Attendees to the opening ceremony of the Kandahar Nursing and Midwifery Institute participate in the ribbon cutting May 9, 2012 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Kandahar Nursing and Midwifery will be able to train up to 800 students, both male and female, a year in nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, lab and dental services. Photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Chacon

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Story by Staff Sgt. Timothy Chacon

The Kandahar Nursing and Midwifery Institute held a ribbon cutting ceremony May 9,2012. The Nursing and Midwifery facility is one of only eight similar facilities in the country and will be able to train up to 800 students, both male and female, per year. The facility will teach students nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, lab, and dental services, with an emphasis on improving maternal and infant mortality rates in Kandahar, as well as surrounding provinces.

The May 9, 2012 ribbon cutting ceremony for Kandahar Nursing and Midwifery Institute marked a big step in the improvement of medical facilities in Afghanistan. The Director of Public Health, Dr. A.Q. Pokhla, Provincial Governor, Toryalai Wesa, and the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Suraya Dalil attended the ceremony along with many of the U.S. military and civilian partners who assisted in the project.

The speakers spoke about the importance of the facility and what it will mean for Afghanistan.

“Today we celebrate the transition to Afghan authority,” said Minister Dalil. “We should stand on our own feet to deliver services for our people.”

The Nursing and Midwifery facility is one of only eight similar facilities in the country and will be able to train up to 800 students, both male and female, per year. The facility will teach students nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, lab, and dental services, with an emphasis on improving maternal and infant mortality rates in Kandahar, as well as surrounding provinces. The compound consists of male and female dormitories, a dining hall, a schoolhouse, mosque, recreation field and administrative buildings.

The new facility will greatly increase the institute’s capabilities from those provided at the former site at Mirwais hospital.

“The nursing and midwifery facility will provide students with a better learning and living environment.” said U.S. Navy Lt. j.g Kimberly Gaines, Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team senior medical officer. “As well facilitate the growth of a multitude of health services in Kandahar City.”

U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Kimberly Gaines, Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team, listens to a translated speech through a headset during the Kandahar Nursing and Midwifery Institute grand opening ceremony May 9, 2012 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Kandahar PRT is a joint team of U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy service members and civilians deployed to the Kandahar province of Afghanistan to assist in the effort to rebuild and stabilize the local government and infrastructure. Photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Chacon

Local Afghan contractors conducted the building of the facility with the assistance of the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team. The Kandahar PRT is a joint team of U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy and civilians assigned to the Kandahar province to assist with the effort to rebuild and stabilize the local government and infrastructure.

U.S. Army Sgt. Shelly Amborn, a native of Atwater, Calif., and Spc. Sonja Prentiss, a native of Peoria, Ill., both with the Army's cultural support team, speak with a young Afghan girl in Darvishan Village, Khakrez district, Afghanistan, June 10, 2011. Photo by Spc. Kaimana-Ipulani Kalauli-Mendoza

In the harsh reality of southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, it’s not uncommon for any soldier, regardless of their job, to find themselves in a dangerous situation while operating in the field.

That’s what happened one afternoon when two members of a cultural support team, working with coalition special operations forces, assigned to Special Operations Task Force–South Afghanistan, came under fire by insurgent forces during what should have been a routine mission in Kandahar’s Khakrez district.

Sgt. Shelly Amborn, a native of Atwater, Calif., and Spc. Sonja Prentiss, a native of Peoria, Ill., are both members of SOTF-South’s CST, a team comprised of female soldiers who support coalition special operations forces by engaging the female population in an area where such contact may be deemed culturally inappropriate if performed by a male service member.

On that day, Amborn and Prentiss traveled to a small village in Khakrez with coalition special operations forces to take part in a major clearing operation to disrupt insurgent activity in the northern part of the district.

Amborn and Prentiss would help provide security and once the SOF team finished clearing the building, the CST would go in and search the females, which, according to a coalition special operations forces team member, greatly augmented security.

”This was our fourth clearing mission with coalition special operations forces, and up until this point we hadn’t received any enemy contact,” said Prentiss.

“The CST was taking part in a major clearing operation with us,” said a coalition special operations forces team leader with SOTF-South. “Around mid-afternoon, a four to five man insurgent element engaged us with small-arms fire and [rocket propelled grenades].”

“You know it’s a possibility that something like this can happen,” said Amborn. “But until it does, you never think it’s going to happen to you.”

“We were pulling security when we first heard the shots,” she added. “Right off the bat I didn’t know what was going on, but that’s when the training kicked in and we reacted.”

