Daily Security Brief: December 27, 2011

KABUL: Six insurgents were killed and as many arrested during joint operations in different provinces over the past 24 hours, the defence and interior ministries said on Tuesday.

The operations were conducted by Afghan and international troops in Kabul, Baghlan, Logar, Farah, Khost, and Paktia provinces, a statement from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said.

It added three AK-47 assault rifles, two pistols, 32 anti-vehicle mines and hand grenades, 500 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 120 kg of explosives, one rocket launcher and 175 kg of drugs were seized during the operations.

Additionally, security personnel recovered five jerry cans of explosives, one rocket launcher, seven anti-vehicle mines and 24 remote-controlled mines in Kabul, Kandahar, Logar, and Kunduz provinces.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said five militants were detained in Logar, Helmand and Kandahar provinces. One pistol and two anti-vehicle mines were seized from the detainees.

Since the start of the current Afghan year, more than 1,600 militants and 470 security personnel have been killed in encounters; 98 insurgents were wounded and more than 4,150 detained in the different parts of the country.

—Pajhwok Report

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LOGAR: Three insurgents were killed and two others detained with weapons and explosives during two separate operations in central Logar province, officials said on Tuesday.

One of the gunbattles happened in the Ibrahimkhel area of Brak-i-Brak district, where the fighters attacked a security checkpoint, Brig. Gen. Ghulam Sakhi Rogh Lewanai, the provincial police chief, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

In retaliatory fire from the security personnel, three Taliban were killed, he said, adding police suffered no casualties.

Mohammad Rahim Amin, the district’s administrative chief, said the fire exchange lasted about 30 minutes and the Taliban managed to take away their associates’ bodies from the scene.

But Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed two policemen were killed and as many others injured in the assault on the checkpoint.

Separately, two Taliban were detained with weapons and explosives in in the Zarghun Shahr area of Mohammad Agha district. Rogh Lewanai said two anti-vehicle mines, one AK-47 assault rifle, a rocket, a machine gun and mortar shells were seized from a house in the area.

Elsewhere in the province, five anti-vehicle mines planted under a bridge in the Brakirajan area of Brak-i-Brak district were defused, Din Mohammad Darwesh, the governor’s spokesman said.

—Maqsud Azizi

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ZABUL: National Directorate of Security (NDS) officials submitted dozens of weapons to the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) programme in southern Zabul province on Tuesday, a senior official said.

Intelligence operatives had seized the weapons, including 5 BM-1 rocket shells, 23 AK-47 rifles, 3 rocket-propelled grenades (RPG), eight machine guns and seven pistols, during operations this year, Governor Ashraf Naseri told Pajhwok Afghan News.

He said some suspects had been arrested in connection with the seizure of arms and explosives. The NDS also seized weapons from illegal armed men and submitted them to the DIAG programme.

—Nasim Hotak

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