US forces in Afghanistan said they captured two suspected Al-Qaeda operatives near the Pakistan border on Wednesday after following leads on a suspect "known to pass correspondence for Al-Qaeda senior leaders."
The men were arrested in an early morning raid in a town in the eastern province of Nangarhar, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the border with Pakistan, the US military said in a statement.
"The operation was conducted based on information provided about an Al-Qaeda member known to pass correspondence for Al-Qaeda senior leaders.
"Two Afghan men were taken into custody for further questioning to determine their association with Al-Qaeda."
About 11,500 US troops are in Afghanistan to hunt down Al-Qaeda and other insurgents and train the fledgling Afghan army and police forces.
They have claimed to have arrested or killed several Al-Qaeda suspects along the border with Pakistan in the past months although the identities of the men, or if any remained in custody, have not been publicly announced.