2 militants arrested in Afghan operation

Afghan forces and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops captured two members of Haqqani militant group in eastern Logar province Thursday, the ISAF forces said. "An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Haqqani attack facilitator and one other insurgent during an operation in Pul-e 'Alam district, Logar province, today," the ISAF said in a statement. As a Taliban-linked group of militants, the Haqqani network mostly operates in eastern provinces and Kabul and has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against security forces. The detained man had coordinated logistics for insurgent training in the area in the province 60 km south of Afghan capital Kabul, the statement added. "At the time of his arrest, he was actively planning a high- profile attack involving vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and suicide bombers," the statement noted. The group was designated as terrorist group by the United States in September last year. In another development, one policeman and three Taliban militants were killed and one policeman and five militants wounded in a gunfight in Argu district of northern Badakhshan province overnight, the provincial police chief Imamuddin Mutmahin told Xinhua earlier in the day. The mountainous Badakhshan province, some 315 km north of Kabul, has been the scene of insurgent's attacks since early this year. The Taliban killed 16 army soldiers in March there.