Daily Security Brief: December 18, 2011

 KABUL: Three Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers, including a commando, were killed in separate incidents of violence, the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday.

The commando on homecoming day was shot and killed by militants outside his residence in Yaftal district of Badakhshan province, the ministry said in a statement.

It said the attackers had managed to escape, while a search operation had been launched.

Meanwhile, another two ANA soldiers were killed and a third injured in separate incidents in Balkh and Zabul provinces, the statement said.

—Painda Hikmat

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KABUL: A huge amount of drugs and explosives were seized during a series of joint operations by NATO-led foreign and Afghan troops in Kandahar and Helmand provinces, the alliance said on Sunday.

The drug cache was confiscated during a joint patrol in Reg-i-Khan district of southern Helmand province on Saturday, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement.

The cache consisted of 1,134 kilograms of marijuana, 13.6kg of poppy seeds and 34kg of marijuana seeds. The drugs were destroyed, the statement said.

In neighbouring Kandahar, a combined Afghan and coalition security force discovered a drug cache in Zherai district on Sunday. About 227kg of hashish recovered from the cache were destroyed on the spot, it added.

Two 155 mm rounds, one 107 mm round, one anti-personnel mine, two 88 mm rounds, 12 pressure plate detonation devices, and various improvised explosive device making components were also recovered in the same district.

The coalition force also discovered four emplaced improvised explosive devices, one rocket propelled grenade warhead with two boosters, multiple radios, one large jug of explosive material and various assortments of wire and small arms ammunition in Panjwai district of Kandahar, the statement added

Ten anti-personnel mines, 11 electrical boxes used as detonation devices, and about 40 meters of detonation cord were seized on Sunday.

—Pajhwok Report

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KANDAHAR: An advisor to the Minister for Borders and Tribal Affairs was shot dead in the southern province of Kandahar, an official said on Sunday.

The incident took place on Saturday evening when militants opened fire on Abdul Baqi Roghbat in the Shikarpur Gate area in the 2nd police district of Kandahar City, the governor’s spokesman said.

Zalmay Ayubi told Pajhwok Afghan News an investigation had been launched into the murder, but no arrest could be made so far.

Roghbat was former director of Kandahar Borders and Tribal Affairs Department, he said.

A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, claimed responsibility for the assassination.

–Bashir Ahmad Naadem

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