Taliban Increasing Afghani Resolve To Resist Them

Afghan Civilians, Government Join Forces to Defeat and Remove Taliban
ISAF Joint Command More Stories from ISAF Joint Command RSS

Date: 04.27.2010
Posted: 04.27.2010 08:35

KABUL, Afghanistan – Gizab District, locked centrally in the Hazarajet region of Afghanistan, recently was the scene of community resolve and determination when citizens took action to remove a Taliban threat from their village. The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, with minimal involvement by coalition forces, is assisting Gizab residents in their effort to purge the Taliban from the area.

With harassment by the Taliban increasing, local villagers held a shura and decided to establish a road block Wednesday in an effort to detain insurgents. This action led to the apprehension of several insurgents as well as their weapons and motorbikes. A Taliban commander, responsible for coordinating attacks against coalition special forces in the area, was among those apprehended at the road block.

Later that afternoon, Taliban insurgents armed with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenades were preparing to attack the village. Local citizens, defending their homes and families, engaged the insurgents in a battle that lasted more than three days.

A combined patrol of Afghanistan national security force and International Security Assistance Force partners was conducting an operation nearby and responded, enhancing security at the village stronghold.

After three days of fighting, the insurgents were defeated and driven out of Gizab. Between the villagers and combined patrol, several insurgents were killed and four were arrested.

In the subsequent days, hostile action in the area has diminished, providing an opportunity for the governor of Dai Kundi, the provincial governor of neighbouring Uruzgan province, the local Malik and 20 other community leaders to travel to Gizab District for a meeting to announce their support for GIRoA and elect a district chief of police.

The combined force also attended the meeting Saturday to demonstrate their support for the people of Gizab and GIRoA. The combined force was warmly received by the villagers and leaders who said they were grateful for GIRoA’s support.

During the meeting, the deputy governor placed a phone call to President Hamid Karzai, who spoke to local elders and leaders and voiced his pleasure with the cooperation between the different elements, which ultimately removed 50 active Taliban fighters from the region.

“The villagers’ decision to react was fueled by Taliban members routinely exerting their influence and control over the people in the southern District of Gizab,” said Capt. Rebecca Lykins, a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan spokesman. “Their reaction is a testament to their confidence in GIRoA’s ability to protect and serve the populace.”

Taliban Reintegrated in Baghlan

ISAF Joint Command
Date: 04.26.2010
Posted: 04.26.2010 04:50

KABUL, Afghanistan – Eight Taliban insurgents walked up to the gates of a forward operating base in Puza-i-Eshan Saturday to turn themselves in to Afghan national security forces.

The departure from the Taliban came in the midst of Operation Taohid II, an Afghan-led operation in the north designed to defeat the insurgency, provide humanitarian supplies to the people and enable development projects in the area.

Gen. Murad Ali Murad, Afghan national army 209th Corps commander held a shura with the Taliban members to negotiate the terms of their reintegration. Brig. Gen. Frank Leidenberger, Regional Command-North commander also attended.

“This is your country, when you fight against us here you fight against your own country,” Murad said. “An hour ago, you were part of the black name of the Taliban, but now we welcome you back as our brothers.”

Operation Taohid II is the largest operation the ANSF have led in the north. About 1,000 combat-ready Afghan national army troops are taking part in the operation, supported by ISAF troops from Germany, the United States, Sweden, Finland, Croatia and Belgium.

One indicator of the operation’s success was the securing of the Kuk Chenar (Dutch) Bridge and the return of large groups of civilians who had been frightened away by insurgents.

Civilian freedom of movement is now being further improved as work continues around the bridge’s base along the river. A large number of trucks have been removing loads of the river’s sludge to aid the flow of the river. Guard posts have been stationed on either end of the bridge to provide safe passage for residents.

