U.S. raid on Afghan weapons cache incites protests

U.S. forces conducted a raid to destroy a cache of weapons north of Kabul early on Monday morning, a U.S. army spokesman said, giving rare details of unilateral activity in Afghanistan.

Afghan residents took to the streets in Parwan province in protest, briefly obstructing the highway to the capital.

Solo U.S. operations are legal under a bilateral security agreement the two nations signed last year, but only in exceptional circumstances.

"U.S. Forces conducted an operation ... to destroy a cache of munitions that could be used to conduct attacks against Afghans and Coalition Forces," public affairs director Colonel Brian Tribus said.

Little is known about the activities of U.S. counter-terrorism troops that have been authorised to continue fighting the Taliban and other militants after the NATO combat mission officially ended last year.  Local authorities complained they had not been consulted ahead of time.

Afghanistan’s chief executive Abdullah Abdullah said the government had launched an investigation and promised to defend “the values of the jihad and the prestige of the mujahideen”.

U.S. army spokesman Tribus said the operation was conducted in keeping with bilateral military agreements.  These include provisions to fight the Taliban and other militants, and protect coalition forces.

The weapons were stored at a house owned by former anti-Soviet mujahideen commander Jan Ahmad in Charikar district, according to the governor’s office in Parwan.  - Read More at U.S. raid

U.S. raid on Afghan weapons cache incites protests

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