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U.S. forces strike eastern Afghan compoundArea near where U.S. soldier was killed in weekend firefight
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (CNN) -- U.S. Special Forces raided a compound in eastern Afghanistan near where a fellow soldier was killed in a weekend attack by suspected Taliban or al Qaeda fighters, a U.S. Army spokesman said Tuesday. "[Monday] night, coalition forces conducted a raid in the vicinity of the ambush site," said Maj. Bryan Hilferty, without elaborating. "No shots were fired, and no one was detained. However, we did gain some intelligence." Sgt. Gene Arden Vance Jr., 38, of Morgantown, West Virginia, died of gunshot wounds Sunday after being ambushed in eastern Afghanistan, according to Hilferty. Vance was a member of the 19th Special Forces Group of the West Virginia National Guard.
An allied Afghan fighter also was wounded during the firefight near the village of Shkin. "Sgt. Vance's death, as well as his dedicated service, strengthens our resolve in pursuit of the terrorists, terrorist networks and those who harbor them," Hilferty said. The Special Forces were taking part in Operation Mountain Lion -- designed to locate, isolate and destroy al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan. "We had a mounted patrol operating in the area," said Gen. Gregory S. Newbold, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff during a briefing Monday. "It was Afghanistan military forces with U.S. Special Forces. As they moved through an area, they were surveilling, they were taken under fire and rounds struck the vehicle, hitting the soldier and one of the Afghan soldiers at the same time." Newbold said allied forces returned fire, killing at least one enemy soldier. |
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