Forces Quell Suicide Attack in Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

Feb. 1, 2010 - Afghan and international forces responded to two suicide bombers in Afghanistan's Qalat City today.

A member of the Afghan force shot one of the suicide bombers, who then detonated his explosives. An Afghan troop received minor injuries, but did not require further medical attention.

Afghan national police and international forces secured the area and continued the search for the second bomber who had fled the scene. There were no civilian casualties during the attack.

In other operations today, international troops assisted Afghan forces in an investigation after Afghan national police found a significant weapons cache Jan. 29 in Kabul.

The police found 34 assault rifles, 22 pounds of bulk explosives, $17,000 in U.S. currency and several explosive components including switches, timers, and electric drills.

Also, a combined Afghan and international security force searched a compound in Kandahar province last night and detained several suspected insurgents.

In Khowst province last night, a joint security force searched a series of compounds and detained several insurgents. The combined force found several weapons, including automatic rifles and ammunition.

An Afghan civilian turned in a cache of explosives to international forces in Badghis province this morning. The cache consisted of more than 70 mortar grenades and two recoilless rocket projectiles.

In operations yesterday:

-- A combined force captured a militant insurgent while pursuing a Taliban explosives commander in Kandahar province. The force came under small-arms fire. The force returned fire, suppressing the threat.

-- A force detained two suspected militants while pursuing a terrorist cell commander in Khowst province.

-- A security force captured a Taliban explosives operator in Logar province. The man, found with weapons including two fragmentation grenades, is responsible for placing roadside bombs and the movement of weapons to militants.

-- A combined force discovered a bomb cache in Helmand province. The cache included 55 pounds of ammonium nitrate, 52 batteries and a roll of wire.

-- A patrol found a weapons cache in Kandahar province. The cache consisted of several artillery shells, one mortar round, one rocket-propelled grenade round and small arms ammunition.

In operations Jan. 30:

-- A combined force targeting an insurgent received enemy gunfire from several locations when approaching a compound in Uruzgan province. After returning fire, the enemy gunfire subsided and the joint force conducted damage assessment. Four insurgents were killed.

-- Afghan National Army and international forces were attacked by insurgents during a mission to detain known terrorists in Badghis province. The force returned fire with precision-guided munitions killing more than a dozen enemy combatants. As the Afghan-led force was leaving, a large group of insurgents fired from covered positions outside the village and continued to fire at the combined force and into the surrounding community. The joint force requested air support to minimize the risk of civilian casualties. Coalition aircraft dropped several precision-guided munitions on insurgent locations.

-- A combined security force received small-arms fire from an unknown source while conducting an operation in Wardak province. The patrol returned fire. Initial post-operational reports indicate the small-arms fire originated from an Afghan National Army combat outpost, and the subsequent air support called by the joint force likely killed at least four Afghan soldiers.

-- An international force fired on a vehicle when it failed to heed several warning signs to stop in Ghazni province. Two Afghan civilians were killed and one was injured by the disabling shots fired at the engine block of the vehicle as it approached at a high rate of speed. A fourth civilian in the vehicle was unharmed. The force provided immediate care to the injured passenger, who was taken for treatment to a nearby medical facility.

-- A combined security force searched a compound in Kandahar province and captured a Taliban commander and other insurgents responsible for planning bombing attacks and ambushes against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A security force found a weapons cache in Kandahar province. The cache contained 50 mortar rounds and 20 car batteries. An explosive ordnance disposal team was called to dispose of the cache.

In operations Jan. 29:

-- An international patrol found a weapons cache in Farah province. The cache consisted of four artillery rounds, more than four pounds of ammonium nitrate, two pounds of an unknown explosive and bomb-making components.

(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)