Troops in Afghanistan Kill Several Enemy Fighters

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2008 -- Coalition and Afghan forces killed several armed militants and destroyed a weapons cache in operations this week in Afghanistan, military officials said.

Troops killed several militants and detained two others during an operation Aug. 5 to disrupt militant activities in Kapisa province.

Coalition forces came under enemy fire as they searched a compound in the Nijrab district for a Taliban commander responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, military officials said.

The troops retaliated with small-arms fire, killing several militants. Inside the compound, coalition forces found and destroyed bomb-making materials and barricaded fighting positions.

During an Aug. 4 operation, Afghan commandos and coalition forces discovered and destroyed multiple weapons caches in the Maywand district of Kandahar province.

The combined forces were on a patrol when they uncovered the caches, which contained 60 5-gallon plastic containers of ammonium nitrate primed with detonation cords, among other materials. They also discovered a stolen tour bus onsite.

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 101 news releases.)

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