War in Afghanistan News reports provided by ISAF Joint Command. Operations are reported in the following provinces: Wardak, Khost, Kandahar, Helmand, Ghazni, Baghlan and Oruzgan.
Afghan National Security Forces and ISAF discovered several caches during separate clearing operations in southern Afghanistan.
Numerous insurgents were killed, wounded and detained by Afghan National Security Forces and ISAF during separate clearing and security operations in southern and eastern Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, Jan. 17.
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In Kandahar and Helmand provinces, Afghan National Security and ISAF patrols discovered several large weapons and IED-making components caches in Zharaj, Panjwa’I, Arghandab and Marjah districts. The caches consisted of three 107 mm rocket, six 60 mm mortar rounds, three 155 mm artillery grenades, five 82 mm mortar rounds, 21 unknown mortar rounds, 20 hand grenades, one RPG launcher, 22 RPGs, 14 RPG boosters, one AK-47, seven full AK-47 magazines, 500 7.62 mm rounds, one rifle, nine fragmentation grenades, three recoilless rifle rounds. The IED-making components consisted of 30 victim-operated pressure plates, 100 feet (30 meters) of detonation cord, several bags of urea nitrate and 25 jugs of homemade explosive.
Wardak Province
UPDATE: The International Security Assistance Force confirmed Mohammad Gul, a Taliban facilitator and Abdul Ghafar, a Taliban leader were killed during an Afghan and coalition operations in Wardak province Jan. 14 and Jan. 15 respectively.
Mohammad Gul was a Taliban facilitator who operated in Nerkh district providing weapons and improvised explosive device components to local Taliban leaders and insurgents. He had direct contact and supported the Taliban leaders for the area.
Abdul Ghafar was a Taliban leader responsible for attacks against coalition forces in northwestern Wardak province. He led a group of highly mobile Taliban fighters that conduct improvised explosive device and direct fire attacks against Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and coalition forces. The Taliban leader was well connected to other leaders operating in northern Wardak.
Khost Province
Afghan and coalition forces detained a Haqqani Network leader along with several suspected insurgents during a security operation in Khost province yesterday.
The Haqqani Network leader was responsible for conducting ambushes and improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces operating in Khost and Terayzai Districts of the province. He reported directly to other Haqqani Network leaders in the area.
Security forces followed leads to a targeted location in Khost District, where Afghan forces called for all occupants to exit out of the buildings peacefully before conducting a search. The Haqqani Network leader self identified himself to the security force and was detained. The security team detained several suspected insurgents based on initial questioning at the scene.
With the capture of the Haqqani Network leader yesterday, Afghan and coalition forces have detained more than 25 Haqqani Network senior leaders and facilitators along with more than 125 suspected Haqqani Network insurgents since Dec. 1.
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Kandahar Province
Coalition forces in western Kandahar province completed Operation Aero Hunter Jan. 13.
The operation consisted of two phases. The first part was a patrol to flush insurgents out of a village. The second, to implement a series of snap vehicle checkpoints along Route 1 near Forward Operating Base Ramrod.
British ground troops of The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 2 Scots, patrolled a village with overwatch provided by a UH-1Y Huey and an AH-1W Super Cobra, both from U.S. Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward).
Marines from Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, circled overhead in an EH101 Merlin from 1419 Flight Squadron, Joint Aviation Group, 3rd MAW (Fwd), for extra support as 2 Scots pushed through the village.
During the second stage, Lima Company Marines landed and stopped six cars along Route 1 at three separate VCPs. Though the Marines didn’t find anything suspicious in the vehicles, they were able to make the coalition presence known in the area.
Helmand Province
During a security operation, coalition forces spotted from an ISAF outpost several insurgents emplacing an IED in Kajaki district. After gaining positive identification, coalition forces engaged the enemy position with mortar and small arms fire, killing one insurgent and dispersing the others.
In the same province, combine forces from an ISAF forward operating base observed several insurgents planting an IED in Sangin district. After establishing positive identification, combined forces engaged the enemy position with small arms fire, killing one insurgent and forcing the others to flee the area.
Also…..
In Sangin district, an ISAF patrol was engaged by insurgents with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. Coalition forces returned accurate fire in the enemy direction, killing one insurgent. In the same area, during a separate clearing operation, an Afghan National Army and ISAF patrol spotted two insurgents emplacing an IED.
After gaining positive identification, combined forces engaged, killing one insurgent and scattering the other.
Also…..
An air weapons team gained positive identification on one insurgent planting an IED in Nahr-e Saraj district. The air weapons team engaged the enemy position, killing the insurgent.
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Ghazni Province
An ISAF patrol detained one suspected insurgent who was owner of a shop used to store IED-making components in Andar district.
Baghlan Province
Eight Afghan civilians were killed when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in the vicinity of Shahabuddin village, Baghlan province, Jan. 16.
During a presence patrol, soldiers from Special Operations Task Force – East encountered the wreckage after the IED, estimated to be one to three anti-tank mines, detonated. All passengers were killed – two men, five women and one infant – during the explosion.
“With the amount of traffic on this road, it’s not likely that it was a pressure plate IED, but remotely detonated,” said the U.S. Special Forces officer on the scene. “It’s a travesty that insurgents are deliberately targeting civilians to delegitimize the local government.”
During the site clean-up, aiming blocks, used to mark where IEDs are buried, were discovered on the roof of a building, said the officer.
The passengers were traveling to an engagement party at the time of the explosion.
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Oruzgan Province
An insurgent emplaced improvised explosive device detonated, killing three civilians and wounding one, Jan. 15, in Gizab district, Oruzgan province.
Afghan national police responded to the explosion, which was initiated when a truck, carrying Afghan civilians, struck a pressure-plate IED in western Gizab.
Members of the ANP evacuated two wounded Afghans to a nearby Coalition forces’ medical facility, however, one died of his or her wounds while en route.
The ANP have initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the IED emplacement.
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