KABUL: Nato says coalition troops have captured a leader of an al Qaida-affiliated terror group during a raid in east Afghanistan.

A Nato statement on Friday says the militant is a local chief of the powerful Haqqani network, which is based in neighboring Pakistan’s tribal belt. The group is a branch of the Afghan Taliban and a major enemy of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan. It’s led by Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin.

Nato says the man was seized on Thursday in the eastern Afghan province of Paktia.

The coalition says the man led as many as 40 fighters for the Haqqani network. The capture comes as the coalition increasingly targets midlevel insurgent commanders to disrupt their operations.