US Military Operation Targets al-Qaida in Eastern Afghanistan
15 August 2007
The U.S. military says hundreds of U.S. soldiers have launched an offensive against al-Qaida and other extremists in eastern Afghanistan.
U.S.-led coalition spokesman Captain Vanessa Bowman told VOA Afghan forces are fighting alongside U.S. troops, who began the operation several days ago in the Tora Bora region of Nangarhar province.
Bowman says there are no confirmed reports of casualties so far.
She said the remote and mountainous terrain of Tora Bora has provided an ideal environment for militants to plan and launch attacks against Afghan civilians and U.S. and NATO forces.
Tora Bora, near the border with Pakistan, was heavily bombarded in late 2001 by U.S. troops hunting for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden following the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States. Bin Laden is believed to have escaped.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, three German policemen were killed earlier Wednesday when a roadside bomb hit their diplomatic convoy near Kabul.
A fourth German policeman was injured. The Taleban has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The men were deployed to Afghanistan to protect the German ambassador.
There are currently around 3,000 German troops serving with the NATO mission in Afghanistan.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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