AFGHANISTAN: ISAF SPOKESMAN MAJOR STEVE ODELL SAYS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST FIVE SMALL EXPLOSIONS IN THE LAST TEN DAYS IN KABUL
Record ID:
640524
AFGHANISTAN: ISAF SPOKESMAN MAJOR STEVE ODELL SAYS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST FIVE SMALL EXPLOSIONS IN THE LAST TEN DAYS IN KABUL
- Title: AFGHANISTAN: ISAF SPOKESMAN MAJOR STEVE ODELL SAYS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST FIVE SMALL EXPLOSIONS IN THE LAST TEN DAYS IN KABUL
- Date: 27th August 2002
- Summary: (W5) KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AUGUST 26, 2002) (REUTERS) SLV EXTERIOR OF UNITED NATIONS GUESTHOUSE AFTER SMALL BOMB EXPLOSION ON SUNDAY NIGHT; MV SIGN OF UNITED NATION STAFF HOUSE (2 SHOTS) SLV POLICE VEHICLE WITH SECURITY AT THE EXPLOSION SITE; MV POLICEMEN AT THE SITE (4 SHOTS) (W5) KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AUGUST 25, 2002) (REUTERS) SLV NIGHT VIEWS OF EXPLOSION SITE NEXT TO THE UNITED NATION GUESTHOUSE; SLV POLICE OFFICERS AT SITE; SLV INVESTIGATOR AT SITE OF EXPLOSION; SLV POLICE VEHICLE ARRIVING AT SITE OF INCIDENT; SLV POLICEMEN LOOKING ON (3 SHOTS) (W5) KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AUGUST 26, 2002) (REUTERS) SLV ISAF SPOKESMAN GETTING READY FOR COMMAND (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAJOR STEVE ODELL, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE SPOKESMAN SAYING: "Obviously, this is a series of small explosions that has been happening over the last ten twelve days or so. As far as we are aware, none have been designed to injure or to do serious damage to the property, our assessment is that there have been very small quantities of explosive material placed in areas that generally people don't go to, and none has actually caused serious damage that we have seen, so we are a little bit concerned that this is happening obviously and we will definitely be looking into is why this is happening and so on." SLV SITE OF SECOND EXPLOSION NEAR INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL; SLV DAMAGED WALL FROM EXPLOSION; SLV RUBBLE FROM EXPLOSION; SLV EXTERIOR OF THE EXPLOSION SITE NEAR INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL (4 SHOTS)
- Embargoed: 11th September 2002 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KABUL AND BAGRAM AIRBASE, AFGHANISTAN
- Country: Afghanistan
- Topics: General,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA6AC6FX1HKQ8TWXTU8W5KUOEVA
- Story Text: A small explosion has shaken central Kabul, just hours after a minor blast outside a nearby U.N. guest house, international peacekeepers in Afghanistan said.
Meanwhile, U.S military sources say they have concluded Operation "Mountain Sweep," which was aimed at finding remaining al Qaeda elements and search for weapons caches.
Major Steve Odell, spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told a news briefing that there had been at least five small explosions in Kabul over the last 10 days.
"None have been devised to injure or do serious damage to property," he said.
However, according to Odell, two Afghans were injured in the blast late on Sunday outside a U.N. compound.
A small explosive device weighing an estimated 0.5 kg (one lb) went off in a dustbin at around 8 p.m. (1530 GMT).
There was a second blast in the early hours of Monday not far from the Inter-Continental Hotel, although ISAF was not sure whether it involved a bomb.
"There is a large quantity of explosive material available in Kabul," Odell said. "This could be a prank or it could be a larger group. We don't know."
ISAF has nearly 5,000 troops patrolling Kabul, where blasts, assassinations and assassination attempts still undermine stability nearly 10 months after the fall of the Taliban militia.
In the meantime, U.S.-led coalition forces on Monday wound up their latest major mission to destroy pockets of al Qaeda resistance in southeastern Afghanistan with the arrest of 10 suspects.
But despite involving five combat air assaults and three major marches through southeastern Afghanistan, the week-long Operation Mountain Sweep apparently failed to inflict significant direct damage on its target.
U.S. military spokesman Colonel Roger King said at Bagram Air Base just north of Kabul that 2,000 coalition troops, including Afghan militia, uncovered five weapons caches and two sets of documents belonging to the ousted Taliban regime.
U.S. forces came under fire twice during Operation Mountain Sweep, suffering no battle casualties, but two Afghan fighters were killed in an exchange of fire outside the southern city of Kandahar last week.
Two of their attackers were also killed and one was wounded.
The operation was the latest by U.S.-led troops to sweep through eastern and southeastern Afghanistan to root out elements of the Taliban and the al Qaeda network who fled through the areas after the fall of Kabul late last year.
U.S. special forces soldiers in Khost, in the Paktia Region, told Reuters late last week that they believed al Qaeda groups were still hiding in the area.
King said the weapons caches seized or destroyed consisted of one anti-aircraft artillery gun, two 82 mm mortars with 120 bombs, five cases of 81 mm mortar bombs, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers with 22 rounds and various machinegun ammunition.
"Some of the unique aspects of these caches were that seven women in the village in Narizah were found to be carrying nine RPG rounds hidden under their burqas, and one of the mortar round caches was booby-trapped with improvised explosive devices," King said.
"That cache was blown in place by explosive ordnance disposal specialists. Coalition forces took ten persons under control during this operation. Though taken under fire on two occasions, U.S. forces suffered no battle casualties," King said.
Soldiers who had taken part in Operation Mountain Sweep were relaxing at Bagram airbase on Monday. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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