|
|
|
|
|
Coalition Forces Kill 40 Afghan Militants MUSA QALA, Afghanistan - Airstrikes and ground troops killed at least 40 militants during combat operations in support of a massive anti-Taliban campaign across southern Afghanistan, military officials said Friday. The insurgents were killed during a two-day push that ended Thursday in a remote part of southeastern Paktika province, near the Pakistan border, said Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick. One coalition member was wounded, he said, declining to release his nationality. An enemy fighter wounded during the gunbattle was also captured. Operations began Wednesday with an airstrike on a remote mountainous stronghold near the village of Orgun-e, a military statement said. Ground forces encountered "numerous well-fortified and concealed fighting positions manned by aggressive fighters." On Wednesday, Paktika's provincial governor told The Associated Press that 26 militants had been killed by Afghan and coalition soldiers during initial stages of the operation. The offensive was launched in support of Operation Mountain Thrust, the largest anti-Taliban military campaign undertaken since the former regime's 2001 ouster in an American-led invasion. More than 10,000 U.S.-led troops are being deployed across southern Afghanistan to quell a Taliban resurgence and prepare the ground for the imminent takeover of military control by NATO-led forces. Extremist forces, primarily Taliban, have been stepping up attacks against coalition and Afghan troops across the country, particularly the south, in the bloodiest campaign of violence launched since 2001. More than 500 people, mostly militants, have been killed in the past month. On Friday, attacks continued as a lone gunman on a motorcycle opened fire on a truckload of Afghan soldiers near a U.S. base in southern Helmand province and was shot dead, said Sgt. Roger Larson. The incident occurred around 8 p.m. just outside the entrance to a U.S. base newly erected to support a massive offensive against a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan. The man fired off several shots with his AK-47 rifle before Afghan soldiers returned fire, killing him immediately, Larson said. None of the Afghan forces suffered injuries, he said. "It's about that time. We've been here a week and the enemy is going to start testing us," he said. Also Friday, Afghan authorities arrested 12 Taliban fighters in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province, governor Haji Sher Alam said. Police had gotten a tip that the men would be attending the funeral of a Taliban commander killed during recent fighting. Afghan police and soldiers surrounded the home and arrested the men, confiscating a dozen AK-47 assault rifles, eight rocket propelled grenade launchers and four motorbikes, he said. Coalition forces came under attack in southern Uruzgan province and neighboring Zabul province but no casualties were reported, said coalition spokesman Maj. Quentin Innis. Four highway policemen were killed in southern Kandahar province when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle, provincial officials said. A roadside bomb also exploded in eastern Kunar province, injuring three girls, said Governor Asadullah Wafa. The blast occurred in an area where coalition forces were fighting suspected Taliban, he said. U.S. officials confirmed the blast but said they had not received reports of U.S. casualties. U.S., Canadian, British and Afghan troops have fanned out over four restive provinces - Helmand, Uruzgan, Kandahar and Zabul - to hunt down Taliban fighters blamed for the surge in ambushes and bombings. In Kandahar, the local Afghan army commander said the Taliban militants, who are believed to be hiding in rugged southern mountain ranges, will not be able to withstand the coalition and Afghan onslaught. "Of course there is the enemy. We can't ignore this. Of course there is action by the enemy. They are fighting against us," Gen. Abdul Rahmatullah Roufi said. "But they will not be able to defeat the international army and Afghan army." Operation Mountain Thrust began in mid-May with limited attacks and raids launched by coalition forces. But the offensive's main phase opened Thursday and is expected to expand further over the coming days. "We have had small operations in all the provinces but the huge operation has not started," Roufi said. "Our goal is to clean up the enemy and bring security, stability." ---------------------------------------------------
Prison Planet.tv: The Premier Multimedia Subscription Package: Download and Share the Truth! Please help our fight against the New World Order by giving a donation. As bandwidth costs increase, the only way we can stay online and expand is with your support. Please consider giving a monthly or one-off donation for whatever you can afford. You can pay securely by either credit card or Paypal. Click here to donate. |
