Local Taliban leader detained as last U.S. surge troops leave Afghanistan

KABUL, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- A local Taliban leader was detained Friday by the Afghan and NATO-led coalition forces in the country' s eastern province of Paktiya on the same day as U.S. military announced the withdrawal of the last U.S. additional troops from the country.

"Afghan and coalition security forces arrested the Taliban leader believed to be behind the Nov. 10, 2011, suicide attack in Samkani district, Paktiya province, killing a few Afghan police officers, during a security operation in Sayyid Karam district, Paktiya province, today." the NATO-led coalition or International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement issued here.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, during his trip to New Zealand, announced that the last of 33,000 U.S. additional forces have withdrawn from Afghanistan, leaving about 68,000 U.S. soldiers in the insurgency-hit Afghanistan, local Afghan media reported.

The pullout of the surge troops, which were deployed to Afghanistan in early 2010 with the aim of pushing back the Taliban- led insurgency, is part of U.S. President Barack Obama's withdrawal plan and the ultimate goal is to transfer lead security responsibility to the Afghan forces by 2014.

Meantime, the ISAF statement also said that "The security forces arrested a Haqqani leader and suspected improvised explosive device (IED) expert who is believed to have constructed IEDs, planned their use and facilitated their movement throughout the region to attack Afghan and coalition forces,"

An armed insurgent was killed during the raid as the gunman opened fire on security forces while entering the Taliban leader's compound, the statement said, adding "No civilians were harmed in the exchange."

The Afghan forces and NATO troops have completed transition in the first two of five tranches of provinces and districts across the country and by October this year Afghan national security forces will take full control of areas where about 75 percent of the population lives.

The war-weary Afghans had expressed concerns over the capability of their national security forces in maintaining security while Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his high-ranking military officials on several occasions displayed their confidence on the country's army and police in protecting civilians. Enditem

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