“During the entire operation, the CST acted very professionally,” said the SOF team leader. “We were able to set up a support by fire and sent a maneuver element to destroy the enemy. Soon after, the enemy broke contact and retreated.”

“When it happened, my adrenaline was pumping, but you just do what you’re supposed to do,” said Prentiss.

For their part in the event, Amborn and Prentiss were presented with the Combat Action Badge at their combat outpost by Combined Special Operations Task Force–Afghanistan commander, Col. Mark C. Schwartz.

The Combat Action Badge is awarded to members of the Army who, while serving in a hostile environment, are personally present and actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy, and performing satisfactorily in accordance with the prescribed rules of engagement.

“To experience that is kind of cool, but at the same time I was very nervous,” Prentiss concluded. Both receiving the award and being involved in the engagement “was a very proud moment for the both of us.”

Story by Sgt. Warren Wright
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Spc. Christina Alvarado and Sgt. Shanequa Cardona, members of the Female Engagement Team with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, talk to some local women with the help of their interpreter Hayda Azizi, in Subdistrict 6, Aug. 4. “The women have a lot of concerns about their children’s education and medical needs,” Alvarado said.

The Female Engagement Team with 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, is enhancing the ability to gain intelligence from an untapped resource: Afghan women.

“Our mission is to go where the men can’t,” said Sgt. Shanequa Cardona, a team leader with the FET of 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment. “Because of their customs, it is seen as inappropriate for women to talk with men who live outside their home.”

“Without the FET we would have no way to engage the female populace,” said Capt. John Intile, the commander of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment. “In some cases we get different perspectives and points of view on things.”

Spc. Christina Alvarado, a Female Engagement Team member with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, passes out pencils to local children in Diwatiano, Aug. 5.

“The women have a lot of concerns about their children’s education and medical needs,” said Spc. Christina Alvarado, a FET member with 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment

Not only do the Afghan women have different points of view on things but sometimes they are more willing to talk.

“The men are targets of intimidation tactics; the women might talk because they don’t have those pressures,” Intile said.

The job isn’t as easy as just going in to talk to the women. An Afghan Uniformed Police officer will go in and secure the premises, then tell the women to all go into one room and if there are men in the home the AUP will question them.

“The men don’t want the females to talk to us,” Alvarado said, “sometimes they will hover around and try to take over the conversation and that can be frustrating.”

Sallamjn, an officer with Police Sub Station 15, Hayda Azizi, an interpreter and Sgt. Shanequa Cardona, a Female Engagement Team member with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, wait at the door of a family in Subdistrict 6, Aug 4. The Afghan Uniformed Police always go into the homes first to secure a location so that the FET may be able to enter and talk with the women of the house.

“It’s challenging to try to get the women to feel comfortable with us and trust us enough to give us good information,” Cardona said.

It’s important to gain a good rapport with the women because they are more likely to confide real information instead of the bland answer that everything is fine within the community, said Hayda Azizi, an interpreter who works with the FET.

“I try and show them that I’m a wife and mother, just like them,” Cardona said. “I carry a family photo that I pass around for them to see.”

“Our interpreter plays a huge role; we would be useless without her,” Alvarado said. “She really knows how to get in and talk to the women and make them feel more comfortable.”

Even with some difficulties, the FETs have proven their effectiveness.

“We have seen great success when we use FETs; they are like any other enabler, you just have to realize how to utilize them properly,” Intile said.

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Photos and Story by Sgt. Ruth Pagan

Kandahar has experienced a steady increase in pomegranate sales thanks to increased security in the region.

“This year is much better than the last, said Abdul Raziq, a pomegranate farmer and trader from Daman District. “I have expanded my market in the city and shipped almost three tons of my best pomegranates to Kabul, Dubai and India.”

Industries connected to pomegranate cultivation, such as transportation and grocery stalls, have also increased by 300 percent in Kandahar city since 2008, according to officials.

A quiet enabler of this business success has been the Afghan National Security Forces. The increased amount of security forces along main supply routes has permitted the vast majority of shipping to get through to Pakistan and India unhindered.

“In the past, a large portion our shipments were either stolen or criminals and Taliban told us to pay protection money,” said Hamadi. “It was a tough situation that lasted many years. We are grateful that this has changed and our brave Afghan heroes are keeping our roads safe.”

The market for pomegranates is one of the fastest growing in the world and many find Afghanistan to have the best pomegranates in the world. This season, Kandahar farmers have earned up to 45 Afghani per kilogram of pomegranates and in early November, they shipped more than 40 tons of pomegranates to Dubai in one week.

