"insurgents Use Vehicle Bomb to Attack Kandahar Airfield
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force and ISAF Joint Command News Releases
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2012 - Insurgents detonated a vehicle-borne bomb outside an entry control point at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.
The attack resulted in the deaths and injuries of a number of civilians, officials said. Currently, officials added, there are no confirmed reports of injuries to International Security Assistance Force troops or Afghan security forces.
ISAF and Afghan security forces are gathering more facts and will release more information as appropriate, officials said, noting that ISAF's immediate concerns are for those killed or injured and their families.
In other Afghanistan news today:
-- A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban leader and seized drugs in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province. The leader built bombs and directed insurgents in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force confiscated about 15 pounds of opium and detained another suspected insurgent during the operation.
-- In the Baghlan-e Jadid district of Baghlan province, a combined force captured a Taliban leader and detained several suspects. The leader operated a bomb-making cell and conducted attacks against Afghan forces.
-- A combined force captured a Taliban leader and detained several suspects in Kandahar's Panjwai district. The insurgent leader operated a bomb-making cell and stored explosives for use in attacks throughout the region.
-- A combined force captured an insurgent leader in the Mehtar Lam district of Lagham province. The leader supported Taliban fighters, planted roadside bombs and coordinated attacks against coalition forces.
In Afghanistan news yesterday:
-- Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, ISAF commander, condemned a suicide attack in the Kajaki Sofla bazaar that killed and injured dozens of Afghan civilians, Afghan security forces and ISAF members. The general offered condolences to victims and their families, and said such attacks further isolate the Taliban from the peace negotiation process. They also indicate that Taliban leader Mohammed Omar has no influence over insurgents, he added. "Mullah Omar has lost all control over Taliban insurgents," Allen said in a written statement. "Otherwise, he would immediately denounce these attacks and order his 'forces' to stop attacking innocent Afghan civilians."
-- In the Ghazni district of Ghazni province, an Afghan-led and coalition-supported force captured a Taliban facilitator and detained a suspect. The leader planned and facilitated bomb attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.
-- A combined force in the Kabul district of Kabul province found and destroyed 50 107 mm rockets, 50 rocket boosters, 25 rocket fuses and several anti-aircraft rounds."
