US soldiers fear they may have missed militants on mountain

Militants are still hiding on a south east Afghan mountain range despite a careful cave-clearing operation by US forces, according to American troops who have spent days trying to capture enemy forces.

“I think they’re hiding in little nooks and stuff,” said Capt Rob Shaw of the 82nd Airborne Division.

American soldiers “would clear a cave, announce it good and blow it, and then the next day see a guy coming out of the same cave.”

US forces use dynamite to blow up the caves but they are deep and difficult to destroy.

About 500 US soldiers were sent to the area around the mountain, called Adi Ghar, on January 27 after a devastating airstrike by US and coalition aircraft that killed at least 18 militants.

Nine days later, all 75 caves in the area had been checked by soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division. During the operation, US troops reported being fired on by a gunman, who escaped. Later they spotted another man armed with an AK-47 rifle. Cooking smoke has also been seen coming from one of the caves. But no-one was captured.

The Adi Ghar mountain range and the nearby Towr Ghar mountains sit on the Pakistan border. The nearest main road connects the town of Spinboldak to the city of Kandahar, an area that coalition troops still consider dangerous.

“We believe they still want this area because it’s important to them, because of the proximity to the Pakistan border, and this road is one of the few working channels of communication in the country,” Lt Col Charlie Flynn, battalion commander for the operation.

The US base of operations in the area is pitched on a broad sandy plain a few kilometres south of the Adi Ghar range and is relatively exposed. Soldiers say they are sure enemy forces have been watching them.

“It’s a little strange to be in an area where you know the enemy has done good reconnaissance on you,” Shaw said. ”And these guys are starting to get comfortable, which is dangerous.”