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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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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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ISAF via DVIDS

An Afghan-international security force detained several individuals suspected of insurgent activity in Logar province last night.

The individuals were detained as the combined force searched a compound in Padkhvab-e Shaneh, Pul-e ‘Alam district, after intelligence information revealed militant activity.

Another Afghan-international force used aircraft and ground forces to stop two vehicles and detained multiple individuals suspected of insurgent activity in Zabul province yesterday.

The security force was pursuing a Taliban commander in the village of Zakuri, Shah Joy district, after intelligence information revealed insurgent activity.

The vehicles were stopped without incident, and several women and children in the vehicles were protected.

Individuals suspected of insurgent activity were detained by a separate Afghan-international force in Zabul province yesterday.

The combined force detained two suspected insurgents while searching a compound in the village of Jonubi Garay, Shah Joy district, after intelligence information found insurgent activity.

No shots were fired and no one was harmed during the above operations.

An Afghan-international security force found a large amount of explosives and detained an individual suspected of insurgent activity in Kandahar province last night.

The security force searched a series of compounds near the village of Zarif Kheyl, Zharay district, after intelligence information verified militant activity.

A Russian-made anti-aircraft weapon, several artillery rounds used for making improvised explosive devices, completed IED’s and automatic rifles were found.

A number of insurgents were killed and large weapons caches were found by a separate Afghan-international security force during a two-day clearing operation that ended in Khost province last night.

The operation took place southwest of Kowte Kheyl, Shamul district, after intelligence reports confirmed insurgent activity in an area known for extensive Haqqani network involvement and facilitation.

The security force came under fire several times over the course of the operation and returned fire, killing a number of insurgents.

Several of the insurgent strongholds were mined with IED’s and precision air strikes were used to eliminate weapon storage areas. The security force also recovered multiple rocket propelled grenades, mortar rounds, hand grenades, automatic rifles and IED components.

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An Afghan-international security force used precision air strikes to kill the Taliban shadow governor of Baghlan province and several of his fighters last night.

Aircraft were called to a rural area in Baghlan-e Jadid district after human intelligence sources confirmed two vehicles were transporting insurgents and weapons through the area. Before engaging, coalition forces waited until the vehicles were well clear of any structures to minimize the possibility of civilian casualties. When the armed passengers left the vehicles they were engaged and killed by aircraft.

A ground security force then entered the area and came under fire from insurgents in a nearby cave. The assault force returned fire, killing several insurgents who were heavily armed with a heavy machine gun, multiple rocket propelled grenades, automatic rifles, hand-grenades, ammunition and communications equipment.

The Taliban shadow governor was responsible for organizing and directing attacks against coalition forces. He was in constant contact with Kunduz and Pakistani Taliban senior leaders, providing updates and receiving guidance. Sources told coalition forces the Taliban forces had been planning an attack on a nearby Afghan National Police outpost.

An Afghan-international security force killed several insurgents and captured several others in Kandahar province this morning.

The combined force moved to a compound and surrounding areas south of Kudeza’I, in the Zharay district, after intelligence information verified insurgent activity. As the assault force approached, several armed individuals took up fighting positions in a nearby wood line and orchard. The combined force called for the individuals to surrender, but the individuals began firing machine guns and rocket propelled grenades at the security force. The assault force returned fire and began clearing the compound and immediate area.

Several insurgents were killed and captured after the lengthy firefight. The combined force found several planted IEDs in the area, as well as rocket propelled grenades, heavy machine guns, multiple automatic rifles, hand-grenades, ammunition and communications equipment.

Another Afghan-international security force detained several individuals suspected of insurgent activity in Khost province this morning.

The combined force went to a building in the village of Shegay, Musa Khel district, after intelligence information found insurgent activity. The men suspected of insurgent involvement were detained during a search of the building and the surrounding area.

The joint force found rocket propelled grenades and automatic rifles at the site.

No shots were fired and no one was harmed in the operation.

A different Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban weapons facilitator and another militant in Wardak province this morning.

The combined force went to a compound east of Soltan Kheyl, Sayyidabad district, after intelligence information confirmed insurgent activity. The assault force detained a suspected Taliban facilitator believed to be responsible for buying and distributing weapons to Taliban networks, and another suspected insurgent, while searching the buildings.

The security force came under fire from a sniper and returned fire, killing him.

The search team found multiple automatic rifles and ammunition.

