Afghan security forces and US-led troops have arrested six militants, including a rebel commander, in the eastern province of Khost.

Five militants and a rebel commander, who was "directly" involved in the preparation of suicide attacks in eastern Afghanistan, were detained Friday in a joint operation, the coalition military said Monday in a statement.

"The militant leader Mohammad Ghanam "has conducted attacks against coalition bases throughout Afghanistan," the statement said without providing details of the attacks, AFP reported.

He was also directly involved in the preparation of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices," it added.

Bomb-filled jackets and other ammunition were also found in the compounds where the men were caught, the statement said, adding that troops destroyed the weapons at the site.

Ghanam was part of the Haqqani network, the statement said, referring to a group headed by key Taliban-linked militant leader, Jalaluddin Haqqani, part of an insurgency against government and foreign forces in eastern Afghanistan.

HE/RA