A bomb explodes, sending shockwaves up and down a ridge in the Tengay Mountain Valley, April 10, following an insurgent attack on Company D, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, Task Force Ironman, a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls. Photo by U.S. Army Pvt. Kevin Barbour

The soldiers from 2nd Platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, Task Force Ironman, laughed when they heard the report of the attack.

“The report states: two tanks were hit by artillery shells and a rocket,” U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chris Brenke, 2nd platoon’s platoon sergeant from East Dubuque, Ill., read from a printout during the mission briefing April 11. “Both tanks were completely destroyed during the fighting that lasted an hour. The report also said that four American soldiers were killed and two others wounded. I regret to inform you that four of you guys died yesterday.”

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chris Brenke, the platoon sergeant for 2nd Platoon, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, Task Force Ironman, a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, laughs, April 11, after reading an inaccurate report, by the Taliban concerning an ambush on his platoon's convoy the previous day. Photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Matson

The report was from the Taliban Voice of Jihad Online, and was the Taliban’s account of what happened the day before in the Tengay Mountain Valley of the Qarghai District. The area is a site of frequent enemy ambushes.

In fact, the majority of the contact Company D has been involved in was in the valley, which 2nd Platoon patrols. Company D is part of the Iowa National Guard’s, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, and is stationed at nearby Forward Operating Base Xio Haq.

The soldiers of 2nd Platoon told a very different story.

“Basically, it was a day of a lot of firsts,” Brenke said. “It was the first time they hit us in the rain, the first time they hit us with that complex of an attack and the first time from that close.”

On a quick reaction force mission, the platoon responded to a call of a burning fuel tanker, said Brenke. A common tactic of the enemy is to shoot at fuel trucks to ignite them, using the burning trucks to draw coalition forces into an ambush. That’s exactly what happened April 10.

When the platoon’s convoy entered a narrow stretch of highway surrounded by steep cliffs on both sides about 15 miles west of their base, the attack began, said Brenke. Then insurgents launched a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades from the cliff to the south.

“There was about 15 minutes of solid contact, pretty intense fighting,” said Brenke. “The RPGs were close. We were firing back with the .50 cal, and they kept fighting. They weren’t stopping.”

Two of the RPGs struck the middle vehicle, where company commander U.S. Army Capt. Jared Gevock, from Dubuque, Iowa, sat, serving as truck commander. Fortunately, the RPG protective nets on the outside of the vehicles dispersed the grenade blasts, and no soldiers were injured in the attack.

In fact, the up-armoured mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle suffered battle damage, but was driven back to base. Several other vehicles also suffered bullet holes or chips to their armour, and will need to be repaired, but all were able to return to the base.

When the enemy attacked, first with RPGs, then with machine gun fire, the first four vehicles in the convoy pushed through the ambush. They then returned to assist occupants of the final vehicle, who was under heavy contact. The platoon fought back with .50-caliber machine guns, laying heavy fire and pinning down the enemy in their fighting positions on top of the mountain.

At this time, the enemy started attacking with small arms fire from the cliffs across the road to the north.

“That was pretty smart on their part,” Brenke said. “They were pinned down to the south, so the ambushers across the road started attacking us.”

U.S. Army Pfc. Joel Mason, a gunner from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, spotted one of the attackers to the north and engaged him, ending the ambush from that side.

“After receiving small arms fire from the south, I saw one of the attackers engage us from the north,” Mason said. “We took contact from them, I got positive identification on one of the attackers, confirmed there were no friendly forces in the area, and took him out with the .50 cal.”

U.S. Army Spc. Dale Heiser, a crow gunner with 2nd Platoon, from Davenport, Iowa, who witnessed Mason’s shot through his crew remote-operated weapon optics system.

The platoon continued to lay down heavy suppressive fire on the ambushers to the south, keeping constant eyes on six individuals on the mountainside. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Peter Harder, a forward observer from Huxler, Iowa, called in an air strike on the ambushers.

U.S. forces dropped three bombs, the last one dead on target, according to the platoon, ending the conflict. When all was said and done, three American vehicles suffered repairable battle damage, no American forces were injured and seven insurgent fighters were eliminated, which differed significantly from the Taliban report.

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Story by Staff Sgt. Ryan Matson

An Afghan-led force killed more than 20 insurgents and destroyed more than 40 improvised explosive devices in northwestern Kandahar province during a three-day operation that ended Nov. 29.

The operation consisted of forces from the Afghan Border Police and Afghan National Army commandos, partnered with soldiers from Special Operations Task Force – South.

As the forces cleared their initial objective, area citizens provided information leading to further exploitation of the surrounding areas. The information came during evening shuras between area residents and the partnered force.

Following these discussions, the combined element decided to continue the operation past its planned 24-hour timeframe.

In all, the operation led to the discovery of two drug processing facilities, multiple explosives manufacturing facilities including nearly nine tons (8,500 kilograms in 170 50-kilogram bags) of explosives, 41 Kalashnikov assault rifles and eight high-caliber machine guns with 1,000 rounds.

The partnered force also cleared 41 IED’s from the area.

