October 21, 2003	Tuesday	Sha'aban 24, 1424

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KABUL, Oct 20: US special forces soldiers have captured a senior Taliban commander in southern Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province, the United States-led military coalition announced on Monday.

Mullah Janan was captured in an operation near Deh Rawood in the south of Uruzgan on Sunday night, according to a coalition statement received here.

Afghan forces assisted the US troops.

“Janan was observed leaving the area by coalition special operations forces. He was brought under control at an AMF (Afghan Military Forces) checkpoint as he attempted to flee the area,” the statement said.

The commander was believed to be responsible for rocket attacks on the coalition basein Deh Rawood, 400 kilome-tres southwest of the capital Kabul.

Support for the former Taliban rulers runs high around Deh Rawood, close to the birthplace of the hardline militia’s one-eyed spiritual leader Mulla Omar. Omar is still at large almost two years after his regime was smashed from power by US-led forces.—AFP