Also:

Afghan Civilians, Government Join Forces to Defeat and Remove Taliban

Gizab District, locked centrally in the Hazarajet region of Afghanistan, recently was the scene of community resolve and determination when citizens took action to remove a Taliban threat from their village. The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, with minimal involvement by coalition forces, is assisting Gizab residents in their effort to purge the Taliban from the area.
04.27.10, Courtesy Story

Afghanistan Surge Providing Progress

Air Strike in Afghanistan Kills Senior Insurgents

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2010 – A senior militant commander in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province and two of his top advisors were killed in a precision air strike in northern Kunduz this morning, military officials reported.

The senior insurgents were driving through a rural desert area northeast of Kunduz City when they were struck by precision air fire.

The senior Taliban commander was involved in all aspects of insurgent operations in Kunduz province, officials said. He was responsible for setting target priorities, weapons distribution and directing attacks against coalition and Afghan forces.

In other recent operations in Afghanistan:

— In Kandahar province this morning, a combined Afghan-international security force detained several suspected insurgents for questioning.

— In Helmand province’s Nad-e Ali district yesterday, a combined patrol found an assault rifle, magazines, 130 rounds of ammunition and 30 pounds of homemade explosives.

— Coalition forces patrolling in the Dzadran district of Paktia province yesterday found 17 rocket-propelled grenades, nine fuses, four rear stabilizers and 300 heavy machine gun rounds. One individual was detained.

— An Afghan-international security force killed one militant and detained a few others as they pursued a Taliban leader in Kunduz the night of April 24. As the combined force approached a compound after intelligence reports of militant activity, they were confronted by an armed man, who was shot and killed.

— In Helmand on April 24, a combined force tried to stop a vehicle driven by the suspected militants. The driver didn’t comply and tried to escape. Shots were exchanged, and three insurgents were killed, including a Taliban commander responsible for assigning fighters and setting attack priorities in his area and involved in weapons delivery and battle-damage assessments after attacks on coalition forces. A search of the vehicle uncovered an automatic rifle and multiple grenades.

— Also on April 24, an Afghan civilian directed a combined patrol in Helmand’s Washer district to a cache containing 25 pounds of refined opium, an assault rifle, several magazines and a chest-bomb rig.

— In Helmand’s Nad-e Ali district April 24, an Afghan-international patrol found and destroyed five 60 mm mortar rounds.

— A combined Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban subcommander and a suspected insurgent and killed several other insurgents in Logar province April 24. As the assault force conducted a call-out, they were confronted by armed men, who were shot and killed. The Taliban subcommander, believed to be involved in planning suicide attacks, surrendered. A search of the area found several weapons, including an automatic rifle and pistols.

— In Kunduz’s Archi district the night of April 23, a combined Afghan-international security force was engaged with small-arms fire. The combined force returned fire, killing several insurgents and detaining a few others. Two of those killed were Taliban commanders, one of them being the target of the raid, who was responsible for distributing insurgent funds, designating targets and planning bombings. Though women and children were in the compound buildings, none were injured during the operation. The homeowner told the patrol the Taliban had forced their way into the compound for the night. International forces will reimburse the homeowner for minor damage to his property. A search of the buildings yielded automatic rifles, a machine gun, a rocket-propelled grenade, hand grenades and other weapons.

— In Khost province April 24, a combined force detained a suspected insurgent while hunting for a Haqqani terrorist network commander.

— In Helmand’s Nad-e Ali district April 24, a combined patrol found two shotguns, 40 pounds of opium, small-arms ammunition and various electrical components, as well as another cache consisting of two pressure plate initiation devices 40 pounds of homemade explosives.

— One militant was killed and several others captured by an Afghan-international security force pursuing a Taliban facilitator in Ghazni province the night of April 22. As the force approached the targeted compound, several men ran away. One insurgent moved toward the security force in a hostile manner and was shot and killed. Several other suspected insurgents were captured.

— Also on the night of April 22, a combined force in Khost’s Terezai district captured a Haqqani network bombing-attack facilitator and another suspected insurgent. Ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder and rifles were found on site.

— In Kunduz province’s Chahar Darah district the night of April 22, a combined security force detained a suspected insurgent for questioning. An armed man ran from the compound and later fired on the security force. He was shot and killed.

— In Nangarhar province’s Khogyani district the night of April 22, a combined force captured a Taliban subcommander responsible for directing roadside-bomb and rocket-propelled grenade attacks on coalition forces, along with another suspected insurgent.

