Afghan and international forces detained several suspected insurgents and seized illegal drugs and enemy weapon stockpiles in recent operations in Afghanistan, military officials reported.

An Afghan-international security force detained a suspected insurgent in the Garmsir district of Helmand province.

In Helmand’s Nad-e Ali district today, an International Security Assistance Force patrol found a weapons cache containing more than 10 pounds of homemade explosives, an 81 mm mortar round, two 60 mm mortar rounds, three 60 mm tail fins, six rocket-propelled grenade motors, a 105 mm artillery round, six RPG cones, pressure-plate devices, command-pull switches and other bomb-making materials.

In Kandahar last night, a combined force captured a Taliban bombing cell leader believed to be responsible for directing roadside-bomb emplacement and coordinating supply issues. Two other insurgents also were captured.

An Afghan-international force in the Terayzai district of Khost province detained several suspected militants last night.

Also last night, a combined force in the Zormat district of Paktia province captured a Taliban subcommander responsible for instructing other militants on building and emplacing roadside bombs and how to conduct bomb-damage assessments.

In the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province yesterday, a combined Afghan-international patrol called for air support after it came under a sustained and intense attack by a large group of insurgents using assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns. ISAF aircraft dropped precision-guided bombs on the positively identified insurgent positions. Damage assessments indicated all of the insurgents were killed.

Combined Afghan-international patrols discovered two significant drug caches in the Bakwah district of Farah province yesterday. The first cache contained 37 pounds of morphine, more than a half-ton of opium, 220 pounds of soda ash, 66 gallons of ammonium hydroxide, 50 bottles of hydrogen chloride, multiple bags of processed heroin, and narcotics-processing equipment.

The second cache, discovered two hours later and about a half-mile away by a separate patrol, contained 10 55-gallon drums of liquid opium, 50 bags of a cutting agent, a large pile of heroin and opium on the ground, pressure cookers with opium cooking inside, scales and narcotics-processing equipment. The drugs and equipment were destroyed on site.

No Afghan civilians were harmed during these operations, officials said.

Afghan and international forces found two enemy weapons stockpiles and a cache of drugs while patrolling together in Afghanistan yesterday, military officials reported.

A combined patrol supporting Operation Moshtarak found a weapons cache in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province. The cache contained two 23 mm artillery shells, four rocket-propelled grenades, an 81 mm mortar, a 105 mm mortar, a 107 mm mortar, two metal rods packed with homemade explosives, two five-gallon jugs filled with homemade explosives, 40 pounds of loose explosives, 2 pounds of TNT, 1 pound of propellant and 20 pressure plates. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the cache.

In the Chorah district of the Uruzgan province, a patrol found a weapons cache containing two bags of homemade explosives, a bag of black powder, eight rounds of ammunition and bomb components.

A combined patrol in the Kash Rod district of Nimroz province found and destroyed 4 pounds of amphetamines, 1 pound of opium and five gallons of acid.

Afghan and international forces seized large quantities of illegal drugs, detained suspected insurgents and seized illegal weapons in recent operations in Afghanistan.

An Afghan-international patrol discovered a large drug cache in the Kash Rod district of Nimroz province today.

The cache contained 55 pounds of wet opium, 100 gallons of liquid morphine, 30 gallons of liquid chemical precursors, 220 pounds of pure heroin and 110 pounds of heroin waste products.

In addition, the cache contained 660 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, a material often used in homemade bombs. The Afghan government outlawed the material in January because of its use by insurgents. This amount of ammonium nitrate could have produced about 1,500 pounds of homemade explosives, officials said. The cache was destroyed by an explosive ordnance disposal team.

Another cache was found in the same district later this afternoon containing 88 pounds of opium gum, 88 pounds of morphine base, 39 gallons of precursor chemicals for opium processing and drug-processing equipment.

In a separate drug find yesterday, a combined patrol in the Reg-e Khan Neshin district of Helmand found about 200 pounds of marijuana, almost 50 pounds of hashish and 100 pounds of seeds. Three suspects were detained.

In other recent operations:

– An Afghan-international security force detained suspected insurgents today in a rural area of the Nawah-ye Barakzai district of Helmand province.

– Another combined force in Helmand today detained two suspected insurgents outside the town of Khugyani Gundey in the Nahr-e Saraj district.

– In Khost province last night, an Afghan-international security force outside the town of Surwapan Tuy in the Sabari district captured several insurgents and found multiple rifles, shotguns and grenades.

– In a separate Khost operation yesterday, a combined force near the village of Karizownah in the Sabari district detained several suspected insurgents, including a known Haqqani terrorist network facilitator responsible for the purchase and movement of weapons.

– International forces found 24 Chinese mortar grenades yesterday in Ghazni province. The munitions were destroyed by an explosive ordnance disposal team.

Combined Afghan-international operations in Afghanistan have killed several insurgents in recent days and led to drug and weapons confiscations, military officials reported.

A combined patrol operating in the Koti village of Kapisa province Feb. 27 used intelligence information to conduct an operation against an insurgent leader responsible for supplying weapons and equipment used in attacks against Afghan forces and members of the International Security Assistance Force.

During the operation, several armed men were observed near the compound. When the men displayed hostile intent, the patrol took defensive measures, killing several of the men.

