Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=47349
Afghan Forces Defeat Taliban in Eight-Hour Battle
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2007 – An eight-hour battle this morning in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province ended with another defeat of the Taliban by Afghan forces.
A combined force led by an element of 205th Afghan National Army Corps advised by coalition forces was on a combat patrol near a small village in the Meian Nashin district when more than 30 enemy fighters attacked from multiple compounds and fighting positions using small-arms fire.
The Afghan-led force repelled the attempted ambush with small-arms and crew-served-weapons fire. As the insurgents continued to reinforce their positions with additional fighters, the ground commander requested coalition close-air support. Aircraft destroyed multiple enemy positions with precision-guided munitions and also killed additional enemy insurgents in hilltop fighting positions with machine gun fire. The Afghan and coalition force counterattack caused the enemy to break and flee from the field of battle.
As the combined force followed the fleeing enemy, they again came under heavy fire from another group of extremist Taliban fighters reinforcing from the nearby Zabutu Valley. Coalition forces repelled this attack with additional air strikes and tactical movement. Over the course of the day, more than 20 insurgents were killed, and at least four were wounded.
“Our operations in the Kandahar province are having the desired effect of disrupting insurgent activities,” said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman. “It should be apparent to the enemies of peace and stability that they are no longer free to roam the Kandahar province inflicting mayhem and terror. The (Afghan national security force) and coalition will continue to work on enduring conditions that facilitate freely elected government and development.”
In operations last night, Afghan and coalition forces were engaged by enemy forces while continuing combat patrols designed to clear insurgents from Kandahar province.
Approximately 30 insurgents attacked the patrol from ridgeline fighting positions using small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
The Afghan-led force repelled the attempted ambush with small-arms fire and crew-served weapons. Coalition aircraft still in the area from the previous fighting destroyed the enemy fighters with precision-guided munitions and machine gun fire directed at the hillside firing positions. The forces’ counterattack caused the enemy to break and flee from the area.
More than a dozen insurgents were killed during the four-hour battle last night.
“The extremist Taliban are inexplicably attacking Afghan national security forces during this operation in spite of the large losses they are incurring,” Belcher said. “As the ANSF and coalition forces continue to clear the Kandahar province of enemy fighters, residents should see a more peaceful and stable environment develop.”
In operations Sept. 5, a combined force was conducting a combat patrol near Anjir Shali village when they came under attack from Taliban fighters. More than 20 insurgents were killed in the fighting that followed, and one non-combatant was wounded.
Afghan police officers advised by coalition forces rescued and treated the man, Jar Mohammed, who was working at his farm when he heard nearby gunfire. According to his statement to the Afghan police, he went into his house to take his wife and three children away from the fighting. As the family was leaving their farm, he was shot in the right leg by insurgents. Mohammed was immediately treated by coalition medical personnel and evacuated to coalition medical facilities for further treatment.
Currently, Mohammed is in stable condition. He went through several surgeries as coalition doctors attempted to save his leg, but in the end they were forced to amputate the severely damaged limb.
“The insurgents have further demonstrated their intentions to harm innocent Afghan non-combatants and try to destroy Afghanistan,” said Belcher. “The ANSF and coalition are doing everything possible to prevent harm to non-combatants in all our operations. Unfortunately, the enemies of peace in this country do not follow this same practice. Our thoughts are with Mr. Mohammad and his family as he recovers from this heinous act carried out by the extremists.”
(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=47345
Three Terrorists Killed, 18 Suspects Detained in Coalition Raids
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2007 – Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 18 suspected terrorists during operations over the past two days to disrupt the senior leadership of al Qaeda in central and northern parts of Iraq.
Coalition forces conducted two operations in Diyala province today targeting the senior leadership of al Qaeda in Iraq.
Ground forces raided several buildings associated with the al Qaeda emir of the northern belts around Baghdad, who oversees bombing, kidnapping and illegal court operations. After repeated requests for compliance from the building’s occupants, coalition forces engaged and killed two of the men inside. Four suspected terrorists were detained on the site, and the ground forces destroyed four vehicles used to facilitate the movement of terrorists.
