Afghan, ISAF troops strike blow in Helmand
 By None  , 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
  WASHINGTON (June 21, 2010) — Afghan and coalition forces struck a blow against  insurgent operations in Helmand province over the weekend in one of  several recent operations around Afghanistan, military officials  reported.  Afghan forces working with International Security Assistance Force  partners conducted an operation the night of June 19 south of Nad-e Ali  to degrade insurgents’ ability to coordinate attacks and move of weapons  and bomb-making materials around the area, officials said.  After surrounding a compound housing a Taliban insurgent and his  accomplices, Afghan special police ensured all residents of the compound  exited safely. Several women and children were protected while several  men were detained, along with an assault weapon and an undisclosed  amount of opium. Two of the detained men were positively identified as  Taliban commanders who planned and conducted numerous attacks in Nad-e  Ali, and supplied weapons into the area.  In a separate operation the same night, an Afghan-international security  force detained a number of suspected insurgents in Kandahar province  while pursuing the Taliban commander responsible for insurgent activity  in the western part of the province. The security force detained the men  and found a 45-pound bag of wet opium while searching a compound in the  province’s Panjwai district.  No shots were fired, and women and children present during the search  were protected by the combined security force, officials said.  Also that night, a separate Afghan-international security force detained  several suspected insurgents while pursuing a Haqqani terrorist network  commander in Khost province’s Sabari district. The security force also  found and destroyed several homemade bombs during the operation. Women  and children present were protected by the combined force throughout the  search, and no damage was done to the compounds.  In Logar province’s Baraki Barak district that night, another  Afghan-international security force detained two suspected insurgents  while pursuing a Taliban subcommander linked to bombing and rocket  attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. No shots were fired, and  women and children present during the search were protected by the  combined force.  On June 19, Afghan and international forces conducted operations against  the Haqqani network along the border of Khost and Paktia provinces  overnight and throughout the day. Precision air strikes were used in  self-defense against a large number of armed insurgents, officials said.   “We are aware of conflicting reports of civilian casualties made by  local officials,” ISAF officials said in a written statement, “and are  therefore reviewing the operational details of the engagement. Our  mission is to protect the population, and we will accept full  responsibility if civilians were unintentionally harmed in this intense  fight against insurgents.”  Over that same night, an Afghan-international security force killed a  Taliban subcommander along with a number of insurgents in Kunduz  province’s Chahar Darah district. Mullah Abdul Razaq was responsible for  moving suicide operatives throughout the eastern part of the province,  officials said, and was the Taliban military commander in Talaqwa  Village. Afghan police confirmed Razaq’s death.  Multiple intelligence reports named Razaq as a suspect in a  roadside-bomb attack that killed two American soldiers, June 16.  The security force searched a compound in the Chahar Darah district,  where they were fired upon by individuals armed with automatic weapons  and grenades. The combined force returned fire and secured the compound.   During the search, a civilian man came out of his home and told Afghan  and coalition forces that the Taliban use the road near the compound  daily and that the insurgents frequently stay in the mosque behind his  home. The Taliban continue to use mosques as safe havens and weapons  storage sites, knowing that international forces are not allowed to  enter, officials said.  A significant cache of automatic weapons, magazines full of ammunition,  grenades and an RPG launcher with rounds were found at the compound.  Women and children present were protected by the combined force during  the search.  A separate Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban  commander and several suspected insurgents in Zabul province that night.  The commander is linked to roadside-bomb attacks along the road  connecting Zabul to the Afghan capital of Kabul.  The security force searched a series of compounds in a remote area of  Shah Joy district after receiving intelligence reports on the Taliban  commander’s whereabouts. No shots were fired during the search, and  women and children present were protected by the combined force.  In a June 18 operation, a combined Afghan-international security force  killed a suspected insurgent, detained several other suspected  insurgents and found bomb-making materials while pursuing a senior  Taliban commander in Helmand province. As the security force approached a  compound in the Lashkar Gah district, they immediately received fire  from an individual outside the compound. The combined force returned  fire, killing him.  After securing the compound, the assault force found seven containers of  homemade explosives, multiple initiators and bomb-making materials,  which they destroyed.  A separate Afghan-international security force detained several  suspected insurgents the night of June 18 while pursuing a Taliban  shadow governor responsible for attacks against coalition forces in  Logar province.  The security force searched a series of compounds south of Karizeh  Zafaran after intelligence sources confirmed insurgent activity. During  the search, the combined force found a more than 50 pounds of ammonium  nitrate, which is commonly used in the manufacture of explosives and is  banned by the Afghan government.  While preparing to depart the area, the force killed a man who fired on  them. Women and children present were protected by the combined force,  and no buildings were damaged.  On June 17, Afghan army commandos, assisted by U.S. special operations  forces, killed a number of insurgents in Badghis province while  searching for an insurgent commander.  The Afghan-led force was in the Morghab district when they were attacked  by insurgents using heavy small-arms, machine gun and  rocket-propelled-grenade fire from fortified positions. The combined  force returned fire and called in a precision air strike, killing many  of the insurgents. There were no civilian casualties and no reports of  civilian property damage, officials said.