KABUL, Afghanistan, June 2 (UPI) -- Afghan and coalition forces captured an al-Qaida facilitator and former associate of Osama bin Laden, the International Security Assistance Force said Thursday.
The Afghan-led security force determined the facilitator's location Wednesday, and tracked him to a compound in the Nahr-e Shahi district of Afghanistan's Balkh province, the ISAF said in a release.
After troops isolated the compound, an Afghan member of the operation called for the facilitator and all people to leave the buildings peacefully, which they did, the ISAF said. No civilians were harmed during the operation.
The facilitator, who was not identified, is one of several senior al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents captured in the province since February, coalition officials said. It's suspected he was with bin Laden in Afghanistan in 2001.
The ISAF also reported that suspected insurgents and leaders were captured in other operations throughout Afghanistan.