A separate Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban commander and several individuals suspected of militant activity in Kandahar province yesterday.

The Taliban commander was captured after the security team interdicted a vehicle in the Panjwa’i district after intelligence information confirmed militant activity. He is responsible for planning and executing attacks against coalition forces and was also involved in kidnappings and weapons facilitation.

The suspects were captured without incident.

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An Afghan-international security force detained several individuals suspected of insurgent activity in Helmand province this morning.

The suspected insurgents were detained during a search of a compound in Bar Nowzad-e Gharbi, Now Zad district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity.

Another Afghan-international security force detained several individuals suspected of insurgent activities in Kandahar province last night.

The combined force detained the suspected insurgents in a compound near Gondigan, west of Kandahar City, after intelligence information discovered militant activity. The search team found weapons and communications equipment in the compound.

No shots were fired and no Afghans were harmed in the above operations.

An insurgent mortar team was killed by a precision air strike in Paktiya province yesterday.

The mortar team fired on coalition forces from a rural area in the Zormat district. As the mortar team attempted to drive away after the attack, coalition aircraft engaged the vehicle with a precision air strike, killing the insurgents.

A ground search team found a mortar system and mortar propellant in the vehicle.

Afghan and ISAF partners conducted a combined operation early Saturday morning near Sangbor, Helmand province, to disrupt a criminal Taliban group responsible for supplying roadside bomb components.

As the combined force approached the compound of interest, several men were observed fleeing from the compound. One of the men presented a threat to the force and was killed, while the other men were detained. Several women and children were protected in this operation.

Spc. Charles Henderson, Bravo Company, 4th Bttln, 23rd Inf Reg, shakes hands with a child while searching a village in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Photo by Pfc. Casey Collier

The Afghan National Army compound in the Arghandab district of Kandahar province used to be a school for the children of surrounding villages. Even though the desks and books have been stuffed into storage to make room for the ANA soldiers who now reside there, in some ways the building still clings to the original intent of its design – lessons are still being taught and lessons are still being learned.

An ANA Heavy Weapons Security Squad was assigned to the compound a little more than a year ago when insurgent activity in the area became a concern to villagers who were worried about their well being.

Since then, the small squad has been the target of IED attacks and small arms fire so regularly that they speak about their combat experience as though they were talking about the weather.

But the experiences seem to have ignited a storm in the squad’s commander, Lt. Ahmadzay.

“Enough,” he said of the insurgents who have continually tried to harass his soldiers and the villagers around the compound. “War is damaging our country. If you are truly Afghan make peace for our people. This school was not meant to be a military checkpoint – it was built to be a school for the new generation of Afghanistan. If you truly love our country, bring peace to Afghanistan.”

It was these sentiments that greeted ISAF forces – U.S. Soldiers of Bravo Company, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment – who teamed up with the ANA on Nov. 18 to assist with disrupting enemy activity.

The numerous orchards, high mud walls and narrow streets of the villages that skirt the compound have been consistently fruitful ground for these enemies of Afghanistan, as Lt. Ghulam Mohammad Ahmadzay labels them.

Following the arrival of the ISAF soldiers, the forces worked in cooperation for two days and nights on patrols, setting up security checkpoints, speaking with village elders and obtaining information on insurgent activity in the area.

The first morning, while securing orchards in a village, an ANA patrol took fire from insurgents in orchards not far from their position. They returned fire but could not confirm if any insurgents were injured.

There were no injuries to ANA forces during the 15-minute long exchange, but afterward, one ANA soldier found that a bullet had passed through the pant leg of his uniform.

Lt. Ahmadzay said that the squad had been in a similar firefight just 10 days earlier – and the insurgent fire came from the same orchards.

After the incident there were no more exchanges of fire and the ANA soldiers and their ISAF partners focused on speaking with village elders and the villagers themselves.

“Bravo Company’s mission was to disrupt enemy forces in the area of Arghandab Valley,” said Sgt. 1st Class Dorian Ballard. “We had a lot of ground to cover and little time in which to cover it, and there were a lot of people with which to speak. Overall, I think the mission was successful. This was our first mission to Arghandab Valley and hopefully we can stay here, get to know the locals and do some great things here.”

On the last evening of the company’s stay at the ANA compound, soldiers of both forces broke from their usual meal routine and enjoyed a dinner of chicken, rice, scallops and flatbread.

ISAF soldiers bought the food from local markets and the ANA troops prepared it. For the ISAF soldiers, this was a Thanksgiving feast.

