Shinkai district. No shots were fired.

Afghan and international security forces killed a large number of insurgents, including several key leaders for both the Haqqani terrorist network and the Taliban, in the Jani Khel district of Afghanistan’s Paktia province earlier this week, military officials reported today.

The security force killed Hamiddullah, a Haqqani network commander for the Sabari district in Khost province. Hamiddullah had direct ties to Haqqani senior leaders based in Pakistan and he reportedly was responsible for an ambush of an Afghan army unit in March that resulted in the deaths of three Afghan police officers.

According to intelligence information and local police, news of Hamiddullah’s death is expected to have significant disruptive effects on the insurgent network operating throughout Khost and Paktia, officials said.

Earlier this month, Afghan and international forces killed a number of Haqqani network fighters, including another Haqqani commander, Fazil Subhan, in Khost province.

In the recent two-day offensive operation on the largest insurgent camp in the area, assault forces also killed Qari Ismael, a Taliban leader for Jani Khel district, and Maulawi Sadiq, a known facilitator for foreign fighters.

After the fighting stopped, officials and village elders reported that a large number of foreign fighters, including Arabs, Uzbeks, Turks and Chechens, were among those killed. Afghan and coalition forces also found dozens of automatic weapons, multiple rocket-propelled grenade launchers and rounds, and communication equipment.

The Haqqani network is attempting to establish strongholds in the Khost-Gardez Pass in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Paktia and Khost provinces, officials said. Large numbers of foreign fighters remain interspersed in the ranks of the Taliban and Haqqani networks, and the area is used by insurgent groups to move supplies and foreign fighters into Afghanistan from Pakistan, they added.

No coalition forces were injured or killed despite engagement by heavily armed insurgents on four different occasions throughout the operation.

In an operation the night of June 21 in the Afghan capital of Kabul, Afghan security forces working with International Security Assistance Force partners found more than 11 tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer banned by the Afghan government because it can be used in making explosives.

Authorized by Afghanistan’s interior ministry, Afghan special police surrounded a compound housing several insurgents. After ensuring all residents exited safely and arresting the insurgents, police found the ammonium nitrate.

Based on a current ISAF analysis, officials said, this discovery eliminated more than 500 potential roadside bombs.

In a separate action yesterday morning, a combined Afghan-international patrol conducted an operation in Kandahar province to disrupt a network known to sell illegal drugs to finance the Taliban insurgency. After surrounding the compound of interest, Afghan special police ensured all residents exited safely. A man was detained, and police seized more than 140 pounds of opium.

No civilians were injured in either operation.

In other news from Afghanistan:

– An Afghan-international security force detained several suspected insurgents while pursuing a Taliban commander in Zabul province last night. The security force found and destroyed automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenade boosters and ammunition. No shots were fired, and no one was harmed during the operation.

– A separate Afghan-international security force operation detained several suspected insurgents and found 30 pounds of opium in Helmand province last night while searching for the newly appointed Taliban deputy shadow governor for Nawah-ya Barakzai district. No one was harmed, and the combined force protected a number of women and children during the operation.

– An Afghan-international security force detained the Taliban’s recently appointed chief of finance for Baghlan province, along with two other suspected insurgents, in Helmand the night of June 21. The Taliban finance chief also is a bomb-making expert and former district commander of at least three insurgent cells in Baghlan. No shots were fired, and the combined force protected the women and children present during the search. This operation continues a string of recent successes against Taliban networks in Baghlan, officials noted. In late May, combined forces removed three successively appointed Taliban provincial shadow governors for the province. Mullah Ruhullah was killed along with his deputy on May 14. His replacement, Maulawi Jabbar, was killed along with two Taliban commanders on May 28. Three days later, his replacement was detained by Afghan and coalition forces.

– Also on the night of June 21, combined forces acting on an Afghan civilian’s tip detained two foreign fighters in Kandahar province while pursuing the Dand district’s Taliban military commander, who is linked to suicide-bomb attacks in the province. No shots were fired, and the combined force protected women and children present during the search that led to the detention of two Pakistani men.

– On June 21, a combined security force detained several suspected insurgents in Helmand’s Nawa Barak district while pursuing a senior Taliban commander who operates in the area. The commander is a bomb-attack facilitator and Taliban fund raiser, officials said, and also is suspected of involvement in suicide-bomb attacks.

– Afghan and international partners conducted an operation in Helmand province the night of June 20 to disrupt a Taliban network that supplies explosives and other materials used in roadside bombs. When several insurgents failed to follow directions from Afghan special police and presented a deadly threat to the combined force, they were killed. Police ensured the remaining residents left the compound safely. Women and children were protected, and two men were taken into custody. No civilians were injured.

– An Afghan-international patrol confiscated more than a ton and a half of unprocessed opium and more than 20 pounds of heroin during a vehicle search June 21 in Helmand’s Garm Ser district. Two individuals were captured and detained when they fled from the vehicle.

An Afghan-international force captured a Taliban commander in Afghanistan’s Zabul province last night, military officials reported.

