U.S. targets Haqqani network in Afghan east, 2 held

KABUL (Reuters) - The U.S military said on Tuesday it had targeted the network of veteran Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani during an operation in eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan, and detained two suspected militants.

The raid was launched on Monday in Khost province against militants suspected of carrying out roadside bomb attacks, the U.S. military said in a statement.

It did not refer to another operation on Monday in which Pakistani witnesses and intelligence officials said U.S. drones fired missiles at a house and religious school founded by Haqqani, just across the border in Pakistan, killing 23 people.

Several of the dead were relatives of Haqqani, who is considered close to Osama bin Laden. The ailing Taliban commander was in Afghanistan along with his son Sirajuddin, who has been leading the group, at the time of the attack, another son said.

The U.S. military said soldiers found multiple AK-47s, grenades and other military equipment during the raid in Khost.

Violence has surged in Afghanistan this year as the hardline Islamist Taliban have stepped up their campaign of guerrilla attacks backed by suicide and roadside bombs to oust the pro-Western Afghan government and drive out foreign troops.

Two rockets hit a residential part of central Kabul late on Monday but there were no casualties, am interior ministry spokesman said.

About 2,500 people, including 1,000 civilians, have been killed in fighting in the first six months this year, aid agencies say.

(Reporting by Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Alex Richardson)