— The same night in Helmand’s Reg-e Khan Neshin district, a combined force found a roadside bomb, three roadside-bomb power sources, five spools of copper wire, an intelligence radio, two assault rifles with ammunition, brass knuckles and 88 pounds of raw opium. After coordination with the village elder, the combined force detained more than 20 men in the compound.

— In Helmand’s Garm Ser district that night, an Afghan-international patrol acting on a tip from an Afghan civilian found 50 chest rigs and 19 magazines.

— A combined patrol found nine grenades, four rocket-propelled grenades, small-arms ammunition, homemade explosives, a timer and detonation cord in the Chorah district of Uruzgan province April 22.

–– A combined security force in Logar province’s Pul-e Alam district killed five insurgents the night of April 22 after receiving sustained heavy gunfire from a compound. A search yielded multiple automatic rifles, armor-piercing rounds, bomb-making materials and blasting caps. A Taliban suicide attack commander with ties to the Haqqani network was killed in the firefight, along with four other insurgents.

Two U.S. servicemembers died of wounds suffered in the firefight.

No civilians were reported harmed in these operations, officials said.

Taliban Mosque Assassination, The True Religious Values Of Islam

Assassination Shows Taliban’s Values, Petraeus Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2010 – The assassination of the deputy mayor of Kandahar, Afghanistan, as he prayed in a mosque this week reflects the values of a barbaric enemy, the commander of U.S. Central Command said in a statement released yesterday.

Azizullah Yarmal was attending evening prayers April 19 when a death squad entered the mosque and shot him dead before escaping.

In his statement, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus said the murder “demonstrated the Taliban’s barbarism.”

“That they would kill this Afghan leader while he was attending services in a mosque illustrates the Taliban’s callous disregard for Afghanistan’s values and for Islam itself,” the general said. “Through this action, the Taliban demonstrated once again that it is an enemy of Afghanistan that seeks to impose through violence its extremist ideology and oppressive practices on the Afghan people.”

Yarmal’s assassination was the second cold-blooded Taliban murder of a local Afghan leader in a week. Taliban gunmen also killed Lal Mohammad Khan, a tribal leader in neighboring Helmand province, last week.

In Kabul, NATO Ambassador to Afghanistan Mark Sedwill noted that Yarmal was always pushing for roads, electricity and services for his people.

“That’s a man who’s trying to serve the people of Afghanistan, and he was killed deliberately by the insurgents in what is no less than a terrorist attack,” he said.

The murder came as the Afghan government and security forces, along with coalition forces, seek to make Kandahar secure. The city is the second-largest in Afghanistan, and is the spiritual home of the Pashtu-dominated Taliban.

Officials said operations in and around Kandahar don’t constitute an offensive in the military sense of the word. Rather, they explained, the Afghan government and coalition personnel are working bring services and infrastructure improvements to the city. The hope is that Afghans will see the Taliban are trying to stop progress and will side with the government.

Regional Command South is the focus of operations in Afghanistan this year. British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter commands the more than 54,500 coalition troops in the region. The bulk of the U.S. 30,000-troop surge will operate in Regional Command South.

Abu Suhaib Killed By Iraqi Forces

Crackdown Continues on al-Qaida in Iraq

Compiled from U.S. Forces Iraq News Releases

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2010 – Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors killed one senior al-Qaida in Iraq leader and captured two others in recent operations in Mosul, military officials reported.

In eastern Mosul yesterday, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors cornered Ahmad Ali Abbas Dahir al-Ubayd, also known as Abu Suhaib, the suspected military leader for the terror organization in northern Iraq. He allegedly is responsible for oversight of both bombing attacks against the Iraqi government and the people of Mosul.

Ubayd refused to leave the building where he was hiding. Instead, he fired at Iraqi forces, who returned fire and killed him.

In a separate combined operation in Mosul yesterday, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested a suspected senior al-Qaida in Iraq leader who allegedly is responsible for the consolidation and distribution of the terror organization’s funds in northern Iraq.