Elsewhere in northern Kandahar province’s Shah Wali Kot district, the District Governor Haji Obidullah and Afghan National Army special forces, along with their from Special Operations Task Force – South partners, located two weapons storage sites following tips from local citizens, Nov. 28.

The partnered force found almost 10,000 rounds of ammunition, multiple 82 mm mortar rounds, five rocket-propelled grenade warheads and a wide variety of IED-making material to include detonation cord, blasting caps and pressure plates.

Also in Kandahar province’s Arghandab district, Afghan National Police recovered two IED’s along a well-travelled road Nov. 29. Soldiers from Special Operations Task Force – South safely disposed of the IED’s.

No civilian casualties or property damage resulted from these operations.

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Staff Sgt. Rodrigo B. AriasHernandez, right, with Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, is presented the Bronze Star Award with Combat V for his actions while deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom by Maj. Gen. James B. Laster, the commanding general of 3rd MarDiv., in an awards ceremony during the Artillery Relocation Training Program exercise on the East Fuji range Sept. 15. Photo by Lance Cpl. Kentavist P. Brackin.

Staff Sgt. Rodrigo B. AriasHernandez recently received the Bronze Star Award with Combat V for his actions during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan Aug. 19-20, 2009.

AriasHernandez, a battery gunnery sergeant for Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, was a company advisor with Embedded Training Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command-Central 3-7, 201st Corps, Afghan National Army, at the time.

On Aug. 19, 2009, the eve of the second Afghan national election, the 34-year-old, another team member and an Army National Guard soldier defended Vehicle Patrol Base Pashad.

The ANA commander had directed all but six of the patrol base’s personnel to occupy mountain overwatch positions that morning to block enemy infiltration routes during the election.

At about 10 p.m., Operational Detachment Alpha Team 2213 arrived at the compound with intelligence on an imminent large-scale attack by an enemy force of about 200 Taliban and foreign fighters.

AriasHernandez assessed the base’s vulnerabilities and gave a report to the team’s leader, after which the team was made available to AriasHernandez.

“The detachment that I had was from the Special Forces, and the commander came up to me and asked me ‘Where do you need me,’” he said. “I told him I needed guys here, here and here and start plugging in the grids in case we (were) overrun, but we didn’t (get overrun).”

At 11:05 p.m., the enemy launched an attack with accurate mortar fire followed by an onslaught of rocket-propelled grenade rounds, small arms and medium machine gun fire.

One of the ETT members responded with a Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun, AriasHernandez’s team’s only crew-served weapon. He tried to assist by spotting enemy positions using night vision goggles, but saw only a barrage of muzzle flashes from enemy weapons.

He quickly sent out a distress signal to a joint-Quick Response Force, composed of an Army platoon, ETT and ANA personnel.

Using the cover of darkness, enemy fighters had approached unnoticed and dispersed in all directions surrounding the valley, the neighboring village, the school house and the compound, with some as close as 300 meters, making fire missions impossible.

“When the going was tough he probably thought that ‘You know what, I might not come out of this,’ but he reacted instinctively; he did the right thing,” said Maj. Gen. James B. Laster, 3rd MarDiv. commanding general, of AriasHernandez.

The ANA platoon at the compound was considered a strong fighting force because of its training and combat experience.

AriasHerenandez coordinated with the ANA platoon lieutenant and helped refocus the ANA positions to their respective fields of fire and the enemy’s potential avenues of approach.

Using his personal M203 grenade launcher, he fired illumination rounds to backlight enemy positions for ANA soldiers.

After two hours of fierce fighting, enemy forces collected their dead and wounded and departed into the mountains.

A post-attack analysis estimated the enemy force at 80 to 100 fighters intended to overrun the compound to ensure the Taliban controlled Pashad village before the next day’s election.

The citiation attributes all friendly forces’ survival to AriasHernandez’s leadership, courage and military skill.

“The training that I received paid off,” said AriasHernandez. “Some of these guys were depending on me and my actions, so failure was not on my mind.”

AriasHernandez volunteered to remain at the patrol base through election day, sustaining six more rocket attacks that he quickly neutralized by directing 105mm mortar fire on enemy mountain positions.

According to the citation, his actions contributed to a 95 percent turnout rate at the polling centers in the Khas Kunar district the following day, leaving the enemy’s plan to disrupt the national election in the region a failure.

Marine Corps
By Cpl. Kentavist P. Brackin

An Afghan and coalition security force killed more than 20 armed insurgents during an on-going clearing operation aimed at disrupting the Haqqani Network’s freedom of movement in Dzadran District of Paktiya province. This area is known Haqqani Network safe haven and used to stage attacks into Kabul and the Khost-Gardez pass.

When the security force arrived, dozens of insurgents occupied entrenched fighting positions throughout the mountainous area, preparing to engage the security force with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons. An air weapons team suppressed the enemy resulting in more than 20 insurgents killed so far.

“The Haqqani Network is a prevalent insurgent threat in Afghanistan right now. Afghan and coalition forces are focused on smothering their influence and power,” said U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Combined Joint Operation Center director. “Every day we are taking more insurgents off the battlefield so that Afghans can live in peace.”