Throughout the operation, Afghan National Police protected two women and two children in an adjacent compound. No civilians were injured.

Also on Feb. 27, a combined force operating in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province discovered a large amount of drugs. Led by Afghan National Police, the patrol discovered about 1,700 pounds of hashish on the trailer of a broken tractor. The drugs were confiscated and moved to a nearby police compound.

In another operation, Afghan forces turned a large weapons cache over to an ISAF explosive ordnance disposal team in the Bala Boluk district of Farah province yesterday. The cache consisted of three rockets, three mortar rounds, 30 hand grenades, 24 rocket-propelled grenade warheads, more than 700 large-caliber machine gun rounds, a pistol and a radio.

Another combined force captured two militants in a compound while pursuing a Taliban commander in Kandahar city last night. The force also found assault rifles, pistols, grenades and 200 blank identification cards.

A combined patrol destroyed four 107 mm rockets found in the Gelan district of Ghazni province yesterday.

No shots were fired and no Afghan civilians were harmed during the operations.

On Feb. 24, Afghan National Police, assisted by international forces, recovered two weapons caches after insurgents attacked a police checkpoint in Daykundi province. The caches, discovered in two locations, were found after insurgents engaged a checkpoint with machine-gun fire. The police returned fire and cleared a compound from which insurgents were seen firing.

The police discovered two assault rifles, two machine guns, a shotgun and about 5,000 rounds of ammunition. After searching the immediate area, the police also found 1,100 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which the Afghan government banned in January because it can be used to make explosives. The ammonium nitrate was destroyed on site with no injury to civilians or damage to property.

Combined Afghan and international patrols uncovered six caches scattered throughout Afghanistan yesterday, netting rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds, rifles and a multitude of other weapons.

A combined patrol found a weapons cache in Nuristan province last night. The cache consisted of 12 107 mm rockets, two rocket-propelled grenades and two recoilless rifle rounds.

An Afghan civilian led a patrol to a weapons cache in Wardak province, yesterday. The cache contained four 122 mm rockets.

In Helmand province yesterday:

– An Afghan civilian told a combined patrol about a weapons cache buried in a field. The patrol found 22 mortar rounds.

– Another security force found 12 recoilless rifle rounds, eight mortar rounds, an illumination round and a weapons tripod.

– A combined patrol with Operation Moshtarak found a cache containing 10 pounds of rocket propellant, a pressure plate and two mortar rounds.

– Another patrol in the same district received a tip from an Afghan civilian about a cache. The cache contained 20 pressure plates, command wires and explosives.

All of the weapons found have been or will be destroyed, officials said.

Afghan and international forces captured two suspected enemy subcommanders and seized caches of weapons and drugs in recent operations in Afghanistan, military officials reported.

An Afghan-international force captured a Haqqani terrorist network subcommander responsible for coordinating attacks on Afghan and coalition forces during a combined operation last night in the Sabari district of Afghanistan’s Khost province. The captured subcommander also is accused of arranging delivery of weapons to other Haqqani network operatives. The combined force also detained a pair of other suspected insurgents.

In the Wali Mohammad Shaheed district of Ghazni province yesterday, a combined force captured a Taliban subcommander accused of leading rocket attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and being involved with operational planning and the movement of weapons. Another suspected insurgent also was detained.

International Security Assistance Force servicemembers on a routine patrol in Helmand province today seized 800 pounds of marijuana, 600 pounds of marijuana seeds and 200 pounds of opium seeds. They detained two suspects and turned them over to Afghan authorities, and the drugs were destroyed.

In the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province yesterday, an International Security Assistance Force patrol found five mortar shells, a missile, a radio, binoculars and numerous bomb-making components. A combined Afghan-international patrol in the same district found a 108 mm illumination bomb, two rockets and two 40 mm bombs.

Afghan and international forces seized enemy weapons and killed insurgent attackers in operations in Afghanistan in recent days, military officials reported.

The Afghan National Army, supported by an international security patrol, destroyed 16 rockets and a mortar round in Kandahar province Feb. 7 and yesterday.

The Afghan soldiers were patrolling near Darivshan village when they received a tip about a weapons cache from an Afghan civilian. The soldiers went to the site and recovered 16 107 mm rockets. The following day, the same patrol element found an 82 mm mortar round in a garden near Shotor Gardon village.

An Afghan-led patrol in Paktika province yesterday found a large weapons cache after receiving a tip from a local resident in the Wazah Khwah district. The cache contained 54 artillery rounds, four mortar rounds and 18 fuses.

Also yesterday, a combined Afghan-international patrol discovered more than 20 mortar rounds in the Garm Ser district of Helmand province. Another combined patrol found 11 hand grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade round in the province’s Kajaki district.

In a Feb. 6 operation in Helmand’s Garm Ser district, an International Security Assistance Force patrol found 83 artillery rounds in a field.

On Feb. 5, an Afghan-international security force in the Musa Qaleh district of Helmand province killed two insurgents who attacked them with small-arms fire. Later, the force was engaged by more small-arms fire from different locations. A sniper supporting the patrol returned fire, killing another insurgent.

In another operation Feb. 5, a combined force found about 1,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition, a belt of shotgun rounds, assault-rifle magazines and binoculars in Helmand’s Garm Ser district of Helmand province.