WASHINGTON- One American was killed and a number injured in an assault on Taliban and al-Qaida fighters regrouping in eastern Afghanistan, the Pentagon said Saturday.
Two Afghan fighters also were killed and an unknown number injured in an operation that began Friday night south of Gardez, the Pentagon said.
The casualties came during the largest U.S.-led ground operation in the anti-terror campaign since December, military officials said.
The battle plan called for a combination of American special forces and Army 101st Airborne assault troops fighting alongside Afghan allies on the ground with U.S. bombing support from the air, said Pentagon officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.
It appeared the U.S.-backed Afghans made little headway against al-Qaida and Taliban defenders on the first day of an offensive.
Afghan forces broke off the attack in early afternoon and withdrew, possibly to allow U.S. bombers to soften up Taliban and al-Qaida positions overnight. Heavy bombers could be heard flying toward the area late Saturday.
Even before word of the casualties, the new operation reinforced what the Pentagon long has maintained - that the war against terrorism in Afghanistan was far from over.
The most recent and largest sustained bombing was in January, when warplanes bombed caves and exploded enemy weapons and ammunition for more than a week at Zawar Kili - where intelligence officials said al-Qaida and Taliban were regrouping.
The new offensive opened near Gardez, in the eastern part of the country, and were backed by 60 American and 600 Afghans on the ground, Afghan officials said.
Afghan fighters interviewed in Gardez said the Americans told them there were about 4,000 al-Qaida and Taliban warriors holed up in the eastern mountains.
The last known ground operation was on Jan. 23 when U.S. special forces raided on a compound where the United States mistakenly believed enemy figures were holed up. The Pentagon has said 16 people who turned out not to be to al-Qaida or Taliban were killed when they resisted.
Since then, there have been small unpublicized raids, said a U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Coalition troops continue to gather intelligence on pockets of resistance, seizing material and interrogating people during these raids, the official said.
U.S. officials and Afghan sources estimate 4,000 to 5,000 foreigners who fought for the Taliban and al-Qaida remain inside Afghanistan.
"We've said all along that it is not over ... in Afghanistan and that for some time there would be pockets of resistance," Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said Friday.
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