Afghan and U.S.-led troops kill 30 Afghan militants

More bad guys taking Themselves a dirt nap today !

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan and U.S.-led forces killed 30 militants in southwest Afghanistan, the U.S. military said in a statement on Friday.

Violence in Afghanistan is at its highest since the Taliban was ousted by U.S.-led forces in 2001, with attacks spreading from the south and east to the outskirts of Kabul, forcing Washington to consider new policy options including a counter-insurgency push.

The operation, which U.S. forces said was led by Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers advised by U.S.-led coalition troops, took place in Gereshk district, some 530 km (330 miles) southwest of Kabul, on Thursday.

"After positively identifying the enemy fighting position and assuring there were no non-combatants in the area, the combined element returned fire ... killing 30 militants," the U.S. forces statement said.

Small arms fire and close air support were used to kill the militants, the statement said, adding that one ANA soldier was injured but no civilians were harmed.

The United States will send up to 17,000 additional troops this year to reinforce largely NATO-led military efforts in south Afghanistan, including Helmand province, which alone supplies around half the world's opium.

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Major cache of IED materials seized in Afghanistan

Canadian, British and Afghanistan troops have found one of the largest caches of IED explosives in operation Royal Thunder. In total, there was enough material to construct up to 138 IED. This should put a dent in the taliban's ability to strike at coalition forces for a while. (Thanks to GM) CTV

A joint mission involving Canadian, British and Afghan troops is being hailed as a "tremendous success" after soldiers seized one of the largest caches of materials to make roadside bombs.

Operation Shahi Tandar (Royal Thunder), which took place in the Khakrez and Shah Wali Khot districts of Kandahar province on January 7 to 9, uncovered 138 detonators used for improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Since one detonator is essential for the making of each bomb, the seizure of these detonators is comparable to taking 138 IEDs off the roads -- which are responsible for the majority of Canadian casualties in Afghanistan.

Maj. Marc Saint-Yves, Deputy Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, called the operation a "tremendous success."

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ISAF, ANSF kill Taliban commander in targeted operation

ISAF

KABUL, Afghanistan — It has been confirmed this morning that a Taliban commander was killed by ISAF and ANSF forces during a targeted operation in Pol-e Alam district, Logar province overnight.

Muhammed Bobi was killed as a result of a successful joint operation by ANSF and ISAF forces. Bobi was a Taliban Commander who had facilitated suicide bombings against local civilians, ANSF and ISAF troops. He also had a history of involvement in the torture and kidnapping of local civilians and was linked to numerous crimes in the area.

During the joint operation, Bobi was given the option to surrender peacefully, but instead attempted to attack ANSF members. Fortunately, no civilian casualties resulted from his last act of violence. Joint forces ensured that they responded with the minimum force necessary.

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Afghan Troops Ready for Bulk of Fighting

US general, General Robert W. Cone , believes that by mid 2009 the Afghan forces will number 80 000 and will be able fight in most operations against the taliban. Reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The Afghan army could by early next year be leading the vast majority of military operations against enemy insurgents in the country, the U.S. soldier in charge of training them said on Thursday.

Major General Robert W. Cone said Afghan authorities aimed to have 80,000 trained personnel ready by early 2009, compared to just over 57,000 now, as part of an effort to share more of the burden of fighting with NATO countries.

Asked what that meant for Afghan forces' ability to lead operations against Taliban and other insurgents, Cone told a news conference at NATO headquarters:

"I would say leadership certainly of most operations and probably, depending on their readiness, tending towards virtually all operations.

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"That will lift a significant amount of the burden from ISAF forces," he said of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, which commanders currently say numbers around 50,000.

Cone, who leads the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A) training effort, said Afghan troops had led around half of 180 joint operations with international forces in the early months of this year.

However, Afghan forces remain short of aircraft, and Cone acknowledged it could be another five years before they could conduct all their own air operations.

"The hardest part is the dropping of bombs from the air. That will require significant training and we are thinking 2013 is when the Afghans will be capable of doing that," he said.

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