Also in Mosul, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors captured a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader who allegedly is responsible for coordinating couriers to connect all aspects of the terror organization from Mosul to Baghdad in an April 19 operation. A suspected criminal associate was captured with him.

Also:
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2010 – Afghan and international forces detained numerous suspected insurgents and seized illegal weapons in recent operations throughout Afghanistan, military officials reported.

In Kandahar province’s Arghandab district last night, a combined Afghan-international security force captured a suspected Taliban bomb expert believed to be responsible for building and emplacing roadside bombs himself and leading a roadside-bomb cell. Nearly a dozen other suspected insurgents also were captured in the raid.

In Kandahar’s Spin Boldak district yesterday, an Afghan border police unit discovered a significant amount of ammonium nitrate and other bomb-making equipment while inspecting vehicles. The border police recovered more than 3,200 pounds of ammonium nitrate — a banned fertilizer often used in making homemade bombs — as well as 12 sticks of a substance believed to be TNT and 800 blasting caps. They detained a man in connection with the find.

East of Marja in Helmand province yesterday, Afghan forces working with International Security Assistance Force partners conducted a combined operation to continue disrupting links between insurgent suicide bombers and narcotics networks. After surrounding a compound in which a man associated with suicide bombing attacks was believed to be located, Afghan special police were able to get all residents to leave. One man was detained, and the patrol found an assault rifle, a shotgun and 66 pounds of opium. One woman and four children were protected throughout this operation, in which no civilians were injured, officials said.

Yesterday in Kandahar, an ISAF patrol found a cache containing four rocket-propelled grenades, an RPG launcher, 20 grenades, three rifle grenades, a machine gun, four assault rifles and a large quantity of small-arms ammunition.

In Kunar yesterday, an Afghan-international combined force captured a Taliban facilitator who also is associated with the Hezb-E Islami Gulbuddin terror organization. The combined force established a roadblock northeast of Karbun, along the border of the Shaikal Shate and Dangam districts, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity. The combined force surrounded an approaching vehicle and captured the facilitator, who identified himself and surrendered when confronted.

In Helmand’s Nad-e Ali district yesterday, a combined patrol found eight grenades, three claymore mines, four artillery rounds, 22 grenades and an RPG.

No shots were fired, and no Afghan civilians were harmed during these operations, officials said.

In other news from Afghanistan, ISAF Joint Command officials released a statement backing off from part of its official account of an April 19 incident in which four people were killed.

“The term ‘insurgent’ should not have been used to describe two occupants of a vehicle involved in an escalation-of-force incident in Khost province Monday,” the statement said.

Based on initial operational reports, two of the four people killed in a vehicle that approached an ISAF convoy were described as “known insurgents” in an ISAF Joint Command news release about the incident, the statement continued. Officials explained that their fingerprints matched identities contained in a biometric database for previous insurgent activity, and that while it is accurate to say they were in the database, that fact has not yet been determined to be relevant to the incident.

“We sincerely regret this tragic loss of life. Commanders at all levels are increasing efforts to protect the Afghan people affected by our operations,” Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Mike Regner, deputy chief of staff for joint operations at ISAF Joint Command. “Additionally, we are deploying training teams from this headquarters in the coming days to travel throughout Afghanistan to ensure all our troops understand the commander’s guidance and implement critical lessons learned from previous incidents.”

An assessment team made up of ISAF and Afghan forces continues to review the incident in Khost, officials said, and a formal, more thorough joint investigation also may be conducted.

Afghan Insurgents Killed

Combined Forces Make Gains in Afghanistan

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2010 – Afghan and international forces killed several insurgents and captured at least one other, according to initial reports of a firefight in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province this morning, military officials said.

The forces were moving through the Qarah Bagh district in search of a senior Taliban commander and were approaching a compound when multiple insurgents engaged the force with machine guns, small arms, grenades, and rocket-propelled grenades. The combined force returned fire, killing several insurgents.

As the combined force secured the compound, they continued to receive small-arms fire, grenades and heavy machine-gun fire from insurgents throughout the village.

