OEF Update, Jan. 31, 2010: Operations in Afghanistan

Dispatches from the Front:

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 31, 2010 -- An Afghan-international security force captured a militant while pursuing a Taliban IED commander in Kandahar province yesterday.

During the operation in the Shah Wali Kot district, the joint force came under small arms fire. The combined forces returned fire, suppressing the threat.

In another operation, a joint force detained two suspected militants while pursuing a Haqqani commander in the village of Taray Lewan Kheyl, in the Sabari district of Khowst province last night.

In a separate operation, an Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban IED facilitator in the village of Ahmadzay, in the Mohammad Agha district of Logar province last night. The facilitator, found with weapons including two fragmentation grenades, is responsible for placing roadside bombs and the movement of weapons to militants.

There were no shots fired and no Afghan civilians were harmed during these two operations.

An Afghan-international force discovered an IED cache in Nad Ali district of Helmand province yesterday. The cache included 25 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 52 batteries, and a roll of wire.

In a separate find, a combined Afghan-international patrol found a weapons cache in Zharay district of Kandahar province yesterday. The cache consisted of several artillery shells, one mortar round, one RPG round and small arms ammunition.

Additionally, a 13-year-old boy received serious injuries yesterday after an IED he placed alongside a road prematurely detonated in the Gormach district of Badghis province.

The boy was brought to a nearby forward operating base and then air evacuated to an ISAF medical facility where he remains in critical but stable condition.

"It is tragic to see such a young boy involved in activities like this," said Navy Capt. Jane Campbell, ISAF Joint Command spokesperson. "The adults who provided him these materials are responsible for his injuries. We are thankful that the medical personnel were able to save his life."

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