Combined Forces Capture Seven, Kill Two in Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

April 23, 2009 - Afghan and coalition forces killed two militants and captured seven others in overnight operations in Afghanistan. Afghan National Army commandos disrupted a Taliban network in Helmand province's Nadi Ali district last night when they detained four armed militants and confiscated a large cache of bomb-making materials.

The commandos found and destroyed more than 40 pounds of homemade explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds and pressure plates used to manufacture bombs. Women and children in the compound were moved to a secure location while the commandos destroyed the cache.

Earlier this week in the same area, coalition strikes destroyed two anti-aircraft heavy weapons systems that insurgents apparently were planning to use against coalition forces.

In other overnight operations:

-- In Oruzgan province's Tarin Kowt district, a combined Afghan-coalition force, using information provided by intelligence sources, maneuvered to an isolated area to capture Taliban militants spending the night at a temporary camp. As forces neared the camp, two armed men threatened the patrol and were engaged with small-arms fire, resulting in both men being killed. The forces found multiple pistols, an AK-47 assault rifle, chest racks and ammunition on the two men.

-- In Lowgar province's Baraki Barak district, Afghan and coalition forces searched several compounds to locate and capture Haqqani network operatives connected to ambushes, kidnappings and homemade bomb operations. Afghan forces, who led the effort to call for residents to come out of their homes peacefully, resolved a potentially dangerous situation when a man did not comply with the initial calls to exit. Afghan forces conveyed the seriousness of the situation to the man, persuading him to come out on his own. There were no shots fired and no collateral damage to any buildings. Three suspects were detained.

(Compiled from U.S. Forces Afghanistan news releases.)