UK government welcomes capture of senior Haqqani leader in Afghanistan

UK government welcomes capture of senior Haqqani leader in Afghanistan

2011-10-02 00:39:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt on Saturday said the capture of a senior Haqqani Network leader in eastern Afghanistan earlier this week will deal a 'major blow' to the insurgent group.

Senior Haqqani network leader in Afghanistan, Haji Mali Khan, was detained along with a number of other suspected insurgents during an operation in the Jani Khel district of Paktia province, south of the capital of Kabul, on Tuesday. He was one of the highest ranking members of the Taliban-affiliated group.

"I welcome the recent capture of Haji Mali Khan by Coalition and Afghan forces," said Burt, the UK's Minister for the Middle East. "As a senior commander within the Haqqani network, his removal from the battlefield will deal a major blow to one of the most dangerous terrorist networks operating in Afghanistan."

Burt said the United Kingdom, which has more than 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, will continue to support development in the war-torn country. "We will continue to support the Afghan National Security Forces and support the development of an Afghanistan that is able to maintain its own security and prevent the return of international terror groups such as al-Qaeda," he said.

Earlier on Saturday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) hailed the capture of Mali Khan as a 'significant milestone' in the disruption of the Haqqani network, which also operates in Pakistan.

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