The next morning the company moved out of the compound, with the promise to the ANA contingent of continued ISAF support in the struggle to secure Arghandab District.

As the ISAF soldiers departed, Ahmadzay, resolved in his determination to free the Afghanistan people from their enemies, tasked the ANA troops to roll out of the compound gates for another day.

“I am a son of this country,” declared the ANA leader, “and as long as there is blood in my veins, I will defend Afghanistan.”

There are still lessons to be learned – and lessons to be taught in and around the former school house.

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Story by Pfc. Casey Collier

An Afghan-international security force killed a group of enemy militants and detained two suspected militants today in eastern Paktika province while pursuing a Haqqani commander with ties to the local Haqqani leadership and who was responsible for several attacks in the area.

The joint task force targeted the buildings in the hills of Sarobi district after intelligence indicated militant activity.

During the assault on one building, the joint force received enemy fire and returned fire. Following no response from calls to exit the building, the joint force cleared the building. During the operation, a group of militants was killed in and outside the building.

A security element of the joint force searched the enemy positions and recovered blasting caps, IED-making materials, a number of RPGs, AK-47 rifles, chest racks and communications equipment.

Afghan-International Security Force Interdicts Militant in Wardak

A separate Afghan-international security force killed an enemy militant in Wardak province today while pursuing a Taliban commander and facilitator responsible for planning and executing several attacks in the area.

The joint security force targeted compounds near the village of Tokarak in Nerkh district after intelligence indicated militant activity.

During the operation, the joint force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing one enemy militant. A security element of the joint force searched the enemy position and recovered an AK-47 rifle, multiple hand grenades, and AK-47 magazines. The joint force searched the compounds without further incident.

Afghan-International Security Forces Detain Militants in Kandahar and Kunduz

In an operation in Kandahar province today, an Afghan-international security force detained more than a dozen suspected militants while pursuing a Taliban commander operating in the area who is linked to the local Taliban shadow governor.

The joint security force targeted compounds in a remote stretch of the Daman district after intelligence indicated militant activity. Security elements from the joint force pursued individuals seen departing from one of the compounds and detained several suspected militants.

The joint force searched the compounds without incident, recovered one artillery round and detained the other suspected militants. The artillery round was destroyed at a safe distance from the compounds.

No shots were fired, and no one was injured.

In a separate operation, an Afghan-international security force detained two suspected militants in Kunduz province while pursuing a deputy to an area Taliban shadow governor. The joint security force targeted a compound near the village of Chem Tappeh in Kunduz district after intelligence indicated militant activity. The joint force searched the compound without incident.

No civilians were harmed during the operations in Paktika, Wardak, Kunduz or Kandahar provinces.

ISAF Casualties
No ISAF service members were killed during the past 24 hours.

ISAF

ISAF reports 1 and 2

In Helmand province a joint security force detained a suspected militant commander and several suspected militants linked to the narcotics industry in Nahri Sarraj district, during an Oct. 11 operation.

Haji Khan Mohammed is considered a senior power broker in the district, and it is believed that his drug operations provided financial support to enemy fighters throughout southern Afghanistan.

During the operation joint security forces received machine gun fire from militants shooting from multiple compounds. The forces moved the fighting away from the compounds and detained the militants.

The joint force also found a weapons cache consisting of 40 rocket propelled grenades, two ammunition vests, several thousand machine gun rounds, several five-gallon jugs used in constructing homemade explosives for roadside bombs, three AK-47s and 20 mortar rounds. The cache was destroyed on site by controlled detonation. No joint force members were injured during the operation.

A joint security force killed several militants Oct. 11, during an operation in Qalat district, Zabul province in an effort to disrupt a Taliban element believed responsible for several attacks in the region.

During the operation the joint force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing several militants.

Also during the search the joint force found an RPG, an AK-47 rifle with ammunition rounds, a pistol, a grenade, an ammunition belt and communications gear. All items were destroyed in place.

In an operation conducted in Kandahar province today, a joint security force detained one suspected militant in a compound known to be used by a Taliban facilitator and his element responsible for supplying improvised explosive devices, weapons and ammunition to other militant groups in the region.

The search in a compound northwest of Kandahar City was conducted without incident. No Afghan civilians were harmed during these operations.

Today (October 12 2009) a joint security force killed more than a dozen militants and detained a suspected militant after searching a mountainside compound in Kunar province known to be used by an al-Qaida commander and his element believed responsible for the facilitation of foreign fighters and numerous attacks in Pech Valley.

