Tuesday, 12 March, 2002
Afghan Fighters Join US Forces at Battlefront
VOA
News 11
Mar 2002

Up to 1,000 Afghan
fighters join US forces in eastern Afghanistan to help clear out the remnants
of terrorist fighters
As many as 1,000
Afghan fighters are moving to the front lines in the mountains of eastern
Afghanistan as coalition forces target the remnants of a terrorist fighting
force.
Afghan interim leader
Hamid Karzai ordered the soldiers to the Shah-e-Kot mountains Monday. They will
help about 800 U.S. troops clear out, what commanders call, small pockets of
the enemy hiding in caves and bunkers.
As many as 200
al-Qaida and Taleban fighters are believed to be in the
mountains.
Ground forces are
getting strong support from the air. Allied fighter jets are dropping bombs and
firing missiles at the hideouts. Afghan militia leaders call the airstrikes
relentless and devastating.
U.S. Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters at the Pentagon Monday he hopes, what
he calls, the mopping-up process will be over by the end of the
week.
Hundreds of al-Qaida
and Taleban terrorists have been killed since the campaign called "Operation
Anaconda" began 11 days ago.
U.S. military
officials say the operation will continue until each enemy fighter is captured
or killed.
Some information
for this report provided by AP.
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