name: Taliban Commander Detained in North Helmand
text: Taliban Commander Detained in North Helmand ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan 2010-09-CA-170  For Immediate Release KABUL, Afghanistan (Sept. 16) - Multiple intelligence sources and tips from local citizens led Afghan and coalition forces to the location of a Taliban safe house east of Sangin in Helmand province, where they detained a key Taliban commander and one associate today. The Taliban commander is a known key insurgent facilitator in Helmand and surrounding provinces. He controls multiple Taliban facilitation networks, with links to Pakistan, which are responsible for insurgent finance, distribution of improvised explosive devices and their components, foreign fighters, weapons and narcotics trafficking. After securing the target compound, the force issued several call-outs where men, women and children peacefully exited. This included the Taliban commander, who identified himself to Afghan and coalition authorities. During the search several kilograms of narcotics were found and destroyed in place. The Taliban commander and one additional suspected insurgent were detained by Afghan authorities for processing and further questioning. "The detention of Taliban commanders will provide valuable information which will allow new operations against criminal networks," said U.S. Air Force Col. James Dawkins, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director. "This operation will significantly disrupt criminal networks that financially support the insurgency and provide the weapons and IEDs they use to attack Afghan civilians, ANSF and coalition forces."