Afghan, Coalition Forces Repel Airport Attack

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

June 30, 2010 - Afghan and International Security Assistance Force forces repelled a number of insurgents who attacked the airfield in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, this morning using a vehicle-borne bomb, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.

The airfield's perimeter was not breached, officials said, and several insurgents were killed during the attack.

Two members of the combined security force suffered minor injuries, and there are no reports of civilian injuries, officials said.

"While designed to garner media attention, this attack only temporarily disrupted operations, as our forces successfully repelled the attack," said Navy Capt. Jane Campbell, spokeswoman for ISAF Joint Command.

In other news from Afghanistan:

-- An Afghan-international force captured a Haqqani terrorist network bomb and weapons facilitator and another man in Khost province's Terazai district last night. The facilitator is linked to roadside-bomb attacks that have injured Afghan civilians. The combined force protected women and children present during the search, and no damage was done to the compound.

-- A combined Afghan-international force detained several suspected insurgents in Kandahar province's Arghandab district last night while pursuing a Taliban facilitator who coordinates foreign fighters, assassinations and logistical support for Taliban commanders operating in central Kandahar. Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to come out of the targeted compound peacefully. After securing the area, the security force detained the suspected insurgents for further questioning while protecting women and children who were present.

-- A combined force detained two suspected insurgents in Zabul province's Tarnek wa Jaldak district last night while protecting women and children who were present.

-- An Afghan-international patrol discovered nearly 2 tons of ammonium nitrate in Helmand province's Reg-e Khan Neshin district yesterday. The illegal fertilizer is used in making roadside bombs, and an ISAF analysis showed the amount seized in this raid could have been used to make more than 80 of the explosive devices.

-- An ISAF patrol found a booby-trapped weapons cache in Ghazni province last night. The cache consisted of 50 mortar tubes, five mines, two boxes of explosives, several assault rifles, ammunition, a long-barreled rifle, hundreds of machine-gun rounds and a large quantity of bomb-making materials.

Meanwhile, operations involving Afghan and ISAF forces continued yesterday in Kunar province. The Afghan-led force includes almost 600 personnel, more than 60 percent of whom are members of the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police and Afghan Border Police.

The operation began after the combined force was airlifted by helicopter into the mountains early June 27 near the town of Daridam in the province's Marawara district.

Insurgents were using the town and surrounding district as a staging area for attacks on both civilians and coalition forces, officials said. This group is believed to be responsible for device bomb attack that killed five U.S. servicemembers June 7.

Throughout the operation, the combined force has received crucial information from residents and local officials, including details that about 250 insurgents were in the area.

The operation is ongoing, officials said, and complements recent operations in the province in which a Taliban commander was killed and several insurgent facilitators were detained. Development projects are also planned to improve critical services for local residents, officials added.