FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan – Ongoing joint Afghan and coalition force operations conducted across Khowst and Paktya provinces this past week have significantly impacted insurgent capability as the winter period begins to set in.
Since Oct. 13, at least 18 insurgent fighters have been killed; with no reported Afghan or coalition casualties. Coalition officials also report the capture of 65 enemy fighters, five of these believed to be insurgent leaders.
During this time, combined forces have uncovered nine weapons caches; one cache alone containing 22 RPGs and nine improvised explosive devices.
Insurgent attempts to fight back have failed. The most notable failure was Sunday’s attempted car bombing and suicide bomber attack near the Municipality in Gardez City, Paktya province.
Afghan police, who were warned of Sunday’s failed attack through recent intelligence reports, were in a state of high alert. An observant Afghan policeman noticed the suspicious vehicle and signaled for the driver to stop. The driver then detonated his car bomb, which was followed by the attempted suicide attacks. Afghan police killed the three suicide bombers before they could detonate their vests, potentially killing dozens of innocent civilians. No injuries were reported from the car blast.
The commander for all coalition forces in Paktya and Khowst, Col. Chris Toner of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, based out of Fort Knox, Ky., commended the police for their efforts to protect the people of Gardez.
“The police successfully prevented these attacks which had the potential to kill dozens of innocent Afghan civilians today,” said Toner, a Topeka, Kan., native. “These brave police heroes caused the insurgents to fail in yet another attempt to kill civilians and destabilize the area.”
Toner went on to say that none of his forces were in the area at the time of the failed attacks and commended the actions of the police who proved they have the expertise and skills to protect the people of Gardez without ISAF assistance.
“They acted on credible intelligence and prevented unnecessary loss of innocent life,” said Toner.
Soldiers from TF Duke did arrive on the scene following the incidents to assess the situation and provide any assistance necessary.
| Date Taken: |
10.17.2011 |
| Date Posted: |
10.19.2011 14:54 |
| Story ID: |
78718 |
| Location: |
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, AF |
| Web Views: |
178 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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This work, Successes in Khowst, Paktya impact insurgent capabilities, by Travis Dettmer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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