OEF Summary; Dec. 19, 2008: Troops Kill 3, Detain 5 in Khowst Province

Dispatches from the Front:

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 19, 2008 -- Afghan National Police and coalition forces killed three armed militants and detained five others, including the man their operation targeted, during a Dec. 16 operation to disrupt the al-Qaida terrorist network in Afghanistan’s Khowst province, military officials reported today.

The combined operation in the province’s Khowst district, southeast of the Afghan capital of Kabul, netted an al-Qaida liaison believed to facilitate the movement of foreign fighters into Afghanistan to conduct terrorist activities.

He is believed to have been in direct contact with al-Qaida leaders outside of Afghanistan, coordinating activities aimed at destabilizing the Afghan government and harming innocent civilians and coalition forces, officials said.

A militant armed with an AK-47 assault rifle was killed when he tried to engage the combined force. Three other militants, two armed with AK-47s and one with a shotgun, engaged the combined force as they searched the compound. The combined force returned fire, killing two men and wounding the third, a woman.

Medics provided immediate care to the wounded militant and evacuated her to a coalition hospital for further care, allowing her husband to accompany her. She is expected to recover, officials said.

A search of the compound revealed multiple AK-47s, hand grenades, pistols, a shotgun and other military equipment.

(From a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release.)

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