Al-Qaida facilitator captured in eastern Afghan province: ISAF

KABUL, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- An al-Qaida facilitator was captured Monday during a joint military operation in eastern Afghan province of Paktia, NATO-led ISAF forces said.

"An Afghan and coalition security force captured an al-Qaida facilitator during an operation in Gardez district, Paktia province, today," the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a press release.

Without disclosing the name of the captured facilitator, the press release said that "the facilitator coordinated insurgent activity throughout the area and provided reports to senior al- Qaida leaders in Pakistan."

No civilians were harmed during the operation, it added.

According to the press release, the joint forces also detained a Taliban local leader during a separate security operation in Nerkh district of eastern Wardak province on Monday.

The leader supplied bomb-making materials, weapons and ammunition for use by insurgent fighters conducting attacks in provincial capital Maidan Shahr and Nerkh district. The security force confiscated multiple bomb-making materials during the operation, it said.

Taliban insurgents have not to make comments yet.

Afghan forces and ISAF troops have intensified cleanup operations throughout the post-Taliban country recently.