During the search of the compound located near Tantil village, northeast of Jalalabad, the force received hostile enemy fire on two occasions and returned fire, killing the enemy militants. The joint force also found a number of rocket propelled grenades, machine guns, multiple AK-47 rifles and other grenades. All items were destroyed in place.

In another operation in Ziruk district, Paktika province a joint security force detained several suspected militants today after searching a compound known to be used by a Haqqani facilitator and his element believed to be responsible for financing and supplying weapons to other militants in the region.

The joint force also found several grenades and a cache of small arms ammunition. All items were destroyed on site.

In a third operation that marked one of the largest drug and weapons discoveries this year, a joint force found about 100 kilograms of heroin, 1,800 kilograms of opium, nearly 50 metric tons of opium seeds along with a morphine processing lab during a search in Kajaki district, Helmand province, Oct. 6.

The joint force killed multiple enemy fighters and detained several suspected militants.

The joint force, assisted by the Afghanistan Narcotics Interdiction Unit, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, coordinated and conducted the search to disrupt Anti-Afghan forces and to set conditions for effective future security operations in central Helmand province.

The force also found a weapons cache that included: 35 RPGs, five hand grenades, one 82mm recoilless rifle, 600 links of 7.62mm ammunition, four sniper rifles, one RPG launcher, 15 blocks of C-4 explosives, two blocks of Semtex plastic explosives, 50 detonation cords, two landmines, one passive infrared initiator, 350 rounds of various ammunition and 35 tons of ammonium nitrate—a chemical used to make roadside bombs.

All drugs were destroyed on site, and weapons were either positioned for safe disposal or destroyed on location.

No Afghan civilians were harmed during these operations.

286th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion fuelers, Spc. Dana S. Osborne from Lake Butler, Fla., Pfc. Jeffrey Wiedel from Killeen, Texas and Pfc. Jose L. Garcia from Chicago, Ill., were each awarded the Purple Heart Medal , Aug. 3, for injuries sustained when their convoy was ambushed, July 29, in one of the largest complex attacks since 2003. Photo by Spc. Elisebet Freeburg

Instead of functioning as traditional fuelers, many Army petroleum supply specialists in Afghanistan operate as vehicle gunners and drivers for convoys. Insurgents ambushed a convoy of 286th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion fuelers, July 29, in one of the largest complex attacks since 2003.

The 286th CSSB, a non-combat arms element of the Joint Sustainment Command-Afghanistan, moves supplies and equipment by convoy to forward operating bases, fire bases and combat outposts throughout Southern Afghanistan.

The convoy was traveling through mountains, July 27, crossing between Oruzgan and Kandahar provinces, when Soldiers in the fifth mine resistant ambush protected vehicle, called Gun Truck Five, noticed an Afghan man at the side of the road, filming the convoy with a cell phone. They seized the cell phone which contained footage of insurgents planting roadside bombs.

Two days later, their convoy of 22 vehicles traveled back through the area, passing an Afghan national army checkpoint when an ANA soldier flagged down their lead MRAP, Gun Truck One.

“He was trying to stop us,” said Spc. Dana S. Osborne, the Gun Truck One driver from Lake Butler, Fla. “When he stopped us, he pointed to the front of him and made a hand motion of shooting, you know, in front of us.”

After the convoy halted, Gun Truck Three drove to the front, so their interpreter could speak with the ANA soldier. According to the soldier, ANA forces had been battling a battalion-sized element of Taliban fighters for hours by a nearby village. The convoy’s air support, Kiowa helicopters, scouted the hillside but could not locate the enemy. The ANA soldier indicated the attack was geared toward ANA not American forces.

“We all agreed to continue the mission, because that was our mission,” said Pfc. Jose L. Garcia, the Gun Truck Two gunner from Chicago, Ill.

Since the confiscated cell phone indicated roadside bombs in the area, the Kiowas flew over their proposed route and noticed possible improvised explosive devices. The convoy proceeded cautiously.

Pfc. Jeffrey Wiedel, the Gun Truck One gunner from Killeen, Texas, noticed several holes in the ground ahead, and the convoy moved forward, carefully avoiding the supposed IEDs. Soldiers noticed a green cell phone lying in one of the holes.

“We knew it was some kind of decoy or something like that,” said Garcia. “Because they know we got [electronic countermeasures].”

Most military vehicles carry ECM devices to jam radio signals that detonate explosives from a distance. Traditionally, cell phones are used to detonate remote controlled IEDs.

Soon after, a military cargo truck, called a palletized loading system, and two wreckers in the rear hit roadside bombs almost simultaneously.

