Afghan National Security Forces, together with their partners from the Special Operations Task Group, have discovered a substantial weapons and munitions cache in Tarin Kot.
The cache, found during an intelligence led cordon and search mission in the Tarin Kot district of Uruzgan Province, included over 100,000 rounds of ammunition, 400 rocket propelled grenade rockets, 200 AK-47 magazines, 100 bayonets, 30 rifles, five rocket propelled grenade launch units, four rocket propelled grenade fuel cells, three Blowpipe missiles and three shoulder launched high explosive anti-tank rockets.
The cache contents were destroyed in place by the Army engineers through a controlled detonation.
Special Operations Task Group Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel J, said insurgents had gone to great lengths to hide the weaponry.
“The compound contained a hidden room with the door sealed over with concrete, so it was obvious the owners placed a high value on what was inside,” he said.
“All soldiers on the ground, and the engineers especially, did a remarkable job in finding the cache as it was extremely well hidden.”
Lieutenant Colonel J said the destruction of the munitions would be a massive blow to the insurgency.
“That amount of weaponry takes a very long time to acquire and costs a lot of money,” he said.
“By finding and destroying that cache we have reduced the ability of the insurgents to fight their summer campaign.
“This mission is the perfect example of the ability of the Afghan National Security Force and Special Operations Task Group to degrade insurgent leadership lines of funding and equipment.”
The recent successes of ANSF and SOTG operations, along with the continuing strong progress made by the Mentoring Task Force, is a positive step in the transition process through which security responsibility will be transferred from ISAF to the ANSF.