KABUL - An Afghan-led security force retrieved a large cache of homemade explosives and improvised explosive device material in the Shawkhel village of Zabul province, Thursday.
The security team, led by Afghan National Army soldiers, recovered 40 to 45 pounds of homemade explosives and IED material, as well as a letter revealing the name of the individual who emplaced the cache.
Translation of the letter disclosed several names of suspected insurgents and more than 20 blasting caps and more than 150,000 Kaldar ($1,430 USD) in the village.
The letter also provided a lead to a greater cache from which the IED and explosive material originated, indicating the cache may have bee meant for IED emplacement use in the Shin Kai area of Zabul province.
"This successful seizure yielded a large amount of IED materials, money and the names of other suspected insurgents," said U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Neil Samson, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan spokesperson. "The Afghan people deserve to live a normal life without fear of attacks from insurgent groups."