In the other raid, coalition forces targeted an al Qaeda leader in Baqubah. The ground forces also detained two suspected terrorists in the operation.
“We’re continuously assaulting al Qaeda in Iraq to bring down not only their senior leaders, but also the networks that conduct vicious attacks against the Iraqi people,” said Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.
In other operations today:
— Coalition forces targeted an al Qaeda senior leader in Baghdad, who oversees a car-bombing network there. The ground forces detained four suspected terrorists for their alleged ties to the network and discovered bomb-making materials, which they safely destroyed on site.
— Two coordinated raids targeted al Qaeda operational cells in Mosul. Coalition forces detained eight suspected terrorists, including a suspected cell member who led the ground forces to the alleged cell leader.
— In a pre-dawn raid in Baghdad, coalition forces captured four military-aged males that may be connected to a high-value insurgent once affiliated with the Iraqi paramilitary Mahdi Army. Coalition forces conducted the raid to capture or kill weapons facilitators. The detained suspects also are believed to have distributed explosively formed projectiles smuggled from Iran to be used against coalition forces throughout Baghdad.
“Coalition troops remain relentless in the pursuit of terrorist networks. We will go after anyone connected to any effort to bring (explosively formed projectiles) and other lethal aid into Iraq,” Garver said. “Outside influence is hindering the prospects of peace and stability in Iraq.”
In operations over the past few days:
— Scouts from 6th Iraqi Army Division detained an alleged extremist militant brigade commander and one other suspected terrorist yesterday near Baghdad. The suspect operates out of Karkh and leads a group of more than 750 insurgents to conduct bombing and sniper attacks against coalition forces and civilian contractors in the Aamel area. The suspects also are alleged to have ties to an execution committee that is responsible for assassinating innocent civilians fighting for a safe and secure Iraq.
— Iraqi special operations soldiers detained four Shiia extremist militants during a raid yesterday in Baghdad. One of the targeted individuals is accused of murdering a member of an Iraqi unit and of distributing Shiia extremist propaganda in Hay al Amel. A second detainee is reported to be a physician who works in a public clinic in the city where he allegedly killed four other doctors. Forces detained two additional suspicious individuals during the mission.
— Iraqi soldiers with U.S. Special Forces advisors detained two al Qaeda cell leaders during an operation Sept. 6 in Adhamiyah. The Sunni extremists are responsible for conducting bombing and mortar attacks against civilians and coalition forces in the area. One of the detained cell leaders is allegedly an assistant al Qaeda financier. The second suspect directs and carries out attacks against coalition forces. A third individual also was detained for further questioning during the operation.
— Iraqi special operations soldiers detained one suspected al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist during a helicopter raid in Fallujah on Sept. 5. The insurgent is linked to an al Qaeda cell responsible for mortar and bombing attacks against coalition forces and local citizens. During the raid, a military working dog identified a truck outside the main targeted building as testing positive for explosives. After forces cleared the area, F-16 Fighting Falcons destroyed the vehicles with two precision-guided bombs.
— Iraqi and coalition soldiers found two sizeable weapons caches while conducting clearing operations in southern sections of the Iraqi capital Sept. 4-5. Soldiers of 3rd Iraqi Army Division seized a cache of weapons, explosives and components used to make roadside bombs. Eight propane tanks were recovered from the site in West Rashid, along with several Chinese-, Bulgarian- and Iraqi-made rocket-propelled grenade launchers, homemade explosives, dynamite sticks, washer timers, a suicide vest and an assortment of batteries and copper wiring. The second cache was discovered in Doura, where soldiers confiscated a cache consisting of 44 assorted weapons, including AK-47 assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, and a pair of sniper rifles.
— Concerned Iraqi citizens recovered munitions from a cache and turned them over to soldiers in central Iraq on Sept. 4. The cache yielded a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, 30 large-caliber machine gun rounds, two mortar fuses, and three rolls of copper wire.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)