"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.
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