Air Weapons Team Kills Several Insurgents

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2012 — A coali­tion air weapons team killed sev­er­al insur­gents in the Asad­abad dis­trict of Afghanistan’s Kunar province yes­ter­day, mil­i­tary offi­cials report­ed.

The insur­gents were fir­ing on an Inter­na­tion­al Secu­ri­ty Assis­tance Force instal­la­tion in the area, offi­cials said. When the air weapons team arrived, the insur­gents turned their fire against the air­craft. The air­crew returned fire, killing sev­er­al insurgents. 

No civil­ians were harmed dur­ing the exchange, offi­cials said. 

In March 5 Afghanistan operations: 

— A com­bined force detained two sus­pects and found a bomb-mak­ing facil­i­ty con­tain­ing var­i­ous com­po­nents and more than 550 pounds of ammo­ni­um nitrate – a banned fer­til­iz­er used in home­made bombs — in the Zharay dis­trict of Kan­da­har province. The secu­ri­ty force seized some of the mate­ri­als and destroyed the rest. 

— A com­bined force detained numer­ous sus­pects and seized small arms, ammu­ni­tion, and more than 88 pounds of opi­um and hashish in the Bala Boluk dis­trict of Farah province. The secu­ri­ty force seized some of the mate­ri­als and destroyed the rest. 

In oth­er news, Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, ISAF com­man­der, trav­eled to Hel­mand province March 5. Gov. Moham­mad Gulab Man­gal told Allen that Hel­mand had made great progress due to the ded­i­ca­tion of the Afghan secu­ri­ty forces and ISAF troops who patrol the area with them. 

“I appre­ci­ate your sol­diers serv­ing and dying for our coun­try,” Man­gal told Allen dur­ing their meet­ing. Allen also spoke to Afghan per­son­nel and their ISAF advi­sors at Helmand’s provin­cial oper­a­tional coor­di­na­tion cen­ter, and lat­er met with Region­al Com­mand South­west Marines at For­ward Oper­at­ing Base Marjah. 

Source:
Com­piled from Inter­na­tion­al Secu­ri­ty Assis­tance Force and ISAF Joint Com­mand News Releases