The commander is responsible for coordinating and assisting in attacks against Afghan and international forces and has also been involved in the procurement and emplacement of roadside bombs, officials said.

The suspect was detained while the security force searched a compound in the province’s Shah Joy district after intelligence sources confirmed insurgent activity. The combined force protected several women and children during the operation, officials said, and no shots were fired.

A separate Afghan-international security force detained two suspected insurgents in Kandahar province last night while pursuing a Taliban subcommander responsible for coordinating roadside-bomb attacks and ambushes against coalition forces in the province’s Arghandab district.

The combined security force searched a number of compounds in the province’s Zhari district after intelligence sources confirmed insurgent activity. No shots were fired during the search, officials said.

A combined Afghan-international force captured a Taliban subcommander responsible for coordinating attacks and the movement of bomb-making materials and detained several suspected insurgents in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province last night, military officials reported.

The security force searched a remote building in the province’s Daman district after intelligence sources confirmed insurgent activity. No shots were fired in this operation, which was designed to capture insurgent facilitators and reduce attacks against coalition forces and civilians, officials said.

In other news from Afghanistan, an International Security Assistance Force patrol discovered large quantities of drugs in Helmand province’s Garm Ser district June 15. The force found almost a half ton of opium hidden under a false floor in a truck after the driver tried to avoid a vehicle checkpoint. The driver and a passenger were detained.

In a separate action, the same unit seized more than 2 pounds of amphetamines on a farm tractor and detained several individuals who tested positive for using the drug.

The narcotics trade funds and supports the insurgency and constitutes a direct threat to Afghanistan, officials noted.

Afghan-international force killed several armed insurgents in Afghanistan’s Kapisa province while pursuing a Taliban commander last night, military officials said.

The combined security force went to a compound in the province’s Tagab district after intelligence information confirmed insurgent activity.

Fleeing insurgents armed with automatic weapons and grenades fired on the security force, which returned fire and killed the insurgents.

The Taliban commander is believed to be responsible for attacks against coalition forces. The Taliban chieftain also is linked to the planning of more attacks.

The security force protected several women and children during the operation, officials said.

Afghan and international forces killed a Taliban commander and other insurgents in Afghanistan’s western province of Farah, military officials reported.

Coalition forces killed the commander and several other insurgents during an operation in the western province of Farah in the past two days. Aircraft engaged insurgents with precision air strikes, killing several, in a rural area of Gulistan district after the forces observed armed men moving through a known insurgent safe haven.

The commander, Mullah Akhtar, had close ties with Taliban and al-Qaida senior leaders. He was believed responsible for training insurgent fighters from Iran and helped resolve disputes between militant networks.

A coalition search team later approached the strike area and encountered several heavily armed insurgents in a cave. The insurgents were engaged and killed in the ensuing firefight. The search team found rocket-propelled grenade launchers with RPG rounds, heavy machine guns, automatic rifles and ammunition.

In other coalition operations in Afghanistan, a combined security force detained a suspected insurgent in Kandahar province today.

The combined force went to a compound in western Kandahar City, after intelligence indicated insurgent activity there. The force detained the suspect for further questioning. No shots were fired and no one was harmed during the operation.

Yesterday, Afghan soldiers, supported by international troops, discovered a weapons cache in Tarin Kot, Uruzgan province. The cache contained 88 grenades, eight containers of grenade fuses, three rocket-propelled grenade fuel cells, three 82 mm mortars and seven electronic detonators. The mortars were destroyed and the grenades were removed for further investigation.

In other Afghanistan operations yesterday:

A combined force captured a Haqqani network improvised explosive device cell leader and several other insurgents in Khost province. The combined force went to a compound north of Mehdi Kheyl after insurgents were seen implanting IEDs nearby. The assault force captured the targeted man and other insurgents while searching the buildings.

The Haqqani leader is believed responsible for emplacing IEDs, acquiring and distributing weapons, and coordinating suicide bombings. No shots were fired and no one was harmed during the operation.

Another combined force killed and captured a number of insurgents while pursuing a Taliban IED cell commander in Logar province. The force moved in on a compound in Nawshad, Charkh district, after intelligence indicated insurgent activity there. As the assault force approached the compound, they received hostile fire. While clearing the compound, several insurgents were killed or captured. The combined security team found a machine gun, multiple automatic rifles, grenades and ammunition.

In other Afghanistan news, more than 260 new Afghan national security force members, trained in western Afghanistan, joined their operational units June 4. In Adraskan, 241 officers of the Afghan National Civil Order Police graduated from the NATO Regional Training Centre operated by the Carabinieri, Italy’s federal police force.

During training, which lasted 14 weeks, participants were taught basic police skills and techniques, to including counter-IED training, first aid, weapons use and driving, and anti-riot and urban combat training.

The centre has conducted 30 training courses, attended by nearly 4,000 participants, since November. Also on June 4, 24 members of the Afghan Border Police were graduated from the Advanced Patrolman Tactics Course. The course was live-fire intensive and consisted of advanced tactics, law and police procedures and driver’s training.