International Security Assistance Force confirmed today, a Taliban leader was detained during an Afghan and coalition operation in Kandahar province Feb. 28.

The Taliban leader operated in the Zharay District where he led attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He was responsible for coordinating Taliban operations and facilitating weapons and supplies to Taliban sub-leaders and fighters.

In other ISAF news throughout southern Afghanistan:

South

Several insurgents were killed during an ISAF operation in Musa Qalah District, Helmand province, yesterday.

“Inches and seconds. Inches and seconds. That’s what we want.”

Twenty minutes prior, as armored vehicles returned from patrol, a loud explosion sounded inside the walls of a small firebase encircled by green hills and snow-capped mountains. White smoke billowed from the impact site.

“Go! Go! Go!” was yelled as people began to scatter, grabbing body armor and weapons as they went. Each of them had a place to be.

Two days before the fifth anniversary of the bombing of Al Askari “Golden” Mosque, the security barriers protecting one of the holiest Shia shrines in Iraq came down.

“This is a great day for Samarra, and a great day for all of Iraq,” said Lt. Col. Andy Preston, commander, Task Force 2-11, 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division.

“I’m happy for the citizens of Samarra, who will finally see their city restored,” said Preston, who hails from Edmond, Okla.

Video by NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

Members of U.S. Central Command, and several coalition countries, helped commemorate Kuwait's 50/20 celebration with an airshow and parade Feb. 26.

The event celebrated Kuwait's 20th year of liberation from invading forces from Iraq and its 50th year of independence from Great Britain.

Some of the world's leaders and top dignitaries participated in the celebration. Among them was Lt. Gen. Michael Hostage III, the U.S. Air Forces Central Command commander.

Growing up as a self-proclaimed "tomboy" Capt. Marisa Catlin would probably never have been one to draw pictures of clouds like the other little girls. As an adult though, clouds now scare her more than the bullets whizzing by.

Catlin, an HH-60G Pave Hawk pilot for Bagram's 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, has been under fire numerous times while conducting personnel recovery and casualty evacuation operations for Regional Command East, but it's the weather and terrain which worry her most.

Soldiers from Schweinfurt, Germany's 3rd Platoon of the 630th Military Police Company helped stop a bank robbery in Jalalabad, a city in eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan.

According to details released by the public affairs office of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, 12 armed men entered a Jalalabad branch of Kabul Bank at 11 a.m. on Feb. 19. They quickly took over the four-story building and held several dozen civilians hostage.

In the second largest award ceremony since the reactivation of the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), thirty-seven Soldiers were recognized for their valorous actions in combat in Afghanistan, in a ceremony on Feb 25th, at the John F. Kennedy Auditorium.

Five Soldiers from 3rd SFG (A) received the Silver Star, 19 Soldiers received the Bronze Star with Valor device, 18 Soldiers will receive the Army Commendation Medal with Valor device, and five Soldiers received the Purple Heart.

"To say we found eight is kind of deceptive because we count them by initiating devices," said Gunnery Sgt. Brad Rickabaugh, Explosive Ordnance Disposal team leader attached to Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Regimental Combat Team 8. "But all told, we found seven main charges attached to three different pressure plates and one command-pull device."