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NATO says major offensive is cornering Taleban
KABUL - NATO said on Tuesday its major offensive to crush a revitalised Taleban in southern Afghanistan is pushing the guerrillas into a corner as heavy fighting continues. We are closing the circle on the Taleban -- we have got the Taleban in a bit of a trap, NATO spokesman Major Quentin Innes said. NATO launched Operation Medusa, its biggest ground offensive against an increasingly active Taleban, last weekend in Kandahar province, the hardline Islamist groups spiritual heartland. The operation is focused on Panjwai district, near the capital, Kandahar city, and is being supported by air strikes. Medusa was launched after NATO forces encountered stiffer-than-expected Taleban resistance as it took over the south from US-led troops, the alliances biggest-ever ground operation. Casualties have been high. NATO says it has killed more than 200 guerrillas, a claim the Taleban disputes. At least five Canadian soldiers have died in combat and 14 British troops were killed when their plane crashed early in the offensive. A Taleban spokesman said civilians had also been killed in the operation but Innes had no reports of civilian casualties. Taleban military chief Mullah Dadullah has threatened to target journalists spreading NATO propaganda. The Taleban says its casualties number barely a dozen.
Fighting across Afghanistan is the worst since US-led forces ousted the Taleban in late 2001. More than 2,000 people, most of them militants, along with scores of civilians and aid workers and hundreds of Afghan security personnel, have been killed so far this year. More than 115 foreign troops have died. NATOs commander in Afghanistan, Lieutenant-General David Richards, has described Medusa as a pivotal campaign in putting down the Taleban to allow vital reconstruction and development. Posted by: Steve 2006-09-05 |
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