Provincial Official Helps Thwart Insurgent Attack

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

July 12, 2010 - Afghan National Police and the subgovernor of Ghazni province thwarted an insurgent attack in Gahzni's Khwajah Omari district yesterday, military officials reported.

Insurgents planned to attack the funeral procession for Mohammad Riza, the district's former head prosecutor, who was murdered by insurgents July 9. Afghan forces set up a checkpoint outside the village of Deh Kuli to disrupt the attack, and the insurgents attacked the checkpoint instead. When the subgovernor heard of the attack, he rushed to the scene with his personal bodyguards to support the national police. Several insurgents were killed, and several police officers were wounded.

Meanwhile, military officials provided details of numerous recent operations in Afghanistan.

In Logar province's Pul-e Alam district last night, a combined Afghan-international security force detained several suspected insurgents while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for bombing attacks against coalition forces in Baraki Barak. No shots were fired, and the combined security force protected women and children who were present.

Also last night, an Afghan-international force killed a suspected insurgent and detained several others in Khost province's Sabari district while pursuing a Haqqani terrorist network weapons facilitator linked to bombing attacks against coalition forces. As the combined force secured the targeted compound, a man assaulted a soldier and tried to grab the barrel of his weapon. The soldier engaged in self defense and shot the man. Multiple automatic weapons, grenades and bomb-making materials were found and destroyed, and women and the combined force protected children who were present.

During a clearing operation in Kunduz province's Chahar Darah district last night, an Afghan-international security force detained a suspected insurgent while protecting women and children who were present during the operation.

An Afghan-led patrol of Afghan commandos and U.S. special operations forces found a weapons cache in Helmand province yesterday. The patrol, working to establish security and locate known insurgents operating in and around Mirmandab and Heydarabad villages, came under attack several times by insurgents using rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and small arms.

An Afghan woman suffered a shrapnel wound to her leg and was treated by U.S. medics. Two wounded insurgents also were treated and then were detained.

While searching a series of buildings, the security force found four makeshift bombs connected to a jug of homemade explosives, three rocket-propelled grenades and a launcher, three 82 mm mortars, hand-held radios and batteries. The combined force met with village elders who authorized the safe destruction of the building housing the weapons cache to protect village residents.

In other news, International Security Assistance Force officials uncovered a Taliban plot to confiscate supplies and food intended for distribution to the people of Afghanistan's Kandahar province. The items, destined for nongovernmental organizations for distribution, were to be hijacked and held by the Taliban for their own use.

ISAF officials said they're supporting the Afghan government to uncover the extent of these planned hijackings and will work with local officials to ensure the Taliban are unsuccessful in interdicting the goods.

In other news, ISAF forces provided medical treatment to 12 injured civilians when their vehicle was struck by a motorcycle packed with explosives in Helmand's Garm Ser district July 11. ISAF members treated the injured on scene before evacuating them to ISAF medical facilities.

On July 10, an Afghan-international force killed Malauwi Shahbuddin, a Taliban commander, along with several armed insurgents in Zabul province's Shah Joy district. Shahbuddin was responsible for moving bomb-making materials and foreign fighters into the district from Pakistan.

The security force approached a group of heavily armed insurgents in the process of planting a roadside bomb in the northeastern part of the province. As the force attempted to apprehend them, an insurgent detonated a grenade. The security force engaged and killed the insurgents, who included Shahbuddin, and also detained several suspected insurgents.

Upon inspection, the security force discovered one of the insurgents had attempted to booby trap himself by placing a hand grenade under his body. The grenade was rendered safe.

Machine guns, bomb-making materials and RPG launchers with rockets and grenades were found with the insurgents. More bomb-making materials, hand grenades, small arms, RPG launchers with multiple rockets and two motorcycles laden with explosives were found during a subsequent search of the area. The security force destroyed the weapons and motorcycles at the scene. No civilians or security forces were injured.

