Over 50 militants killed in NATO-led operation in Afghanistan

[News_Editor]

Over 50 militants killed in NATO-led operation in Afghanistan

2011-07-22 22:10:04 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) on Friday said that more than 50 militants were killed in Afghanistan during a security operation against a militant camp.

The operation was conducted at a Haqqani network encampment site used for local and foreign fighters in Sar Rowzah District, in Afghanistan's Paktika Province, ISAF said. During the operation, security forces killed over 30 Haqqani insurgents who confronted them from cave sites and bunkers in multiple groups armed with rocket propelled grenade launchers (RPGs), heavy machine guns, and AK-47 assault rifles, through the night.

The NATO-led security operations continued until Friday morning, as skirmishes broke out with militants throughout the day. As a result, more than 20 additional insurgents were killed.

In addition to the armaments found on insurgents during the operation, the force also recovered numerous stockpiles of weapons including mortars, RPGs with warheads, PK machine guns with multiple crates of ammunition, AK-47 rifles with magazines, grenades, chest racks, and military gear.

According to ISAF, the militant fighters were moved into Afghanistan by Haqqani insurgents who planned to use them for attacks throughout country. Information regarding the training camp and its location was acquired from reports from disenfranchised insurgents.

The Haqqani network has been responsible for several high-profile attacks against the Afghan government and citizens, including the assassination of Mohammad Jan Abdullah Wardak, former Logar provincial governor. Wardak was assassinated in a massive explosive-device attack as he left his compound in September 2008. On June 28, the Haqqani network, in conjunction with Taliban operatives, conducted a suicide bomb attack on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel.

Pakistan's Afghan border, which the United States considers to be the most dangerous place on Earth, is known to be a stronghold of the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network, considered one of the top terrorist organizations and threats to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

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