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| March 19, 2005 Release Number: 05-03-16 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AFGHANS, COALITION FORCES WORK TO RID AFGHANISTAN OF WEAPONS BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Coalition forces recovered several weapons caches this week, some following tips from local Afghans. On Thursday, troops around the country secured multiple caches - small steps toward ridding Afghanistan of illegal weapons stockpiles. Forty-three percent of all weapon caches are turned in by Afghans, said Brig. Gen. James Champion, deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force 76. "Every time an Afghan turns over munitions, that's one more Afghan on the side of peace rather than violence," Champion said. "Every bomb we find is one less the enemy can use against the Afghan people and Coalition forces." On Thursday, Afghan police led Coalition forces to a cache near Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khowst Province that had an anti-personnel mine, a hand grenade and a rocket. During a search Thursday north of Kandahar, troops discovered a cache of weapons, money and materials to build homemade bombs. Troops recovered 25 rocket-propelled grenades, three tank rounds, three mortar rounds and roughly 100,000 Afghani notes worth about $2,300. Also in Khowst Province, Coalition forces found three AK-47 machine guns, ammunition and 8,000 Pakistani Rupees worth roughly $136. Near Gardez, troops secured several rifles, pistols, 1,500 rounds of ammunition and two hand grenades. Another cache seizure near Gardez in the Paktya Province turned up a 60 mm mortar, five 82 mm mortars and two 60 mm projectiles. Nearby, Coalition forces discovered a cache of 33 rocket-propelled grenades and 30 rocket-propelled grenade boosters. In Ghazni Province, troops searching an Afghan compound found nine recoilless rifle rounds, 18 rocket-propelled grenades, two boxes of anti-aircraft rounds and 200 AK-47 rounds of ammunition loaded in magazines. All the caches were secured by ordnance disposal crews. -30- |
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