A search of the target area revealed a vehicle-mounted 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, heavy-machine-gun ammunition, multiple automatic rifles, grenades, RPGs, RPG launchers, and communications equipment.

In other recent operations in Afghanistan:

— In Helmand’s Garm Ser district this morning, a combined patrol found a Russian-made 122 mm projectile, three incomplete bombs, five pressure-plate triggering devices and other bomb-making materials.

— In Kandahar province this morning, an International Security Assistance Force patrol found a cache containing five blocks of plastic explosive, an RPG and three RPG propellant charges.

— In Ghazni province last night, a combined force searched a small compound in the Gelan district and detained several suspected insurgents for further questioning.

— In Kandahar’s Khakrez district last night, a combined patrol came under small-arms fire. They returned fire, wounding an insurgent. During a search, the force captured a suspected Taliban commander responsible for leading armed fighters in attacks against coalition forces, and the movement of weapons and supplies. Several other insurgents were also detained, and the force found automatic rifles and a shotgun.

— In Khost province yesterday, a combined force was en route to search a compound in the Sabari district when suspected insurgents departed in two directions and one of the insurgents engaged the force. The security force returned fire and killed a suspected Haqqani terrorist group weapons trafficker. The security force found a machine gun, magazines and grenades at the site and detained another suspected insurgent for further questioning.

— A combined force targeted two suspected Taliban insurgents in a vehicle in a rural area of Kandahar province’s Daman district yesterday. The two
demonstrated hostile intent and were shot and killed. A search of the militants found 10 blasting caps and a probable homemade bomb.

— In Helmand province’s Nad-e Ali district yesterday, a combined force found two RPG boosters, an 82 mm mortar, nine pressure plate devices, eight blasting caps, 100 feet of detonation cord, 61 pounds of explosive material, bomb-making materials, 200 rounds of small-arms ammunition and a disassembled anti-aircraft gun.

— Another patrol in the same district yesterday found a cache containing six rocket-assisted warheads, two boosters, nine chest rigs, a pressure plate initiation device; a 50-pound jug of homemade explosives and miscellaneous shrapnel. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the hazardous material.

— In Kandahar’s Registan district yesterday, an ISAF patrol came across a burning truck that matched the description of one seen earlier avoiding a checkpoint. Troops searching the scene discovered that the truck contained about 500 pounds of hashish and heroin.

— In Kabul province’s Sarobi district yesterday, an ISAF patrol found 43 anti-personnel mines, 20 rockets, five mortar rounds, an anti-tank mine and 40 boxes of 12.7 mm rounds.

— An ISAF patrol Ghazni’s Gelan district yesterday found a five RPGs, 12 mortar grenades, two assault rifles, a shotgun and more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition.

— In Kandahar’s Arghandab district yesterday, an Afghan civilian pointed out a roadside bomb to an ISAF patrol. It consisted of an 88 mm mortar round and three shaped charges.

— A combined patrol found two trucks containing 2,040 pounds of raw opium, 1,875 pounds of processed opium and 615 pounds of hashish in the Garm Ser district of Helmand province yesterday. The truck’s occupants were taken into custody.

— An Afghan-international patrol in Helmand’s Nad-e Ali district yesterday found 150 pounds of homemade explosives and a 100-pound drum of ammonium nitrate, a banned fertilizer that can be used to make explosives.

— A combined security force captured a Taliban bombing-cell commander and other militants in Helmand province April 17.

— In Helmand’s Garm Ser district April 17, a combined patrol found a 120 mm projectile, five completed roadside bombs, three incomplete roadside bombs, three battery packs, some spools of wire, a bag of carbon rods, rubber tubing and other parts for bomb construction.

— In Helmand’s Lashkar Gar district April 17, a combined patrol detained several men and seized high-value material used to build roadside-bomb detonators. The team seized two assault rifles with 15 magazines, material used to build detonators, a pistol, two grenades, and 165 pounds of liquid opium.

— Based on a tip from an Afghan civilian, an ISAF patrol found a barrel full of mortar rounds, a tactical vest and wire, two 155 mm artillery rounds, a 155 mm shell and three empty casings in the Panjwa district of Kandahar province April 17.

