Citizens Lead to Weapons Storage Discovery in Afghanistan's Nangahar Province

According to Coalition Joint Forces, ammunition found in a storage area was taken by Afghan National Security Forces in the village of Khana in Nangahar Province.

The operation was organized and run by Afghan National Security Forces, and it was brought about because of a tip that the Security forces were give about a storage area full of ammunition. The Afghan forces searched the area where the tip said that the ammo was located and discovered 70 rocket propelled grenade boosters.

The Small Rewards Program was used to reward the Afghan civilians for their information and help. The program is set up to pay citizens a small fee for information that leads to the discovery of weapons of any kind, including IEDs and bomb making materials. The Small Rewards Program gives locals something for their efforts in helping bring about a safer Iraq and encourages them to continue to provide more in the future.

"Afghan citizens have taken an active role in improving the security and stability in their villages by facilitating the recovery of munitions caches," said Army Major Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force - 82 spokesman. "We value all credible information provided by Afghan citizens and protect their confidentiality."

In other Afghan news, an 8 month old little girl is going to live thanks to an Air Force neurosurgeon that happens to be deployed in Afghanistan at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital.

The girl is from the Parwan Province. Her first stop as a young child was to the El Salem Egyptian Field Hospital when her parents thought that something might be wrong. Her head was growing too big, she was grump constantly, and her eyes didn't seem normal.

The Egyptians could not help and sent her on to the Craig Joint Theater Hospital where Lieutenant Colonel Randall McCafferty met her. After some tests McCafferty determined that there was a cyst called an 'arachnoid cyst growing on her brain causing the abnormal brain function.

The condition causes the cerebrospinal fluid to be blocked and then it progressed into 'water on the brain'. If not treated, it can cause death.