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http://au.news.yahoo.com/060412/19/yl03.html
Thursday April 13, 02:56 AM
Six insurgents killed in Afghanistan as troops launch new operation (snipped)
KABUL (AFP) - Afghan and coalition soldiers killed six insurgents in eastern Afghanistan as they launched a new 2,500-troop operation with predawn air and ground strikes, the US military said.
The insurgents were killed as part of Operation Mountain Lion in eastern Kunar province, where seven children were killed Tuesday in a rocket attack blamed on militants allied to the ousted Taliban regime.
"The operation began with predawn air and ground assaults today (Wednesday) in the Pech River Valley, an area notorious for terrorist activity," the US-led coalition said in a statement.
The insurgents were killed in a neighbouring district of the province, which borders Pakistan.
The operation, involving 2,500 troops from the Afghan army and various coalition regiments, aimed to "disrupt insurgents' activities, deny them sanctuary and prevent their ability to resupply," it said.
It was a "comprehensive effort to kill, incapacitate or capture terrorists operating in the region" that would continue "as long as necessary." . . .