Afghan army destroys Taliban landmine cache in mountainous province
Xinhua,January 10, 2018 Adjust font size:
KABUL, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers have found and destroyed a Taliban landmine cache in eastern province of Kapisa, an army source said on Wednesday.
"The ANA soldiers together with police and intelligence agency personnel launched a joint operation in Kapisa on Tuesday. The joint forces found a cache in village Wali Dad Khil, Tagab district in the province," army's Corps 201 Selab based in the region said.
An army engineering team destroyed the cache, consisting of 37 rounds of different type of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and landmines, before the operation ended in the province, 65 km north of Kabul, the statement read.
Taliban militants and Islamic State fighters have been using IEDs to make roadside bombs and landmines for targeting security forces, but the lethal home-made weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.
Some 2,640 civilians were killed and over 5,370 others injured in conflict-related incidents in the first nine months of 2017, according to United Nations mission's figures.
The IED and landmine explosions were the third largest cause of civilians' casualties following ground fighting and suicide attacks across the country. Enditem