Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
March 29, 2017
German prosecutors say they have arrested a suspected former Afghan Taliban commander who is believed to have taken part in an attack that killed U.S. and Afghan soldiers.
The federal prosecutor’s office said in a March 28 statement that the 30-year-old Afghan citizen, identified only as Abdullah P., was arrested in the southern state of Bavaria on March 23 on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization and attempted murder.
The statement added that the suspect was believed to have joined the Taliban in 2002 and took over a command from his father in 2004.
Prosecutors say he was involved in “countless” missions against foreign and Afghan soldiers, including an attack on a military convoy that killed 16 U.S. and Afghan soldiers. It was unclear what year the attack took place.
Prosecutors said he left his combat unit in 2008 when he was threatened with death. In 2009, he fled to Pakistan and arrived as a migrant in Germany in 2011.
A U.S.-led coalition invaded Afghanistan in 2001, after the September 11 attacks, and drove the Taliban from power. The militant group continues to fight against the internationally backed government and controls large parts of the country.
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters