US troops continue cave-clearing operations

(2 Feb 2003)

1. Chinook helicopter on ground after dropping US soldiers at area of operation (north of Spinboldak)
2. Chinook helicopters leaving area and US soldiers on the ground
3. Close shot US soldiers taking position on ground
4. Long shot US soldiers near entrances to caves
5. Mid shot US soldiers entering cave
6. Wide shot cave - UPSOUND: commander giving instructions before controlled explosion, then thick black smoke rises as cave explodes
7. Mid shot of explosion
8. US soldiers in position
9. Wide shot of US army engineering team putting explosives in the cave
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Captain Andrew Zieseni, US Commander:
"What we're doing right now is sweeping through the area, we're destroying the caves, gathering any type of caches or intelligence that we can use to help in the war against terrorism. And if we run across them we are able to engage them and destroy the Taliban."
11. Wide shot another cave being destroyed by controlled explosion
12. US soldiers walking up mountains

STORYLINE:

U-S soldiers checked mountain caves for enemy forces in southeastern Afghanistan on Saturday - part of an ongoing operation following the fiercest battle in Afghanistan involving US ground forces in nearly a year.

The day before (January 31) a US military spokesman said American soldiers found stashes of cooking oil, food, boots and rockets in nearby caves, evidence a hostile group may have been using the complex as a supply hub.

The mountain fight started earlier in the week when a patrol of US Special Forces soldiers and Afghan militia checked a mud-walled compound near the southeast town of Spinboldak.

They were fired upon and in the ensuing fire-fight, one rebel was killed, another injured and a third was captured. Under interrogation, the captured man said that in a nearby mountain they would find 80 armed men.

Apache helicopters were sent to the area and were fired on by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms according to the US military. Back-up arrived within minutes and the Apaches were joined by B-1 bombers, F-16 fighters flown by the Norwegian Air Force, AC-130 gunships and more Apaches.

The assault on Adi Ghar mountain had begun.

By dawn on Tuesday (January 28) at least 18 rebels had been killed. There were no reports of coalition casualties.

The US military believes the mountain fighters are linked to renegade Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and possibly also to remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaida.

Saturday's clearing operation is part of the ongoing operation to find enemy fighters. US soldiers destroyed many of the caves in controlled explosions.

Helicopters are resupplying forces on the ground and providing close air support during the operation.

The caves are 45 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Spinboldak. US soldiers maintain a large base in the southern city of Kandahar, about 145 kilometres (90 miles) to the west.

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