The convoy began to receive small-arms and rocket propelled grenade fire. Since the damaged trucks could still drive, the convoy continued, pushing through the immediate area of attack, or kill zone. Gun Truck One rounded a bend and arrived at a choke point surrounded by mountains to their right and front. On the left, enemy fire hit them from woods in a dried-up creek bed.

“At that point, Wiedel, the gunner for Gun Truck One, pointed at something up in the mountains,” said Garcia. “I was looking at him, he turned his turret to face forward, and that’s when they blew up.”

The explosion threw Gun Truck One about 15 feet to the side of the trail, blew their weapons out of the gun turret and completely disabled the vehicle and all communication systems.

Gun Truck Two and Four surrounded the disabled vehicle and laid down suppressive fire, while Gun Truck Three rescued the Soldiers.

The injured Soldiers exited Gun Truck One through the driver’s door, the only operable door. A medical evacuation helicopter with Air Force pararescuemen arrived shortly after to evacuate Osborne, Wiedel and Sgt. Mario E. Saenz, the Gun Truck One truck commander. Although in pain, the Gun Truck One assistant gunner, Spc. Alfredo Rodriguez, remained with the convoy to fight the enemy.

“We had rounds flying right by our heads and by our feet—maybe six inches off, everywhere—when we were running to the medevac, and it’s a miracle that nobody got killed,” said Wiedel. “It’s a miracle.”

Osborne and Wiedel had both removed their body armor because of possible injuries. The convoy commander and Gun Truck Three’s truck commander from Vallejo, Calif., 1st Lt. Tamara A. Da Silva, along with Gun Truck Three’s driver, Pfc. Devin Chapman, shielded Osborne and Wiedel with their bodies as they ran to the helicopter. The Gun Truck Three assistant gunner from Osceola, Iowa, Cpl. Robert W. Lewis, carried Saenz.

As the helicopter took off, its occupants smelt fuel. The enemy’s small arms fire had caused a leak that forced the helicopter to land nearby, said Wiedel.

Still taking enemy contact, the PJs exited the medevac, created a perimeter around the helicopter and laid down suppressive fire. Although wounded, Wiedel asked the pilot for a pistol and joined the PJs while they waited for another medevac.

Available aircraft at Kandahar Airfield deployed to aid the immobile medevac. Aircraft such as Kiowa, Apache and Black Hawk helicopters constantly circled the area above the disabled medevac, targeting the enemy, said Da Silva.

“You could look up into the sky and see Kiowa pilots in their [physical training uniforms] and their helmet,” Wiedel said.

Meanwhile, at Da Silva’s order to not leave anyone behind, Gun Truck Two and Five escorted cargo trucks through the two-mile long kill zone, taking small-arms fire the entire time. One PLS first drove over an IED, and then was hit by a mortar round that ejected the truck commander into the air.

On their third escort trip, Gun Truck Two pulled to the right side of the road, so the PLS trucks could drive past them and up the hill.

“The enemy knew our [tactics, techniques and procedures],” Da Silva said. “They knew what we were going to do.”

When it pulled over, Gun Truck Two detonated an IED. Da Silva believes insurgents observed the convoy doing this procedure at the same location two days previously.

Around a bend in the road, Gun Truck Two was cut off from the rest of the convoy. A Kiowa helicopter periodically flew over the gun truck, dropping hellfire missiles on insurgents that approached the stranded vehicle.

Because of constant gunfire, the Soldiers of Gun Truck Two ran out of weapon lubricant and improvised by using shampoo and lotion out of a hygiene kit to lubricate their .50-caliber machine gun.

At one point, a PLS truck drove around the bend behind them just as a militant fired a rocket propelled grenade.

“They hit the trailer,” said Garcia, “But the RPG was aimed at us – the disabled vehicle.”

After about 90 minutes, Gun Truck Seven came around the turn to aid Gun Truck Two but stopped 100 meters away, since a secondary IED was spotted near the disabled gun truck. The Soldiers in Gun Truck Two collected sensitive items and ran to Gun Truck Seven.

Gun Truck Five continued to move PLS trucks out of the kill zone. Eventually, the cargo trucks with their long trailers could not fit through the narrow and curved road. Too many disabled vehicles blocked the way. One by one, Gun Truck Five pulled next to each PLS on the contact side, so each driver could dismount and unhitch their trailer.

“[Gun Truck Five] had bullet holes everywhere,” said Da Silva. “I don’t think I’ll ever see that truck again.”

