Coalition forces kill 15 in raid targeting senior Taliban leader

By the CNN Wire Staff

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Raid uncovered bomb factory and recovered ordnance, NATO-led force says
Man being sought is among those guiding Taliban military activity in Helmand Province
4 insurgents died in firefight, 11 in airstrike while attempting to "engage" NATO-led forces

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(CNN) -- Afghan and coalition forces killed 15 insurgents in a raid targeting a senior Taliban leader, the NATO-led force in Afghanistan said.

The raid uncovered a factory that made roadside bombs, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said in a statement. Artillery shells, rocket-propelled grenades and explosives were recovered.

Insurgents fired on ground forces as they approached a point in southern Afghanistan said to be the location of a senior Taliban leader who serves on a commission guiding Taliban military activity in Helmand Province, in southern Afghanistan, the statement said.

Afghan and NATO-led forces returned fire and killed four insurgents, the statement said. After letting several women and children safely leave several compounds, the forces found and decided to destroy the weapons and ammunition.

As they prepared to leave, 11 heavily armed insurgents in three vehicles and six motorcycles approached the force "in an apparent attempt to engage" it, the statement said. Coalition aircraft using "precision weapons" fired on the insurgents, killing 11.

The statement did not say whether coalition forces found the senior Taliban leader.