Canadian troops have captured a man they suspect laid the mines that killed two of their comrades in Afghanistan on Oct. 2, The Canadian Press has learned. The arrest took place during raids Jan. 26 on two compounds near the main Canadian military base in Kabul. Less than 24 hours later, a suicide bomber killed another Canadian soldier, but military officials say the events are not linked.
| Well... They're loosely linked, anyway. |
The soldiers seized "a large quantity" of ordnance and explosives, including landmines, said military sources. Several terrorist suspects were captured in the sweep, called Operation Whirlwind. Sources pointed to the seized materials and their proximity to the mine strike as partial evidence of complicity — along with hard-won intelligence. One military source said the operation targeted a mine strike suspect and it nabbed the man it was aiming to get. "They think they’ve got the guy," he said.
| He's now claiming it wasn't him, of course, he just wandered into town to look for a job, just loves Canucks and never owned a gun. The explosives aren't his, somebody left 'em there... |
The suspect is believed to be a member of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin, or HIG, described by Canadian officers as the third-largest terrorist organization in Afghanistan, after al-Qaeda and the Taliban. In a statement from Kabul, Canadian Capt. Bernard Dionne of the Kabul Multi-National Brigade said that for reasons of operational security, officials "will not provide detailed information about these operations. And for their own safety, KMNB will not identify or provide details regarding individuals who are, or might be arrested during these operations — including details about their detention... We don’t do the strike unless we’ve done (our homework)."
| It's good to see they've got an intel organization running... |
Machine guns, anti-tank weapons and rocket-propelled grenades were also seized in the raids, which were led by Kabul city police and Afghan National Directorate of Security personnel. Senior sources said the operation went off without a hitch; no shots were fired and no one was injured. |