OEF Summary, Feb. 27, 2009: Troops in Afghanistan Detain Militants, Find Weapons

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2009 -- Coalition and Afghan forces detained eight militants and seized enemy weapons stockpiles in recent operations, military officials reported.

Afghan National Police and coalition forces conducted an operation in the Khakrez district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province yesterday to disrupt a Taliban network believed to be involved in the movement of weapons, supplies and foreign fighters from Pakistan into southern Afghanistan.

After arriving at the intended location, forces searched multiple buildings without incident. Several AK-47 assault rifles and machine guns were found, as well as bomb-making materials. After moving everyone in the compound to a safe area, coalition forces destroyed the weapons and explosives to prevent future use. Four militants were detained, and the forces protected 25 women and 33 children.

In Khowst province’s Khowst district, coalition forces conducted operations yesterday to disrupt the Haqqani terrorist network, which is known to be involved in facilitating foreign fighters into Afghanistan.

After arriving at a targeted compound, forces searched the buildings. No women or children were present, and three suspected militants were detained without incident.

Also yesterday, Afghan National Army commandos, assisted by coalition forces, detained one militant during a compound search in Kandahar province's Maywand district.

The combined elements also discovered a weapons cache containing AK-47 and heavy machine gun ammunition, single-shot rifle rounds, 400 pounds of ammonium nitrate used in making explosives and 100 feet of wire. The cache was destroyed in place.

The commandos protected 17 men, five women and 21 children during the operation. They received no resistance, and no shots were fired.

In a Feb. 20 search of a compound in the same area, the commandos discovered several weapons caches containing 120 pounds of black tar opium, five AK-47s with 17 magazines, three other rifles, a shotgun and three grenades.

(Compiled from U.S. Forces Afghanistan news releases.)

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