Nato vows to step up fight against Taliban

NATO forces said yesterday it would not let up the fight against Taliban insurgents during the Afghan winter and co-ordinated operations with the Pakistani army would likely hamper the militants’ traditional rest from combat.

Violence rose in eastern Afghanistan in the spring and summer this year as ceasefires between Pakistan and militants on its side of the border gave insurgents more freedom to attack international forces on the Afghan side.

But as those peace deals have broken down and the Pakistani army has gone on the offensive, Nato-led forces see the winter months as an opportunity to apply pressure on the militants.

US troops from the 101st Airborne, which specialises in helicopter air assaults, have stepped up operations against insurgent positions before the winter fully sets in, their deputy commander said.

“Usually here, because of the weather, people hibernate. But now because we’re the 101st Airborne Division and we have the mobility, we plan on going after those sanctuaries (in Afghanistan) where the enemy may be trying to wait out the winter,” US Brigadier General James McConville said.

Even though heavy snows and poor visibility hamper the use of air power, as in previous years, Nato’s International Security Assistance Force sees the winter as an opportunity to strike militarily and forge ahead with development projects.

But when the force has launched offensives near the border in the past, the Taliban and their allies have simply slipped over the border into Pakistan and where the Pakistani army has pushed into its border tribal regions, militants have crossed into Afghanistan.