— An ISAF patrol in Helmand’s Reg-e Khan Neshin district found 200 pounds of marijuana seed near the Helmand River.

No civilians were harmed in any of these operations, officials said.

Abu Hamzah al-Muhajir Death Major Blow To AQI

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:50:00 -0500

Combined Operation Kills Top al-Qaida in Iraq Leaders

From a U.S. Forces Iraq News Release

BAGHDAD, April 19, 2010 – Iraqi security forces, supported by U.S. troops, killed the two most-senior leaders of al-Qaida in Iraq early yesterday in the culmination of a series of combined operations southwest of Tikrit, Iraq.

Abu Hamzah al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who was the military leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, was killed in one of the operations. His terrorist organization is responsible for facilitating attacks against Iraq and coalition forces as well as Iraqi civilians. He replaced Abu Musab al-Zarqawi when Zarqawi was killed in June 2006, and he was directly responsible for high-profile bombings and attacks against the people of Iraq, officials said.

Also killed during the engagement was Hamid Dawud Muhammad Khalil al-Zawi, also known as Abu Umar al-Baghdadi, who served al-Qaida in Iraq as the leader of the group’s self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and held the title “Prince of the Faithful.”

The death of these two terrorists is a potentially devastating blow to al-Qaida in Iraq, officials said.

A series of Iraqi-led combined operations conducted over the last week resulted in Iraqi forces executing a nighttime raid with U.S. support on the terrorist leaders’ safe house. The combined security team identified both al-Qaida in Iraq members, and the terrorists were killed after engaging the security team, officials said.

Masri’s assistant and Baghdadi’s son, who also were involved in terrorist activities, also were killed.

After conducting preliminary questioning and initial examination of the evidence during the operation, Iraqi elements arrested 16 additional suspected criminal associates of the terrorist leaders killed in the raid.

“The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to al-Qaida in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency,” said Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of U.S. Forces Iraq. “The government of Iraq intelligence services and security forces, supported by U.S. intelligence and special operations forces, have over the last several months continued to degrade [al-Qaida in Iraq].

“There is still work to do,” the general continued, “but this is a significant step forward in ridding Iraq of terrorists. As the [Iraqi government] continues to protect the people of Iraq, the U.S. stands ready to assist them.”

Also:
— Iraqi forces arrested three suspected al-Qaida in Iraq associates yesterday during a combined operation north of Baghdad. Iraqi forces searching for an al-Qaida in Iraq member suspected of supporting terror cells in Baghdad by building vehicle-borne bombs and having ties to other terrorist leaders identified and arrested the three suspected criminal associates of the wanted man.

— Iraqi forces on a combined patrol with U.S. forces in eastern Mosul on April 16 sought to apprehend a man believed to be involved in oil extortion. While moving in to arrest the man, they discovered he was armed and, sensing an immediate threat, they shot and killed him.

— In a separate operation April 16, a combined force arrested a suspected Jaysh al-Mahdi terrorist group leader and four suspected criminal associates north of Baghdad. The group is suspected of transporting weapons into the Qwaylis area and of conducting attacks on security forces.

— A combined security force arrested a man in Mosul believed to have close ties to high-level al-Qaida in Iraq members in another April 16 operation.

A U.S. Forces Iraq soldier was killed during the assault when a U.S. helicopter crashed.

Tour Bus Terrorist

Afghan Civilians Killed in Bus Incident

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2010 – NATO’s International Assistance Security Force in Afghanistan is expressing regret over civilian casualties that occurred today after a bus was driven toward a patrol of international troops, military officials said.

ISAF officials released a statement that says ISAF “deeply regrets the tragic loss of life” in the Zhari district of Kandahar province early this morning after troops fired at a bus in which the driver ignored warnings and tried to speed into the patrol.

Four civilians were killed, five others were treated for injuries at the scene, and 13 people checked themselves into medical facilities following the pre-dawn incident, which occurred when a large vehicle speeded toward the rear of a slow-moving ISAF route-clearance patrol, officials said.