Also July 10, a combined Afghan-international security force killed several insurgents and detained two suspects in Ghazni while pursuing a Taliban commander in direct contact with Taliban leadership in Pakistan and associated with al Qaida and the Commander Nazir Group terrorist organization, known for assassinations and intimidation operations against civilians. The terror group also is known to operate with the Haqqani terrorist network in attacks against international forces.

The combined security force went to a compound in the province's Andar district and immediately was engaged by multiple insurgents armed with automatic weapons and grenades. The security force returned fire, killing several insurgents. The security force protected women and children who were present, and no civilians or security forces were injured.

A combined Afghan-international security force killed two insurgents and detained a number of suspected insurgents during an operation targeting two Taliban commanders in Kandahar province the night of July 10. The commanders are responsible for attacks against Afghan and international forces in southern Arghandab district and Kandahar City, and also supply weapons and bombs to the Arghandab insurgent network.

The security force targeted an area known to be a safe haven for Taliban fighters near the village of Khersak. After clearing and securing the surrounding area, the security force went to two separate compounds in search of the commanders. As the force approached the first compound, two insurgents armed with automatic weapons engaged them and then attempted to flee. Coalition forces pursued them, and the insurgents were killed with precision air fire. As the security force continued clearing the area, they discovered a house booby-trapped as a bomb, which they secured.

At a second compound, Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to peacefully come out, then cleared and secured the building. No civilians or security forces were injured during the operation.

An Afghan-international security force detained two suspected insurgents and seized explosives and bomb-making materials during a two-day operation in Kandahar's Panjwai district July 10. The force found and destroyed more than 500 pounds of explosives, as well as 155 mm artillery rounds and bomb-making components, including a motorcycle rigged with explosives. The force also discovered several tunnels under buildings in the search area.

On July 10, an Afghan-international patrol found and destroyed more than 200 pounds of opium and bomb-making materials in Helmand's Nawah-ye Barakzai district.

In Kapisa province July 10, an Afghan civilian turned in 10 RPG warheads, eight RPG boosters and 27 82 mm recoilless rifle shells to an ISAF forward operating base.

Also July 10, ISAF forces provided medical treatment to four civilians injured when insurgents attacked a minivan with small-arms fire in Paktia province's Lajah-Ahmad Khel district. Afghan forces evacuated the casualties to an ISAF medical facility for care. Several civilians were killed in the insurgent attack.

An Afghan-led force that was attacked while conducting a security patrol in Helmand's Nahr-e Saraj district provided aid to an Afghan woman injured by insurgent fire July 10. Afghan army commandos and U.S. special operations forces were patrolling in and around Mirmandab and Heydarabad villages when they were attacked with RPGs and heavy machine-gun fire. During the insurgent attack a woman suffered shrapnel wounds and was treated by the U.S. medics. Two insurgents injured during the attack were detained after receiving medical treatment.

Immediately following the attack, the Afghan commandos' commander contacted a local elder to provide details of the events. The elder said the commandos' presence has helped to save civilian lives, and he led the patrol to a nearby insurgent weapons cache.

An Afghan-international security force detained two suspected insurgents in Ghazni province July 10 while pursuing a Taliban commander who is responsible for smuggling Pakistani, Chechen and Arab fighters and bomb-making materials into the province's Shah Joy district from Pakistan.

The Afghan-led search focused on a compound in the village of Purdel in the Gelan district. The combined force was engaged with sporadic and ineffective gunfire from several directions during the search. After initial questioning of residents, the force detained the suspected insurgents. No buildings were damaged, and the force protected women and children who were present.

In Paktia province's Ahmadabad the night of July 9, a separate Afghan-international security force killed an armed individual and detained several suspected insurgents. The security force went to a series of compounds, and Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to come out. After no response was observed, the security force illuminated the residence from an overhead aircraft to alert them of coalition forces presence. An armed man attempted to engage the combined force, and the security force shot and killed him in self-defense. The team recovered a number of weapons in the compound.

A tip from an area resident led Afghan and ISAF forces to 178 82mm mortar grenades in Badghis province's Muqor district July 8. ISAF experts said the explosives in the shells could be used to make several dozen large roadside bombs. The cache was moved to a safe location and will be destroyed.