The Afghan National Army's 4th Commando Kandak, assisted by coalition forces, found and destroyed several weapons caches in and around a village in Herat province, Aug. 2.
The Afghan-led force received a tip from local residents, while conducting a presence patrol in Shindand district, claiming they knew the locations of multiple weapons caches. The combined force established security around the areas of interest to ensure the safety of local residents while an explosive ordnance disposal team investigated and subsequently disabled and destroyed the caches in place.
In all, the EOD team identified and destroyed nine 155 mm artillery rounds, one 50 pound shape charge, 18 rocket propelled grenades, 221 hand grenades, 75 anti-aircraft rounds, 12 anti-personnel mines as well as other miscellaneous ordnance.
"The destruction of these caches will be extremely helpful in neutralizing the insurgent's ability to continue their IED campaign throughout Western Afghanistan," said U.S. Marine Sgt. Brian Kester, a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan spokesperson.
Coalition officials working in the Shindand area said the weapons discovery is a step forward in the growing cooperation and partnerships with the Afghan National Security Forces and Afghan citizens.
"These actions continue to demonstrate the willingness of the Afghan people to be involved in the safety and security of their province and stand up against insurgent attacks," Kester said.
Article by ISAF Joint Command