Bragg-based soldiers raid villages

[SR-25]

Special Forces soldiers from Fort Bragg raided two villages in Afghanistan in an effort to keep Taliban guerrillas off balance.

The soldiers didn't encounter any enemy forces, but they said such raids keep the guerrillas jumping, The Fayetteville Observer reported Sunday.

The operation on Friday was part of a two-week special operations campaign targeting militias in the Zabul province along the border with Pakistan.

Lt. Col. Joe Osborne, deputy commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan, said the Special Forces soldiers are trying to eliminate the militias.

He said Special Forces soldiers are well-suited for the mission because they are able to eliminate the guerrillas in a "surgical fashion without making new enemies."

On Friday, after searching for guerrillas, the Green Berets took time to talk with villagers and hand out candy to children. The raid came a few weeks after Rozi Khan, the leader of the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, was killed by special operations soldiers.

Khan was suspected of kidnapping aid workers and financing attacks on U.S. forces, including a roadside bomb that killed two Special Forces soldiers from Fort Bragg in May.

The Zabul province has remained a guerrilla stronghold since American and Afghan forces ousted the Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists almost three years ago.

Officials worry about a surge of violence in the region as the Oct. 9 presidential election approaches.

The Special Forces soldiers led the dawn raid, landing in three C-47 Chinook cargo helicopters on the outskirts of the village.

About 30 soldiers in the Afghan National Army assisted in the raid.

Led by the Green Berets, the Afghan soldiers searched each compound for weapons and Taliban fighters. Guerrillas are known to come into the villages in the evenings to rest, then leave at first light.