KABUL, Afghanistan - Coalition forces launched precision airstrikes overnight, June 29, against senior Haqqani commanders and command posts in the remote mountains of western Khost province.
These militants are responsible for aiding in the movement of foreign fighters through the Khost-Gardez Pass and throughout Afghanistan.
Coalition forces planned and coordinated the airstrikes when intelligence sources indicated militant activity at this rugged location earlier in the day. Coalition force aircraft were called in and destroyed a pair of command bunkers, killing more than a dozen militants.
The Haqqani network remains one of the most lethal Taliban organizations operating out of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Area. Haqqani leaders conduct operations in conjunction with other Islamic militant groups with similar goals and interests. The network focuses operations against the government of the Islamic republic of Afghanistan and Afghan national security forces and seeks to expel coalition and NATO forces from Afghanistan to maintain its influence in eastern provinces.