Snipe hunt uncovers ammo dumps

Associated Press

BAGRAM, Afghanistan — British troops in eastern Afghanistan have found caves filled with anti-tank and anti-aircraft ammunition, and local residents said the caves were used by al-Qaida and Taliban fighters, a senior British commander said Thursday.

The four munitions-laden caves were found by a British-led 1,000-man force as it advanced across a mountainous area in Paktika province, Brig. Roger Lane said. British officials have until now refused to give any indication of the operation’s location, other than saying it was being searched for the first time by coalition forces.

The province, which is on the eastern border with Pakistan, is south of the area where U.S.-led forces have been concentrating their search for fugitive Taliban and al-Qaida fighters.

The British-led mission, dubbed Operation Snipe, began last week. Lane said troops had "now worked through a very sizable portion" of the area.

Lane said the caves, each about 7 feet high and 30 feet deep, were sealed by metal doors with padlocks on them. Bomb disposal experts will check for booby traps before British troops enter them.

"This a prime example of how operations like Snipe, by destroying their logistic supplies, we can disrupt their operation and we can deny them access to a safe haven for subsequent terrorist operations," Lane said.

Lane said intelligence reports indicated activity in one of the caves recently, and troops on the ground had found munitions that were left outside it, but he gave no other details. He said it was an area in which local warlords had "demilitarized" to ease local tensions.

Lane, who commands about 1,700 British troops based at Bagram air base, said Wednesday the war against al-Qaida and Taliban fighters inside Afghanistan was "all but won" and offensive operations by the U.S.-led coalition were winding down as a result. British troops have yet to make any contact with the enemy, he said.

U.S. military spokesman Maj. Bryan Hilferty said 200 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines had been seized Wednesday by coalition troops in a separate operation south of Gardez.