SAS troops helped smash a suicide bomb plot against the Afghan ­government in a midnight raid on a terror hideout.

A
terror gang called the Haqqanis - dubbed “the Sopranos of the Afghan
War” - was about to attack senior ministers with a wave of suicide
bombers and gunmen.But UK special forces helped the Afghan
version of MI5 - the National Security Directorate - force their way
into the Haqqani hideout at the weekend.Four key Haqqani leaders
were seized by the NDS in the operation just outside the Afghan capital
as they prepared to launch the terror attack. British special
forces soldiers helped plan the raid on a heavily protected compound in
the Shur Bazaar area of Kabul City after a tip-off from local Afghans.After
approaching the area in vehicles British troops sealed off the area,
allowing the Afghan NDS to storm the building throwing stun grenades
into the compound as they blasted their way in. A source said:
“The Afghan NDS have worked closely with American special forces and
the British SBS and SAS for years now and this was a textbook operation.“It
had to be planned pretty quickly because the intelligence tip-off that
that the Haqqanis were about to attack came in with hours to go before
the assault.“The best thing is that they were so quick and had
the element of surprise so they were able to arrest key players and now
they are being interrogated about future Taliban operations.”The
Afghans were able to seize suicide vests, AK-47 assault rifles, rocket
launchers, hand grenades, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.Also confiscated in the raid were a Pakistani “Identity card,” along with Pakistani currency and a mobile phone.

The
Haqqani Network is an insurgent group fighting against US-led NATO
forces and the government of Afghanistan and is close to the Taliban
organisation.It is one of the most feared parts of the
insurgency across Afghanistan, where around 8,500 British troops are
fighting in Helmand Province in the south east.The Haqqanis were
set up in Afghanistan in the mid-1970s and were helped by the CIA and
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency against the Soviet in the
1980s.According to US military commanders it is “the most
resilient enemy network” and one of the biggest threats to the U.S.-led
NATO forces and the Afghan government.Yesterday an Afghan
policeman opened fire on NATO forces and Afghan soldiers in Afghanistan
in a repeat of a spate of recent so-called “green on blue” shootings.It
is the fifth apparent attack in a week by Afghan security forces on
NATO partners and which have resulted in seven US troops being killed
in two incidents and ten Afghan police officers.The shooter escaped immediately after the attack in which there were no injuries.

Yesterday it was revealed that Afghan officials recently met with a top-ranking Taliban member in his prison cell in Pakistan.

The
Pakistani government allowed Afghan government envoys access to senior
Taliban member Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was captured in Pakistan
in 2010.A Pakistani intelligence official confirmed the meeting,
saying Pakistani authorities arranged it at the request of the Afghan
Embassy in Islamabad.It is thought the meeting was about peace talks to coincide with the beginning of the NATO troops withdrawal.

A
spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry said they continue to push
for Pakistan to release Baradar and other Taliban prisoners to speed
the effort for peace talks.“The Afghan government has requested
several times from Pakistan not only the release of Mullah Baradar, but
of all those Taliban leaders who are in Pakistani prisons.“Unfortunately
so far we haven’t seen any positive actions from the Pakistan side, but
we are hopeful that they will take practical measures regarding this
issue, as they say they will in their official statements.”http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/sas-troops-foil-suicide-attack-1260025