OEF Summary, Oct. 4, 2009: Troops Nab Militants; ISAF Casualties; Eastern Afghanistan Attack

Dispatches from the Front:

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 4, 2009 -- Two joint International Security Assistance Force and Afghan National Security Forces outposts were attacked in the Nuristan province of eastern Afghanistan Saturday morning.

Nuristani tribal militia launched the attacks from a local mosque and nearby village.

Coalition forces effectively repelled the attack and inflicted heavy enemy casualties while eight ISAF and two ANSF service members were killed.

Names will be withheld pending next of kin notification.

Coalition forces' previously announced plans to depart the area as part of a broader realignment to protect larger population centers remain unchanged.

The sources of the conflict in the area involve complex tribal, religious and economic dynamics. Coalition forces will continue to assist in matching local resources with ANSF to bolster security and partner with local communities on development assistance if requested.

Afghan and international security forces detained multiple suspected militants in Zabul province Oct. 3, and in Wardak and Paktya provinces during today's operations.

A joint force detained suspected militants in a search near Qalat City in Zabul province. Warning shots were fired, but no one was injured or killed in this operation.

In a separate operation in Wardak province's Saydabad district a joint force conducted a compound search to disrupt Taliban improvised explosive device attacks against civilians and regional infrastructure, detaining several suspected militants. No shots were fired, and no one was injured in this operation.

In a third operation a joint force detained suspected militants during a building search in Paktya province for Haqqani militants and a facilitator responsible for coordinating and conducting attacks against Afghan civilians and infrastructure in the Khowst-Gardez Pass area.

No Afghan civilians were injured during these operations.

One U.S. service member died of wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device detonation in eastern Afghanistan Oct. 3.

(Compiled from NATO International Security Assistance Force news releases.)