In southern Afghanistan, Afghan and coalition forces completed a multi-day deliberate clearing operation aimed at disrupting the Taliban’s freedom of movement in Helmand province. The operation began Saturday and ended Monday.
The joint security force is continuing their efforts to disrupt enemy safe havens in Helmand province, where Taliban leaders use villages throughout the area to conduct operational planning and prepare for attacks. This operation focused on an area near the village Kajaki Sofla in Kajaki district.
The Afghan and coalition forces cleared several compounds in the area with Afghan forces using a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to exit the buildings peacefully and then the combined force cleared and secured the compounds. Several suspected insurgents were detained for further questioning.
The joint force encountered enemy contact throughout the day, including rocket-propelled grenade, machine gun, mortar and small arms fire. The Afghan and coalition force returned fire, resulting in multiple enemy killed. The Afghan and coalition force did not sustain any injuries.
The security force was unable to conduct battle damage assessments of the engagement areas due to the ongoing contact. The security force is still collecting information to determine the exact number of enemy killed in action, but estimates at least 10 were killed.
Article by ISAF Joint Command