U.S. soldiers capture three suspected al-Qaida fighters

BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- American special forces captured three suspected al-Qaida fighters in eastern Afghanistan over the weekend, a U.S. military official said Monday.

The suspects were taken near the town of Khost on Saturday night, said Col. Roger King at Bagram, the U.S. military headquarters.

In Washington, the Pentagon said Monday an American soldier died of wounds received two weeks ago while hunting for Taliban and al-Qaida fighters in the Khost area.

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher James Speer, 28, of Albuquerque, N.M., was among five U.S. soldiers injured in a July 27 ambush. He died Wednesday, a statement said.

He was the 16th U.S. soldier to die from wounds sustained in combat.

Yemeni man arrested

Authorities in eastern Afghanistan also arrested one Yemeni man who admitted being an al-Qaida member and found three Russian anti-tank missiles hidden in Jalalabad, a police officer said Monday.

Haji Ajab Shah, police inspector general for Nangarhar province, said the man was found in the Lagman province in recent days after residents alerted authorities.

A Jalalabad jail official said the suspect was turned over to the central government after revealing during interrogation that he was an al-Qaida member.

The Khost area, about 90 miles southeast of Kabul, is regarded as one of the most insecure parts of the country and U.S. forces have repeatedly held operations to flush out Taliban and al-Qaida holdouts.

King said the three were brought to Bagram for questioning. He had no details on why the men were believed to be members of al-Qaida.

The soldiers also found explosive and ammunition caches. Other American troops found 50 grenades during a search near Malaksay.

"There were no reports of fighting, casualties or anyone taken under control," King said of the operation.

Shah said both al-Qaida and the Taliban remain active in eastern Afghanistan, where the population is suspicious of Kabul's central government.