Saturday, March 18, 2006

Citizen Tip Leads to IED in Afghan Mosque

Thanks to a tip by a local Afghan citizen, coalition forces disarmed an improvised explosive device that had been placed in a mosque in the Pachir Wa Agam District of Nangarhar Province yesterday, officials in Kabul, Afghanistan, reported.

The Afghan citizen disclosed the IED's location to Afghan National Police officers, who in turn notified coalition forces. With permission from local religious leaders, explosive ordnance specialists entered the mosque and rendered the bomb harmless.

"The emplacement of an IED in a mosque or any other public building... target innocent Afghan citizens is a heinous act," said Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, spokesman for the coalition's Combined Joint Task Force-76.

"That an Afghan citizen sought the help of [his country's] police and coalition forces clearly shows that the country is united and confident in its stand against extremists," he said.
(Above courtesy of DoD - American Forces Press Service and taken from a Combined Forces Command Afghanistan news release)

No comments: