Afghan and coalition forces detained three suspected al Qaeda operatives Saturday in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said, CNN reported.
The military operation occurred in the city of Khost, near the border with Pakistan, as the forces were hunting an insurgent known to recruit foreign extremists for attacks in the area, the military said.
"Afghan and coalition forces have had some very successful operations in the last several days -- specifically in the eastern provinces -- and we are not slowing down," said Maj. Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense. "We will continue to partner with coalition forces and aggressively pursue extremists and the leaders who direct their actions."
The combined forces detained the three suspects without incident, the U.S. military said.
Khost, which lies in the province of the same name, is considered a hotbed of Taliban activity, officials say.
Militants launched a six-hour attack in the city earlier in May that killed nine people and wounded 25 others. The next day, a suicide bomber killed seven people when he drove a car bomb near the entrance of Camp Salerno, a U.S. base, near Khost.
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