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Tora Bora assault: Allies press air, ground attacks
US and Afghan troops pressed an air and ground assault on Thursday against Al Qaeda militants grouped in the Tora Bora mountains of eastern Afghanistan, the last known hideout of Osama bin Laden.
Afghan media reports said 50 Taliban had been killed but a district governor said these "are only rumours at this stage".
Afghan media reports said 50 Taliban had been killed but a district governor said these "are only rumours at this stage". Local residents said three villages had been bombed by the forces and up to 30 civilians had been killed in the fighting. The US military denied the reports.

Pakistani military said it had reinforced the border to stop militants escaping across the frontier. US military spokeswoman Captain Vanessa Bowman said the operation was intended to disrupt Al Qaeda and other militants in the region. The assault was using precision munitions to avoid civilian casualties, she said, and intelligence indicated the fighters had gathered in dug-in fighting positions.

The US-led coalition here and Afghan officials have reported the emergence of a new anti-government outfit in the area called the Tora Bora Front. The shadowy group is believed to be an Al Qaeda-linked unit set up by the son of Younus Khalis, a key commander in the Afghan resistance to the Soviets, who later joined forces with the Taliban.
If he's not dead yet, Younus must be 158 years old. He was the Count of Jalalabad back in the day.

Posted by: Fred 2007-08-17
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=196368