Joint Forces Target Taliban in South, East Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

Oct. 8, 2009 - Several military operations in southern and eastern Afghanistan today and yesterday resulted in insurgents killed and captured, military officials reported. A joint force of Afghan and NATO International Security Assistance Force troops were conducting an overnight operation against a Taliban commander and his unit in the Pul-e Alam district of Logar province when several militants were killed, officials said.

The joint force received hostile fire upon arrival to the compound and returned fire. The force issued verbal commands for all residents to exit the building and several women and children complied and exited safely. The joint force issued several more commands to ensure all residents exited the building.

After no response to subsequent commands to exit the building, the joint force then assaulted the building and killed several enemy militants. They identified the Taliban commander among the dead. The joint force recovered AK-47 rifles, grenades and chest racks from the compound.

This commander and his element were responsible for multiple attacks against and kidnappings of Afghan civilians, and supplied weapons to other militant elements in the region.

In other operations, joint forces detained several insurgents in Zabul and Kandahar provinces today.

A joint force searched a compound in Zabul's Qalat district known to be used by a Taliban commander and his element who are believed to be responsible for several attacks against Afghan civilians and infrastructure in the region.

During the search, the joint force shot and killed an enemy militant armed with an AK-47 rifle and chest rack before he engaged the force. The joint force completed the search and detained several suspected militants.

In a separate search in Kandahar City, a joint force detained a suspected militant who immediately surrendered and identified himself as a Taliban member responsible for supplying improvised explosive devices used against Afghan civilians and infrastructure in the region. No shots were fired.

No Afghan civilians were harmed in the operations.

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