Friday, March 05, 2010

Forces Detain Insurgents, Seize Weapons

American Forces Press Service

March 5, 2010 - Combined patrols of Afghan and International Security Assistance Force servicemembers have detained several insurgents and seized numerous weapons in operations throughout Afghanistan in recent days, officials said.

In Wardak province today, a combined force searched a compound in the Chak-e Wardak district after intelligence indicated militant activity. As the assault force approached the compound, an armed insurgent fled. Servicemembers followed and called for him to surrender. When the insurgent tried to engage them with a machine gun, the force killed the insurgent.

The unit found several weapons in the compound and on the insurgent, including grenades, an automatic rifle, a machine gun, and a rocket-propelled grenade.

In operations yesterday in Afghanistan:

- A combined force searched a compound in the Panjwa'I district of Kandahar province last night after intelligence information indicated militant activity. They detained three suspected militants.

- In Khowst, a combined security force searched a compound in the Sabari district after intelligence information indicated militant activity. During the search, the force detained a suspected insurgent and found some weapons parts.

- In Paktika province, a combined force searched a compound south of Orgun after intelligence indicated militant activity. During the search, the security force captured a suspected Haqqani weapons trafficker responsible for the purchase and movement of machine guns and antiaircraft components. Another insurgent also was detained.

- An international patrol searched a vehicle in the Reg-e Khan Neshin district of Helmand and found two 107mm rockets, an RPG warhead, two anti-tank land mines, a Chinese mortar round, three 107mm rocket fuses, 20 14.5mm rounds and a 122mm projectile. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the weapons.

On Wednesday, in the Chorah district of Uruzgan province, Afghan National Police officers on patrol with ISAF servicemembers discovered a weapons cache. The cache contained four RPGs, an 81mm mortar and seven RPG fuel cells. An EOD team destroyed the cache.

No Afghan civilians were harmed during these operations.

(Information compiled from an International Joint Command news release.)

No comments: