FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan — The Afghanistan national police and 2nd Platoon, 2nd Battery, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division uncovered a cache of various materials commonly used in the construction of improvised explosive devices, May 12, during a cordon and search of a target location in the Sabari District of the Khost province in eastern Afghanistan.
The mission was implemented and executed successfully, determining a source of
recent enemy activity in the area, as well as disrupting enemy IED capabilities.
"The target location was a house that had prior IED facilitators. We found some wires, an anti-personnel land mine, and pressure plate materials. It was enough evidence to arrest [the resident], given the prior history of the place, and the varied array of materials that have all been found in IEDs before, as well as the anti-personnel mine," said 2nd Platoon Leader, 1st Lt. Matthew Asmus.
While the evidence found May 12 was enough to arrest the primary resident, Mammute Khan, the ANP and 2nd Platoon Soldiers said they couldn't be positive that the materials were his. They decided to simply speak with him diplomatically.
"We just wanted to talk to him. He is our neighbor, and we want to let him know that we are here to support the neighborhood," said Asmus.
Mammute Khan was found at his shop in the Kholbesat Bazaar, where he was accommodating and cooperative with the ANP and U.S. Soldiers. He willingly returned with the Soldiers on foot to Combat Outpost Sabari, where he met with ANP leadership and was released.
"We wanted to follow up and make sure that he is safely integrating back into society, and to find out who he has been talking to, and how he is doing," said Asmus.
The materials were confiscated to prevent possible use against security forces in the area, and analysts are continuing to investigate the enemy attacks.
2nd Platoon Soldiers were proud to meet their objective, and were encouraged by the demonstration of their mission capabilities.
"The mission today went really well. We got a lot of bombing materials, and actually got the target we were looking for once we found all the equipment. Considering some of the other missions we've done where we've come up empty handed, I think this one pepped the guys up a little bit," said Pfc. Christopher Kaiser, a forward observer for the platoon.
"For me, I come out here to do a job. We take indirect fire or IEDs go off, and it gets pretty aggravating to see all these things happening when we don't come up with anything. Then we make a find, something you can get off the streets, it's a real morale booster, said Kaiser. "We know that the enemy is not going to be able to use the equipment, and who knows how many people we saved by pulling that stuff out. It puts a smile on our faces when we know we've done something right."
While the Soldiers relished their find, their leadership emphasized that success of this nature is a small part of the overall mission.
The platoon's tactical proficiency and counterinsurgency concepts contributed to the successful extraction of potentially harmful materials, and a positive engagement with an influential local resident.
"This week I have been very impressed with how my Soldiers had the initiative to accomplish the missions that we've had, whether it's urban terrain, open terrain, clearing and searching or key leader engagements. They have been able to maintain security, their maneuverability is awesome, and they have done a really good job," said Asmus, smiling.