An Afghan and coalition security force pursued several Jama'at ul Dawa al-Qu'ran commanders Wednesday, who are responsible for planning and conducting attacks and propaganda campaigns in Kunar province.
The International Security Assistance Force confirmed today that Sayed Shah, one of the targeted commanders, was among the three insurgents killed in the operation. The security force also detained several suspected insurgents in the operation.
The Jama'at ul Dawa al-Qu'ran is a fundamentalist Islamic group that differs from the Taliban in their belief that followers should strictly abide by the Hadith and Qu'ran texts and not rely on a cleric to interpret them, as the Taliban does. The group operates alongside the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan.
The commanders are members of a Kunar network directly linked to two rocket-propelled grenade attacks that killed two U.S. service members and wounded several more, in addition to several other RPG and small arms fire attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.
The assault force went to a series of compounds in the village of Shamun in Darah-ye Pech district to search for the commanders. At the first two targeted compounds, Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to exit the buildings peacefully. After questioning all the residents, the security force detained four suspected insurgents without incident.
As the assault force moved on the final targeted compound, three armed insurgents, including Shah, engaged the assault force by throwing grenades and firing their AK-47s. The security force returned fire, killing them.
"Shah, along with his fellow commanders, attacked coalition forces and endangered the Afghan populace with their criminal activity," said U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director. "We'll continue to pursue this dangerous network and remove them from the battlefield."
Article by ISAF Joint Command