Afghan, coalition forces tally another successful month in Afghanistan

AFGHANISTAN

10.01.2010

Courtesy Story

IJC Public Affairs Advisory Team- Regional Command North

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition security forces spent the month of September continuing to capture and kill key Taliban and Haqqani insurgent leaders, ensuring civilians were able to cast their vote in the Parliamentary election and clearing traditional insurgent strong holds.

September marked a total of more than 438 suspected insurgents detained and 114 insurgents killed in security force operations. More importantly, the security force captured or killed more than 105 Haqqani Network and Taliban leaders. These leadership figures include shadow governors, leaders, sub-leaders and weapons facilitators.

Afghan and coalition forces completed 194 missions, 88 percent of them without shots fired. During those operations, more than 1,000 women and more than 1,750 children were protected.

The month of September ended on a high note when a precision air strike in Kunar province Sept. 25 killed Abdallah Umar al-Qurayshi, an al-Qaida senior leader who coordinated the attacks of a group of Arab fighters in Kunar and Nuristan province.

The al-Qaida facilitators and extremists he worked with throughout the Middle East directly threaten the safety and security of Afghan civilians. He routinely facilitated the travel of foreign fighters, including Arabs, into the region. Additionally, Abu Atta al Kuwaiti, an Al Qaeda explosive expert, and several Arabic foreign fighters were killed in the strike.

Leading up to the Parliamentary elections Sept. 18, Afghan and coalition security forces conducted 11 operations in seven Afghan provinces in the week of Sept. 10 to 17 against insurgents actively planning to disrupt the parliamentary elections.

The largest pre-election operation was in Nangarhar province when a security force targeted a Taliban operation leader who participated in intimidation campaigns and assassinations including a suicide bomber attack that killed Khogyani elder, Haji Zaman. Qari Wali and four other insurgents were killed, after forces conducted a call for the insurgents to surrender peacefully.

When they demonstrated hostile intent toward the force, they were engaged and killed. Qari Wali was planning to conduct rocket attacks against area voting centers during the elections and the force discovered multiple weapons and a grenade on the scene.

In the week following the Sept. 18 elections Afghan and coalition security forces conducted seven operations in five Afghan provinces against insurgents who actively participated in the relatively low number of election attacks. Clear rules of engagement and extreme measures were taken to avoid civilian casualties resulted in 87 percent of the election-specific operations conducted without shots fired and no civilian causalities.

Afghan-led operations resulted in 10 insurgent leaders captured and eight killed, all actively planning attacks during the elections.

Afghan and coalition security forces conducted five deliberate clearing operations aimed at disrupting the Taliban's freedom of movement in Kandahar city, Helmand province and Kunduz. The Taliban are known to use intimidation and threats to force their way into these targeted areas to stage their attacks.

In Kandahar area operations, 19 insurgents were killed, three detained, several house-borne improvised explosive devices along with a large homemade explosive IED factory were destroyed. A precision air strike was used in order to destroy the HB-IED after ensuring no civilians were present in the area.

On Wednesday in Kunduz province, joint security forces continued their efforts to disrupt safe havens by targeting a series of compounds in Chahar Darah District. The force killed two insurgents and wounded one, who used intimidation and threats to establish safe havens for their attacks.

• Date Taken: 10.01.2010
• Date Posted: 10.01.2010 02:34
• Story ID: 57277
• Location: AF