Range of IEDs uncovered in Helmand

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- British troops deployed to Afghanistan's volatile Helmand province are calling on local citizens to provide information on where explosive threats are located.

British Marines from the 45 Commando Royal Marines unit, while on an operation with Afghan National Security Forces in the Sangin Valley region, uncovered several improvised explosive devices recently set by the Taliban and other militants, the British Ministry of Defense reported.

Officials say while the IEDs and other explosives are an ongoing threat to International Security Assistance Force units, they are also indiscriminately killing civilians. British troops and the Afghan National Police are calling on anyone with information on the location of explosive threats to come forward.

"The Afghan people must send a clear message to the enemies of Afghanistan that their extremist and violent ways will not succeed here," Col. Sherzad, Afghan chief of police for Helmand province, said in a statement.

"For their own safety and security, the Afghan people must inform the Afghan National Police and army where devices are being laid."