Military

DATE= 03/13/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-287486

TITLE=AFGHAN FIGHTING (S ONLY)

BYLINE=GARY THOMAS

DATELINE=KABUL

CONTENT=

VOICE AT:

INTRO: American-led forces claim to have cleared a contested area of eastern Afghanistan of all but a small number of Taleban and al-Qaida fighters. V-O-A Correspondent Gary Thomas reports from Kabul.

TEXT: A U-S military spokesman says coalition forces have seized virtually all of the Shah-e-Kot Valley and that only about 100 al-Qaida and Taleban forces remain in the area.

The final push came in a two-pronged offensive launched Tuesday by Afghan fighters, after another ferocious bombardment of the area by American bombers. They encountered little resistance.

Speaking at Bagram air base, Major Bryan Hilferty said U-S troops and Afghan local fighters secured a strategic ridge known as "the Whale" -- so named because it looks like a large marine creature, from the air. He says the next step is to make sure the entire area is secure. Still, he says the operation dubbed "Anaconda" is winding down. He says there are other al-Qaida pockets in Afghanistan that need to be rooted out.

Operation Anaconda began March Second, as a bid to clear the area in Paktia Province of what American officials say was a reconstituted joint Taleban / al-Qaida force. The initial attack stalled, but resistance melted in the onslaught of U-S firepower. (signed)

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