Brigadier James Cowan (right), Commander of Task Force Helmand, looks over the insurgent cache seized by Afghan and British forces during a patrol in the Nad 'Ali district
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
The seizure, part of Operation MOSHTARAK, included heroin, fake Afghan National Army (ANA), Afghan National Police, and American uniforms, improvised explosive device components, mobile phones, sirens, various boots, and batteries.
Brigadier James Cowan, Commander of Task Force Helmand, visited the compound to review the contents of the find and he personally expressed his gratitude to his ANA counterparts.
The confiscated materials will be the subject of forensic and contamination tests, aiding the coalition effort, said Sergeant Matthew Nichol, a Platoon Sergeant with 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards.
After British troops cleared the compound, Afghan soldiers from the 6th Kandak, 2nd Brigade, began searching it. It was unit medic Mirafghan who happened upon the cache whilst looking around the compound. He said:
Mirafghan, an Afghan National Army medic, guards the insurgent cache he helped discover during a clearing operation in the Nad 'Ali district
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
"This find is an important step in bringing security to Helmand and all Afghanistan. The insurgents use the uniforms to attack our bases and our government here and in Kabul, and they use much of this equipment to plant IEDs.
"We are grateful that ISAFÂ is helping us win back this area for our country," he added.
ISAF may be helping, said Sgt Nichol, but it's a mutual respect between the armies that carries the day:
"The ANA are warriors, and we're warriors. We've been in many battles together. What we expect from the ANA is high standards, totally professional, and they respect that," he said.
Sadly one Afghan soldier was killed in the operation.