THE TENSION: More Than 50 Insurgents Killed in Fierce Fighting in Afghanistan

Dispatches from the Front:

More Than 50 Insurgents Killed in Fierce Fighting Near Qal’eh-ye Gaz
07.26.2007
Combined Joint Task Force-82

BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- An element of 1st Brigade, 205th Afghan National Army Corps, combat-advised by coalition forces, killed more than 50 enemy fighters during a combat patrol on the western side of the Helmand River in Helmand province during a battle that lasted more than 12 hours and finished early this morning.

Taliban insurgents engaged the ANA-led patrol 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) north of Qal’eh-ye Gaz, a village in Helmand province. During the course of the battle, the insurgents attacked from 16 separate compounds using heavy machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and small-arms weapons. The Afghan national security forces and coalition forces immediately returned fire and called in close air support to destroy the enemy fighters within the compounds.

Coalition air support dropped two bombs on the compounds with the greatest concentration of insurgents. Both compounds produced significant secondary explosions immediately suggesting a large quantity of explosive material was present in each. Insurgents routinely hide explosive material used to make IEDs in compounds within populated areas.

Throughout the evening, the insurgents arrived using a wadi system from Musa Qala to reinforce the established enemy positions. The combined force maneuvered to defendable positions and directed close air support aircraft to continue obliterating the identified Taliban militia positions. No more bombs were dropped during the engagement.

As the battle concluded, more than 50 insurgents were confirmed killed with an unknown number wounded. Sixteen Taliban compounds, three enemy motorcycles and five enemy trucks were destroyed as well.

Intelligence suggests a heavy concentration of Taliban insurgent fighters in the Musa Qala area. They are using Musa Qala as a base of support and it is believed that they will stay and defend the area rather than use their normal hit-and-run tactics. Since Sunday, more than 160 insurgents have been killed in the vicinity of Musa Qala.

The combined force suffered just one casualty, a broken hand by a coalition Soldier. There were no Afghan civilian injures reported.

“The enemies of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan continue to deliberately put innocent Afghans into harm's way by attacking ANA and coalition forces in populated areas,” said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force- 82 spokesperson. “We are taking every possible precaution to avoid harming non-combatants. Our aircraft engaged legitimate enemy targets during this engagement to minimize the potential of Afghan casualties. Further, with the lack of any combined force injuries inflicted by the Taliban, this engagement is another humiliating defeat for the enemies of Afghanistan.”