In the past week, several disturbing stories out of Afghanistan suggested the Taliban was gaining traction, especially in Kandahar, where an elaborate jail-break freed hundreds of terrorists. Afghan and NATO troops though have already taken action to curb this disturbing trend, and it sounds like they're succeeding.
After a day of airstrikes and ground operations against a surge by Taliban fighters, provincial authorities here said Thursday that hundreds of militants had been killed or wounded in the valleys and villages of the strategic Arghandab region on the approaches to Kandahar.
Afghan and NATO forces poured reinforcements, armored vehicles and helicopter gunships into the area Wednesday after the insurgents infiltrated 18 villages. The influx of fighters came less than a week after a jailbreak in Kandahar freed hundreds of Taliban prisoners.
Asadullah Khaled, the governor of Kandahar Province, told a news conference in the Arghandab district compound on Thursday: "Hundreds of militants have been killed and wounded, their dead bodies have been left on the ground, with numbers of light and heavy weapons."
While he said that the Arghandab district was "completely cleared of insurgents" operations were continuing to root out any "insurgents who are hiding."
Mr. Khaled said most of the insurgents were from Pakistan's Waziristan area, commanded by a man called Baitullah Masood. "He sent the men to destroy the lives of innocent Afghans," Mr. Khaled said. He said there had been no civilian casualties and no new Afghan or NATO casualties on Thursday.
