Patrol Kills Insurgents Who Threatened Convoy

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

April 20, 2010 - International Security Assistance Force troops killed four occupants of a vehicle that threatened their convoy in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province last night, military officials reported.

The convoy was returning to its base camp after clearing a roadside bomb when a vehicle coming from the opposite direction approached the lead truck. The ISAF forces tried to flag the vehicle down and flashed the lead truck's lights.

The driver of the unidentified vehicle responded by turning off his headlights and accelerating toward the convoy. ISAF personnel then fired warning shots, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. Several rounds were fired in an attempt to disable the vehicle, and finally shots were fired into the vehicle itself.

The ISAF patrol provided immediate medical assistance to the vehicle's occupants, but all four died at the scene. Afghan security forces were immediately called to secure the site. After the incident, two of the men in the vehicle were identified as known insurgents.

ISAF and Afghan security forces have begun a joint assessment to review the factors leading to this incident, officials said.

In other news from Afghanistan:

-- An Afghan-international security force captured a suspected Taliban commander and several other insurgents in the Kandahar district of Kandahar province last night. The suspected Taliban commander is believed to be responsible for buying and distributing weapons and for handling militant cell financial responsibilities.

-- In the Qalat district of Zabul province last night, a combined force captured a suspected Taliban roadside-bomb facilitator believed to be responsible for attacks on coalition forces and to have close ties to other insurgent networks. When confronted, the facilitator identified himself and surrendered. A few other suspected insurgents also were detained.

-- In the Now Zad district of Helmand province yesterday, an ISAF patrol found a roadside bomb consisting of more than 100 pounds of homemade explosives and a pressure-plate initiation device.

-- An Afghan-international patrol found four roadside bombs in Helmand province's Nad-e Ali district yesterday. Two of the bombs consisted of pressure-plate initiation devices and 20 pounds of homemade explosive each. The others had remote-controlled detonators and 40 pounds of homemade explosive each.

No shots were fired, and no Afghan civilians were harmed during these operations, officials said.