OEF Update, Feb. 16, 2010: Operations in Afghanistan

Dispatches from the Front:

KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 16, 2010 -- An Afghan-international force interdicted three vehicles in three separate engagements, resulting in more than 10 militants killed while pursuing a Taliban commander in Helmand province yesterday.

The joint force was sent to a rural area in the Washir District after intelligence information revealed militants were in several vehicles.

One of the vehicles drove away and attempted to elude the assault force. As the combined force attempted to stop it, weapons were pointed at the coalition force through the open car windows. The coalition force engaged and killed the militants who were in the car.

After the fire fight the ammunition inside the vehicle continued to detonate, causing the assault force to pull back to a safe distance.

Another associated vehicle, with one occupant, drove out of the village, with the coalition force in pursuit. The car stopped and the occupant drew an automatic rifle and attempted to fire on the force who then killed the militant.

A third vehicle was located, and armed militants got out of both sides of the vehicle and attempted to engage the pursuing force. The joint force returned fire killing several militants.

As the assault force engaged the third car it received machine gun and rocket propelled grenade fire from the nearby village. As the fire fight continued militants from the village tried to approach the burning vehicle several times, but were driven off as explosives and ammunition inside the vehicle continued to detonate.

To reduce the possibility of civilian casualties in the village the combined force then broke off the fight and returned to base.

In another event, an Afghan-international security force searched a compound in the Nadir Shah Kot District of Khwost province and detained two suspected militants.

No shots were fired and no Afghan citizens were harmed during the operation.

In Kunduz province last night, an Afghan-international security force killed a militant and detained two others while pursuing a Taliban commander.

While searching a compound outside the village of Polow Kamar, in the Chahar Darah District, the force came under small-arms fire.

They returned fire killing one militant. They also recovered an automatic rifle and a grenade.

In other operations, a joint ANSF-ISAF patrol discovered a weapons cache and detained 11 suspected insurgents after an initial IED find led to a large weapons cache in Sharan District, Paktika province yesterday.

The cache consisted of an antitank mine, two IEDs, 1,000 feet of detonation cord, 12 RPGs, six mortar rounds, one kilogram of plastic explosive, six blasting caps, 200 rounds of small-arms ammunition, cell phones, hand-held radios and radio base stations, and various other electronic components. An explosive ordnance team destroyed the cache.

In Jaghuri District, Ghazni province yesterday, an Afghan civilian turned 15 rocket-propelled grenades over to ISAF forces.

(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)