UKSF Capture Taliban Leader
20.05.2013
British Special Forces have captured a Taliban leader, it has been reported.[1] Troops with Task Force 42, a United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) task force operating in Afghanistan, along with Afghan forces, captured the Taliban commander, who has not been name for operational reasons, in a raid near Nad-e-Ali, Helmand Province.
The Taliban leader is thought to have been in charge of several Taliban units throughout Southern Afghanistan and is linked to recent IED attacks against British Forces.
Task Force 42 is a UKSF group that operates in Afghanistan[2] and consists of Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS) troops backed by elements of the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) and Special Reconnaissance Regiment. The task force, which works closely with Afghan special forces, has been hunting down and killing/capturing key figures in the Taliban and its affiliates.
Earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported on an operation by Task Force 42 that discovered a number of roadside bombs at a secret Taliban IED factory in Helmand[3].
According to the Express, British special forces in Helmand are more active than ever due to a lessoning of offensive operations by regular British forces ahead of the planned draw down in 2014.
more info / further reading:
- 1. SAS troops capture Taliban commander
(the express)
- 2. Task Force 42 - UKSF In Afghanistan
(2010 Elite UK Forces report)
- 3. Explosion rocks Camp Bastion days after three soldiers were killed in armoured truck by Taliban bomb
(daily mail)
