Taliban leader detained in Afghanistan

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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 28 (UPI) -- A Taliban leader who is a specialist in improvised explosive devices was detained Thursday in Afghanistan, military officials said.

The Taliban leader was detained in the Kandahar district of the Kandahar province during an operation by a combined Afghan and coalition security force, officials said.

A combined force also detained several suspected insurgents, seized multiple AK-47 rifles and confiscated more than 1,000 pounds of opium during a search for a Taliban leader in the Now Zad district of Helmand province. The leader the force was searching for directs attacks against Afghan forces and is a Taliban "enforcer" in the district, officials said.

In the Sabari district of Khost province, officials said, a combined force detained a Haqqani leader who had planned and coordinated attacks and distributed weapons and IED-making components throughout the region.