Associated Press
PAKTIA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – In a thunderous blast heard and seen for miles, coalition forces blew up four caves Friday packed with tens of thousands of rockets, shells and grenades that once belonged to the Taliban – and were apparently still being used.
“There’s no way they’ll be able to go in there and use those caves now,” said Sgt. Iain Murison from Britain’s 59 Commando as a huge dust cloud spread across the desolate hills and valleys of southeastern Afghanistan.
About 220 pounds of plastic explosives, fortified with anti-tank mines, were set off by remote control after people were evacuated from within a mile of the caves.
Ordnance inside the manmade caves continued to explode for hours; at least three rockets shot out and went whizzing across the sky.
British forces found the cache earlier this week. The caves are 6 to 9 feet high and about 100 to 150 feet deep. Near Soram, south of Gardez, they were hacked out years ago by Muslim fighters and then taken over by the Taliban. Marks from pickaxes were still visible on the walls.
The caves were sealed shut with metal doors, but at least one was left open – apparently by guards hired by local warlords who fled when the British troops approached, said Lt. Col. Tim Chicken, commander of the 45 Commando.
“You can see things have been moved around recently, but we don’t know by whom,” he said. “Dust has been disturbed and stuff’s been dragged outside.”
The area near the Afghan border has been beset by factional fighting, including artillery duels between warlords.
Most of the materiel, stacked floor to ceiling, was Chinese or Russian-made, Murison said. He estimated the total at more than 20 truckloads, including 30,000 to 40,000 rockets, mortar shells and projectiles.
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