Troops uncover weapons cache in school

BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Following a daylong battle in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province, Afghan police and coalition forces uncovered a munitions cache in a school.

Officials say Afghan police and coalition forces were acting on intelligence that militants were operating in the Deh Rawood district of Uruzgan province when a firefight began a daylong battle with insurgents. The militants fired on troops from positions on a hillside with small-arms and rocket-propelled-grenade fire, the Combined Joint Force-82 reported.

"Coalition aircraft dropped precision-guided munitions on the fighting positions, eliminating the threat; however, reinforcements from a nearby village began firing on the ground forces," the release said.

Following the air support officials say the combined forces searched the area when they found 15 boxes of automatic machine gun ammunition and 20 rocket-propelled grenades hidden in the boys' school.

"Hiding weapons in a school is a clear indication the insurgents have no concern for the citizens of Afghanistan," Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force-82 spokesman, said in a statement. "Insurgents continue to threaten security in Uruzgan province. Afghan national security forces will continue to pursue the insurgents throughout the winter and the insurgents will not receive any respite."