This clearing operation is still ongoing. ISAF will provide updates as they become available.

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Afghan-international forces seized enemy weapons caches, captured or killed numerous insurgents, and reopened a long-closed school during recent operations conducted across Afghanistan, military officials reported.

In the July 22 Afghanistan news:

– An Afghan National Directorate of Security force discovered a large quantity of improvised explosive device-making material in a rock quarry in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province last night. The cache contained about 1,900 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, more than 5,400 electronic fuses, about 3,200 meters of detonation cord and 275 kilograms of black powder. The ammonium nitrate and black powder alone could be used to make more than 100 IEDs. The Afghan force asked for International Security Assistance Force help in destroying the cache.

“This find demonstrates the ever-increasing capability of the Afghan National Security Forces to operate independently,” Col. Rafael Torres, ISAF Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director, said. “It also takes a large number of potential IEDs out of the hands of the insurgents whose indiscriminate use of IEDs endangers innocent Afghan civilians as well as Afghan and coalition forces.”

– Afghan and coalition forces captured a Taliban improvised explosive device facilitator in the Behsud district of Nangarhar province last night. The security force targeted a compound outside Jalalabad in pursuit of the facilitator and Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to peacefully exit the buildings. After the occupants were interviewed, one of them led the security force to a different compound where he thought the targeted individual was residing. Once the second compound was secure, the combined security force detained the facilitator who peacefully surrendered and identified himself to the security force. No shots were fired and the women and children present were protected by the security force.

– An Afghan and coalition security force detained two suspected insurgents in Ghazni province last night while in pursuit of a Taliban subcommander who facilitates weapons and provides operations support for the Taliban in the area. The security force went to a remote compound in Gelan district to search the area. Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for the occupants to exit the buildings and then cleared the compound. After the compound was secure, the security force detained two suspected insurgents for further questioning. No shots were fired and the women and children present were protected throughout the search.

– Afghan and coalition security forces last night struck at the Taliban leadership in Kandahar, capturing a senior Taliban commander and a member of the district military commission in Nad ‘Ali, Helmand province, who commands the movement of insurgent fighters and equipment through the Nad ‘Ali district. The joint security force also detained another suspected insurgent in the same operation. The joint security force targeted a compound in Daman district on the outskirts of Kandahar City. All of the residents complied with the instructions of the joint security force and peacefully exited the compound. After interviewing the residents, two suspected insurgents were detained for further questioning including a senior Taliban leader and one additional suspected insurgent.

In July 21 Afghanistan news:

– Afghan National Security Forces with International Security Assistance Force partners officially reopened a school that had been closed for 12 months due to facilities falling into disrepair. Over the last two months, the combined force engaged local tradesmen to build a new wall and metal gates, a school yard, plant trees and bushes, repair the existing water pump, install new windows and build new chairs and benches for the students. The reconstruction work now allows students to attend classes four days a week. Prior to the official opening, Afghan officials and local elders distributed school supplies to the approximately 200 students who attend the school each day. Extra school supplies have been given to the school for the expected 500 students who will attend the school in the future.

A local Afghan leader said, “It is magnificent that we are here today at the reopened school. Much has improved with the security situation to allow the school to reopen, and we are thankful of the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team and Lithuanians for rebuilding the school.” Combined forces are committed to assisting the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in rebuilding and repairing education infrastructure to educate Afghanistan’s children.

In July 20 Afghanistan news:

– An Afghan and coalition security force killed several insurgents and captured an improvised explosive device maker along with additional suspected insurgents in Kunduz province. The security force went to the first of a series of targeted compounds in the village of Qareh Khani in the Chahar Darah district in pursuit of a Taliban sub-commander who facilitates weapons and orders IED and rocket attacks against Afghan civilians and Afghan and coalition forces. Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to peacefully exit the targeted compounds.

One heavily armed individual ran outside the compound and engaged the security force. The combined force returned fire, killing the insurgent. The combined force then moved to clear and secure the building. While clearing the area, the security force was engaged by an insurgent barricaded within one of the buildings and another insurgent in the courtyard. Returning fire, the assault force killed the insurgents. After the compound was cleared and secured, the assault force detained the IED maker and an additional suspected insurgent for further questioning.

Evidence collected at the scene directly linked the IED maker to a pressure plate IED attack that occurred less than three kilometers from the targeted compound on April 14. Additionally, several other IED related incidents have occurred in the immediate area over the last two years. IED materials including blasting caps and wire were found at the compound.

“This is another key capture toward ensuring the safety of the innocent Afghan civilians residing in Chahar Darah district,” said Col. James Dawkins, ISAF Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director. “The Taliban’s indiscriminate use of such tactics has killed hundreds of innocent civilians just this year.”

At the second compound, two armed males ran from the buildings into some thick vegetation. Afghan forces called for the individuals to peacefully surrender however, they engaged the combined force and were subsequently killed. After the compound was cleared and secured, the security force questioned the remaining residents. One suspected insurgent was detained by the security force for further questioning. The women and children present were protected throughout the searches.

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