3 Taliban-designated district chiefs held in Paktia

GARDEZ (PAN-designated district chiefs have been arrested in southeastern Paktia province, the governor’s house of Khost province said in a statement on Sunday.

The statement quoted 203rd Thunder Military Corps first brigade commander, Gen. Mohammad Nasir Hidayat, as saying the three rebel leaders were detained during a search operation in the Zurmat district of Paktia.

The three served as shadow district chiefs for Zurmat, Khak-i-Jabar and Sarobi district of central Kabul province.

Hidayat told a security meeting at the Khost governor’s house the troops had seized 200 kilograms of explosives during a separate search operation in the Sabari district of Khost province.

Speaking on the occasion, Khost intelligence chief Gen. Mohammad Hassan Shaheedzoy, who presented his weekly report at the meeting, said five key members of the Haqqani network were detained in the province last week.

Governor Abdul Jabbar Naeemi said Afghan security forces had been able to maintain security during Eid holidays in the strategically important province.

He said Khost served as a key gateway to Afghanistan, asking security forces to stay alert and give no chance to miscreants to reach their goals.

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