Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sgt. Julian C. Chase, 22, of Edgewater, Md., died May 28 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.

For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the Consolidated Public Affairs Office, Camp Butler, Okinawa at 011-81-611-745-0790 or okinawapao@usmc.mil.

Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Steven G. Sutton, 24, of Leesburg, Ga., died May 26 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

For more information media may contact the 2nd Marine Division Public Affairs Office at 910-450-6575.

Combined Force Kills Several Insurgents

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 30, 2012 – A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed several insurgents during an operation to detain a Taliban facilitator in the Sayyidabad district of Afghanistan’s Wardak province today, military officials reported.

The Taliban facilitator works directly for the senior Taliban leader in Sayyidabad and also supplies weapons, ammunition and equipment to insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition troops, officials said.

As the combined force approached the leader’s location, multiple insurgents fired on the troops from within a building, which was later determined to be a mosque. The security force returned fire, killing the insurgents. The Afghan troops entered the building to ensure no insurgents remained.

As the Afghan force cleared the area, they discovered one of the insurgents killed in the exchange had an unstable grenade rigged to his equipment. The Afghan troops requested a coalition explosives expert enter the building and defuse the grenade. The explosives expert rendered the grenade safe, removed it without incident, and departed the area as the Afghan forces finished clearing the building.

During the subsequent search, the Afghan forces recovered a machine gun, multiple AK-47 rifles and several grenades.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined force detained a Taliban facilitator in the Washer district of Helmand province. The facilitator worked for Taliban leaders in the district and provided weapons, ammunition and equipment to insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also performed investigations for the Taliban and attempted to intimidate Afghan civilians who supported the government of Afghanistan.

-- A combined force detained numerous suspected insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader in the Panjwa’i district of Kandahar province. The sought-after Taliban leader plans and coordinates attacks against Afghan government officials, as well as Afghan and coalition troops. He also coordinates the movement of insurgents and weapons into the Panjwa’i district.

-- In the Sabari district of Khost province, a combined force called in an airstrike that killed several insurgents, and it also seized AK-47 rifles, several magazines and multiple grenades, and detained numerous suspects during an operation to capture a Haqqani facilitator. The facilitator supplies weapons, ammunition, rockets and explosives to insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition troops throughout the district. As the security force approached the insurgent leader’s location, several armed insurgents appeared. After ensuring no civilians were in the area, the security force called for a precision airstrike to engage the enemy fighters. Several insurgents were killed and a follow-on assessment determined that no civilians were harmed and no civilian property was damaged.

-- A combined force detained several suspects during an operation to capture a Haqqani facilitator in the Musahi district of Kabul province. The facilitator is involved in the preparations for an attack in Kabul City against Afghan officials and Afghan and coalition troops. He also coordinates the movement of explosives, weapons and equipment between Haqqani leaders and subordinate insurgents.

And in operations yesterday, a combined force killed several Taliban fighters and seized multiple AK-47 rifles, grenades and IEDs during an operation to detain a Taliban leader in the Almar district of Faryab province. The leader plans and organizes roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and is responsible for distributing funds to Taliban district commanders.

Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died May 28, in Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their helicopter crashed. The Soldiers were assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, Ansbach-Katterbach, Germany.

Killed were:

Capt. John R. Brainard, 26, of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine; and Chief Warrant Officer Five John C. Pratt, 51, of Springfield, Va.;

For more information the media may contact U.S. Army Europe public affairs office at 49/622-157-3181.

Afghan Security Forces, ISAF Counterparts Kill Senior al-Qaida Leader

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – Afghan security forces and their International Security Assistance Force partners killed a senior al-Qaida leader in Kunar province May 27, a senior Defense Department spokesman told reporters at the Pentagon today.

“As a result of their efforts, alongside their coalition counterparts, they achieved a significant operational success in Kunar province … with the death of Sakhr al-Taifi,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters.

Sakhr al-Taifi, al-Qaida’s second-highest leader in Afghanistan, had commanded foreign insurgents and directed attacks against coalition and Afghan security forces, Little said.

“He frequently traveled between Afghanistan and Pakistan, carrying out commands from senior al-Qaida leadership,” the press secretary said. “He also supplied weapons and equipment to insurgents in the east and managed transport of insurgent fighters into Afghanistan.”

Little said security forces identified Sakhr al-Taifi and another al-Qaida terrorist in Kunar province’s Watahpur district, and took careful steps to ensure no civilians were in the area before conducting a precision airstrike.

A follow-on assessment determined no civilians were harmed in this operation, he added.

“This operation is another example of our ongoing efforts to degrade and weaken al-Qaida’s leadership,” Little said, “and a reminder of the mission we are pursuing -- to ensure that Afghanistan, never again, becomes a safe haven for al-Qaida or its militant allies.”

However, “despite the unprecedented pressure we have applied, al-Qaida remains a threat to our forces and to our homeland,” he said. “And we will continue to pursue our goal of dismantling and ultimately defeating them.”

Face of Defense: Airman Serves with Reconstruction Team

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Beth Del Vecchio

U.S. Air Forces Central

KAPISA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, May 29, 2012 – Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Norris is helping Afghans prepare for the upcoming security transition during his six-month tour with a Provincial Reconstruction Team based here.

Norris, a quality assurance technician and native of Grove Hill, Ala., is home-stationed with the 50th Space Communications Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The staff sergeant supervises three communications specialists and his group is responsible for all communications equipment for the 65-member PRT. Norris’ team also manages radio communications at the tactical operations center while the PRT is engaged off-base performing missions.

“We [also] do maintenance for all the communication equipment in the trucks, the handheld radios, the computers and all the network programming,” Norris said.

The staff sergeant’s PRT covers an area of approximately 1,143 square miles of mountainous terrain, home to nearly 365,000 Afghans, officials said. Located just north of Kabul, Kapisa is the smallest province in the country, but has the one of the highest populations per capita spread throughout seven districts.

The staff sergeant said his responsibilities in Afghanistan are very different from his stateside duties. Norris and his team, he added, keep the PRT members in constant contact with each other and with the base so they can safely continue their mission to prepare Kapisa for transition to Afghan control.

“Back home, I’m pretty hands-off, doing paperwork,” he said. “Here, I get to work on the equipment more. The thing that motivates me is that I work with the equipment that will get these guys help if something were to happen. It’s important to me to keep the equipment running so they can call for help if they need it.”

The Kapisa PRT has been conducting counterinsurgency and stability operations in the province for more than six years, officials said. Mentors on the team have been working with the Afghan leaders of Kapisa at the provincial and district level to bolster the capacity and credibility of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, or GIRoA.

With the help of an Army security force, the PRT travels across not only Kapisa province but also Parwan and Kabul provinces, officials said. The Kapisa PRT participates in key leader engagements, scouts areas for new projects and performs quality checks and site visits on existing projects.

Members of the PRT work closely with the Afghans, mentoring them on how their government can work for them, officials said.