ISLAMABAD, Jan 21: US special forces on Monday raided a house and arrested four Afghans, including an associate of a Taliban commander, in eastern Khost province.

The Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) said US troops arrived in several helicopters at Zari Khil village, 12kms west of Khost town, in the early hours of the morning.

After raiding a house, they arrested four people including Sirajuddin Din, a close associate of top Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani who has been a target of the US-led bombing campaign, local militia commander Zakeem Khan said.

Khan said the US forces were investigating Haqqani’s whereabouts, which remain unknown despite US attempts to kill him. Khan insisted that Haqqani was still alive.

An earlier report said that Din and his family may have been arrested in connection with the killing of a US soldier earlier this month.—AFP