| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Afghanistan/South Asia | |
| 18,000 U.S. Troops Begin Afghan Offensive | |
| 2004-12-11 | |
Some 18,000 American troops have started a winter offensive against Taliban rebels in Afghanistan, vowing to eliminate insurgents who could threaten parliamentary elections slated for the spring. The U.S. military said Saturday that it hoped the new push, dubbed Lightning Freedom, would persuade insurgents to accept an amnesty offered by President Hamid Karzai that could stabilize the country and allow foreign troops to pull back. "It's designed basically to search out and destroy the remaining remnants of Taliban forces who traditionally we believe go to ground during the winter months," spokesman Maj. Mark McCann said. "It's going on throughout the country of Afghanistan." The operation was initiated after Karzai's inauguration Tuesday as the country's first democratically elected president, McCann said. He didn't know exactly when it began and gave no details of any specific moves against militant targets.
| |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 The less the better for ops security, Jackal. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-12-11 9:07:33 PM |
| #7 Good. The worse the weather, the better for us. Neither rain nor sleet nor snow shall deter our bullets from their intended targets. I wonder how much MSM coverage this will get? |
| Posted by: jackal 2004-12-11 9:05:57 PM |
| #6 18,000 troops sounds like it’s a bigger operation 18,000 is almost the entire force in Afghanistan, isn't it? So this is a way of saying that everyone will be involved. The final push before the final withdrawal??? Or is this the mother-of-all-searches for OBL's remains? |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-12-11 8:20:33 PM |
| #5 Operation No Prisoners would be nice. Can I ask for that for Christmas? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-11 8:13:46 PM |
| #4 Lightning Freedom 9.74 |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-12-11 8:12:40 PM |
| #3 We need some operation, dubbed Waziristan Turkey Shoot to take care of these bad elements. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-12-11 7:53:07 PM |
| #2 Those warm targets show up on infrared even better in the winter. |
| Posted by: Tom 2004-12-11 7:22:14 PM |
| #1 But...But...what about the Dread Afganistan Winter(TM)? |
| Posted by: N Guard 2004-12-11 7:03:42 PM |