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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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