Afghans warned of ‘significant fighting’ ahead

SOUTHERN Afghanistan will witness “significant fighting” between US-led coalition and Taliban forces for several months before Nato takes control of the region, the US army warned yesterday.

The grim warning came a day after coalition and Afghan forces conducted raids in southern Helmand and Uruzgan provinces, killing 30 insurgents.

“People should expect significant fighting in certain areas of the south over the coming months,” American Colonel Tom Collins said during a press briefing in Kabul.

“That’s the whole purpose of Mountain Thrust, (which) is to go into the area where the government doesn’t have a presence right now and take the threat out of those areas.”

Operation Mountain Thrust began in earnest last week with more than 10,000 Afghan, British, Canadian and American troops deploying throughout four southern provinces to crush a resurgent Taliban force in the largest military operation since the former regime’s 2001 ousting.

Meanwhile, a suicide attacker detonated his explosives-filled car yesterday near a military convoy in Kandahar, killing one and wounding nine – including two Canadian soldiers, Afghan and coalition officials said.

The troops were on their way back from a patrol in a light-armoured vehicle when they were hit by the attacker’s car around 7.30pm local time in Kandahar city, said coalition spokesman Major Quentin Innis.