Team works to counter bombing activity on critical Afghan route

[Sergeant Major]

With at least 10 improvised explosive devices found and detonated in recent weeks on a key route leaders prepared to travel along on June 13, Soldiers in Afghanistan's Wardak province set up a traffic checkpoint.

More...

[AyatollahGondola]

As vehicles approached, the checkpoint team motioned for the drivers to steer onto the shoulder. When the automobile came to a halt, Sgt. Jason McDonald, a 4-25th gunner, gave instructions to an interpreter to pass on to the driver.

"Tell him to shut off the vehicle and to pop the hood, then tell them they all need to get out and move over there," McDonald directed.

The Afghans followed instructions and moved away from their car. Spc. Michael Ung, a personal security gunner, was waiting to search them.

"You never know what they might be carrying on them," said Sgt. Talalelei Upuese of the counter-IED team. "This allows us to pat them down to see if we can detect any illegal substances they may be trying to conceal in their clothes."

As the Afghans were being searched and questioned, Soldiers performed detailed inspections of the vehicles that included opening compartments, checking under the seats and looking through various sacks and boxes.

"They can hide all sorts of things in various places," Upuese said. "We have to be thorough, because if we miss something, it could lead to bad results for other people down the road."

From another location, Sgt. Bill Hunter motioned to the interpreter to escort one of the men over to his area, where he was waiting with hand-held interagency identity detection equipment that allows servicemembers to input Afghans' personal information into a universal data system.

"There are more than 10,000 fingerprints on file in this system," Hunter said. "We check their fingerprints and do retinal scans to see if we can match them with the information stored in here. If we determine they are a 'high risk' person, we can detain them."

As the counter-IED team worked its way through the line of small cars, buses and trucks, Lebron expressed his pleasure with his troops' performance.

Glad to see we're bringing freedom to Afghanistan Sergeant Major

You're not going to liberate us here in the states that way I hope.....