18,000 Troop Push Aims to Convince Taliban to Accempt Amnesty About 18,000 American troops have started a winter long operation against the Taliban rebels in Afghanistan, vowing to eliminate insurgents who could threaten parliamentary elections in the spring.The US Military said Saturday that the new push, dubbed Operation Lightening Freedom, would convince insurgents to accept amnesty pushed by President Hamid Karzai and allow foreign troops to pull back.The operation was initated after Karzia's inaguaration Tuesday as the country's first democratically elected president. Maj Gen. Mark McCann gave no details of any significant moves against militant targets. 'It is basically designed...
