US heralds start of Operation Mountain Storm [View All]

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=22&art_id=qw1079350561238B212&set_id=1

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The US military announced the start of the operation only on Saturday, describing it in a statement as just the latest in a series of campaigns by the 13 500-strong coalition in Afghanistan to hunt down fugitives from the al-Qaeda network and the former ruling Taliban regime.

Yet Colonel Bryan Hilferty insisted their net will eventually close on bin Laden. "The leaders of al-Qaeda and the leader of the Taliban need to be brought to justice - and they will be," he said.

The military gave few details about the operation, though they have said it would involve stepped up searches, impromptu road checks and community projects to win Afghans' hearts and minds.

Taliban rebels continue to wage frequent attacks in lawless regions of the south and east, in an effort to undermine the US-backed government of President Hamid Karzai and threatening plans for summer elections.