Courtesy Photo | After a short firefight with 7th Special Operations Kandak Commandos, a Taliban Red...... read more read more
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Members of the Taliban’s vaunted Red Unit fled from the 7th Special Operations Kandak Commandos leaving behind more than 500 kg of explosives in Faizullah Khan, Sangin district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Jan. 15, 2018. After a short firefight, the Commandos deliberately cleared the Taliban compound, discovering 488 kg of raw explosive materials, 50 IED initiators, 220 pressure plates, 15 rockets, 22 grenades, and significant amounts of military equipment.
Earlier that day, NATO Resolute Support Commander Gen. John Nicolson addressed the future of the Taliban in the province.
“The enemy is not safe anywhere in Helmand,” Nicholson said. “We will come after them in everywhere in Helmand to help the people of Helmand expand their security, and try to return their lives to normal. We are here until the job is done, and so the new South Asia strategy is condition-based, not time-based.”
Unable to meet a single goal of their stated 2017 campaign objectives, the Taliban reverted to small scale “hit and run” attacks on Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Discovery of this large Red Unit explosives compound confirms the Taliban’s intent to launch future attacks endangering larger segments of the Afghan population.
This is the second significant 7th SOK raid against a Red Unit this year. On Jan. 1, the Commandos liberated five Afghans from a Red Unit prison in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand. During the operation, the Commandos also destroyed over 1,000 kg of hashish, denying $3.4 million of illegal drug trafficking revenue to the anti-government insurgency.
The Taliban’s former Red Unit commander in Helmand province, Mullah Shah Wali, aka Haji Nasir, was killed in a kinetic strike in Musa Qal'ah, Helmand, Dec. 1, 2017. Wali was directly responsible for coordinating operations and resupply of munitions, explosives, and materials for the Taliban throughout Helmand province.
| Date Taken: | 01.15.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 01.17.2018 10:32 |
| Story ID: | 262193 |
| Location: | AF |
| Web Views: | 175 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