At the end of the two-mile kill zone, the convoy had established a green zone, an area to regroup. When the enemy started to flank the green zone, an F-18 Hornet dropped two 500 pound bombs on the mountainside.

“People can say, ‘You should have done this. You should have done that’,” said Da Silva. “At the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, all our Soldiers are alive.”

During the nine-hour battle, insurgents fired approximately 14 RPGs along with detonating multiple roadside bombs and pummeling the convoy with small-arms fire. Some insurgents used armor-piercing rounds. Militants fired machine guns and assault rifles from nearby homes, the tree line or from dug-in positions on the mountain ridges. Although the militants were well-covered, many Soldiers recalled the enemy had been close enough to see faces.

After the battle, several Soldiers reported seeing doors in the hillside and speculated hollowed areas in the ground may have held weapon and ammunition caches.

Five Soldiers were evacuated that day, and one Soldier evacuated the following day to receive medical attention. So far, three of them have received the Purple Heart Medal.

Five MRAPs were disabled, and ten PLS trucks had been hit by mortar rounds. One RPG hit a PLS, and two RPGs hit at the rear of Gun Truck Four, taking out its rear tires with shrapnel. Fortunately for the convoy, several IEDs never detonated.

Although they are non-combat arms Soldiers, the fuelers of the 286th CSSB reacted quickly and successfully battled the militants.

“The way the war is going in Afghanistan,” said Lewis, “At any time, you have to be a 360 degree Soldier.”

Soldiers of the 286th CSSB may be more cautious now when they roll out on a convoy, but they continue to do their jobs and complete their vital mission of delivering troops throughout Afghanistan with equipment and supplies necessary to the fight.

DVIDS
Story by Spc. Elisebet Freeburg

Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) conducted successful operations in Farah and Kandahar provinces against Improvised Explosive Device (IED) facilitators on June 22-24.

In the first operation, Afghan National Police (ANP) and ISAF troops in Farah City, Farah province killed a major IED facilitator and captured three other insurgents. This operation was a part of a targeted campaign against IED facilitator networks in Farah province.

The senior IED facilitator was Ramatullah, known to the ANP for his involvement in IED operations and attacks on Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) forces.

On June 23-24, ANSF and ISAF forces conducted a raid on a series of compounds and storage facilities 2km west of Belanday, Kandahar province. The location was the base for the activities leading IED manufacturer, and a known threat to nearby ANSF and ISAF troops.

When ISAF troops reached Belanday a number of insurgents, including two wearing suicide vests, tried to escape. Approximately 25 insurgents were killed in the engagement with one being captured and currently being detained for questioning.

An amount of material and chemicals used in the manufacture of IEDs were found on site including detonator cords and home-made explosives. A number of weapons were also found including Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and AK variant automatic rifles.

No women or children were found on site and no Afghan civilians were harmed during either operation.

Whilst IEDs target security forces throughout Afghanistan it is Afghan civilians who are most often affected, with IEDs indiscriminately killing and wounding innocent Afghans.

ISAF warns all Afghans not to approach IEDs, and to inform security forces of IED locations. ISAF also encourages Afghans to contact the government authorities with any information regarding insurgents who place IEDs.

ISAF

Afghan and coalition forces killed five militants and detained 12 suspects during early morning operations to disrupt bomb-making and facilitation networks in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

In Zharmi District, Kandahar province, approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Kandahar city, Afghan and coalition forces conducted a complex operation after receiving a tip on the location of Taliban operatives connected to bomb-making and other nefarious activities, including operating a checkpoint in Zharmi District to collect money from local citizens.

When the assault force attempted to search several compounds in the targeted village, they encountered armed militants who did not comply with instructions to leave their buildings. Two men were killed when forces entered the building they would not leave and the men attempted to engage the force with small arms fire. Similarly, on three separate compounds, three other men refused to comply with instructions given by Afghan and coalition forces and were killed in a subsequent engagement.

Without further incident, Afghan and coalition forces searched the remaining compounds, detaining 10 suspects. Despite the careless actions of the militants who needlessly endangered the lives of civilians, forces protected approximately 100 adults and more than 50 children.

In a separate operation in Sarkani (Sirkanay) District, Konar province, approximately 60 kilometers northeast of Jalalabad, Afghan forces with a small element of coalition forces in support, patrolled to a compound where suspected al-Qaida operatives were located. Without incident, forces searched the compound, detaining two suspects associated with attacks against coalition forces in Konar province.

Two women and eight children were protected and forces did not fire any shots.

DVIDS