The convoy could not move to the side of the road to allow the vehicle to pass due to the steep embankment, officials said. The ISAF patrol warned off the approaching vehicle once with a flashlight and three times with flares, but the driver didn’t heed the warnings.

Perceiving a threat when the vehicle approached once more at an increased rate of speed, the patrol attempted to warn off the vehicle with hand signals prior to firing upon it. Once it was engaged, the vehicle stopped.

Upon inspection, ISAF forces discovered the vehicle to be a passenger bus.

The ISAF patrol provided immediate medical assistance to five injured civilians and transported some of them to local medical facilities.

A combined Afghan-international incident assessment team is reviewing the events.

In other news from Afghanistan:

— A combined security force captured a Haqqani terrorist group member believed to be responsible for improvised explosive device attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The combined force was approaching a group in the Zurmat district of Paktia province when several militants started to run. One turned and charged the security force, and was shot and wounded. The rest of the militants were quickly cornered by the force and surrendered. A search of the militants’ tents uncovered multiple automatic rifles, grenades and ammunition.

— In Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province this morning, a combined patrol found a cache containing seven rocket-propelled grenades, two mortar rounds, 30 artillery rounds, eight 60 mm shells and other ammunition. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the cache.

— In Kandahar last night, a combined force searched a compound in south Kandahar City and detained two suspected militants for further questioning.

— Also in Kandahar last night, another combined force searched a compound west of Kandahar City after intelligence indicated militant activity. The force captured a Taliban member involved in roadside-bomb emplacements, defenses and assignments. Several other militants also were captured in the operation. The assault force also found explosive materials.

— In the Tirin Kot district of Uruzgan province yesterday, an ISAF patrol found a cache containing two RPG rounds, an RPG rocket and three boxes of small-arms ammunition. An EOD team destroyed the cache.

— Afghan soldiers detained a man with bomb materials and pictures of ISAF vehicles in the Sabari district of Khost province April 10 after members of an ISAF unit saw the man emplacing a roadside bomb. The explosives were destroyed.

–Also on April 10, a combined force searched a compound in north Lashkar Gah in Helmand province and detained two suspected militants for further questioning.

No shots were fired and no civilians were harmed during these operations, officials said.

(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)

YouTube – Marines In Afganistan Firefight With Taliban

YouTube – Marines In Afganistan Firefight With Taliban.

ldbkbarnea — April 06, 2010 — Marines In Firefight
06 April 2010
U.S. Marines engaged in a firefight with insurgents Monday near the town of Marjah in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand Province.

Top Military News

Afghan, NATO Troops Remove Taliban Leaders From Fight
Afghan and international forces today captured a Taliban explosives expert who is believed to be a leader for insurgent bomb-making efforts in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, military officials reported.
04.08.10, Courtesy Story

Obama, Medvedev Sign New START Treaty
President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev signed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in Prague today, with both countries pledging to reduce their deployed, strategic nuclear weapons stockpiles.
04.08.10, Story by Donna Miles

ISAF Statement Regarding the Release of Footage of Captured US Soldier
“The continuing use of Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl as a means of propaganda is a deplorable act and only fuels our efforts to find him and bring him home. The insurgents who hold Bowe are obviously using him as a means to ultimately cause pain to his family and friends. It continues to reflect the cruel tactics designed to deceive the Afghan people and the international community of their true intentions. We will continue our search for Bowe as well as our efforts to ensure the security of the Afghan people and our coalition partners,” said U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, director of communication, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force – Afghanistan.
04.08.10, Courtesy Story

U.S. Navy Medics Treat Severely Injured Afghan Man
A Navy Forward Surgical Team provided medical treatment to an injured Afghan man at their base in Qalat District, Zabul province Sunday.
04.07.10, Courtesy Story

APS Gunston Hall Arrives in Dakar, Starts Final Phase
USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44), the flagship for Africa Partnership Station (APS) West, along with an embarked international staff, arrived in Dakar, Senegal, April 6 for the start of the second and final phase of the ship’s APS West deployment.
04.06.10, Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Gary Keen