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Posted on 05/16/2002 11:17:12 PM PDT by HAL9000
APNewsAlertMORE...BAGRAM, Afghanistan, May 17, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Coalition troops fight al-Qaida in new combat operation in eastern Afghanistan, British commander says.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
Coalition troops fighting al-Qaida in new operation in eastern Afghanistan
BAGRAM, Afghanistan, May 17, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Coalition forces deployed 1,000 troops on Friday to battle a "substantial force" of enemy fighters in a new combat operation in mountainous eastern Afghanistan, the top British commander in the coalition said.
Brig. Roger Lane said the troops were sent Friday to eastern Paktia province after an Australian special forces patrol came under fire on Thursday. No coalition casualties were reported but some enemy fighters have been killed, Lane said.
"I can confirm that the coalition has made contact with the enemy and that some have been killed," Lane said. "A number of attacks by air have been conducted."
Lane said Australian and American forces were involved in the British-led mission, dubbed Operation Condor.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
"I've deployed elements of 45 Commando group equipped with the full range of combat power by air and by road to close with the enemy and destroy them in an area historically used by the Taliban," Lane said.He said the Australian special forces patrol "was interdicted and shot at from a number of locations, and the battle group is now going to close with them and kill the enemy."
Lane said suspected al-Qaida or Taliban fighters had been behind the attack on the patrol. He declined to say how many enemy fighters there were, but said "it is clear that it is a substantial enemy force" and coalition forces, backed by artillery, had identified a number of enemy positions to target.
Lane said the fighting was taking place in a mountainous area at an altitude of 2,400 meters (8,000 feet), but declined to be more specific.
The U.S.-led coalition has been stepping up its search in eastern Afghanistan for al-Qaida and Taliban holdouts, who they say have dispersed into small groups and blended in with local residents or fled across the border to neighboring Pakistan.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
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