Coalition forces launch anti-Taliban push

More than 10,000 Afghan and coalition forces have begun a massive anti-Taliban operation across southern Afghanistan, the largest offensive since the 2001 invasion that toppled the former regime, the US military said today.

Dubbed Operation Mountain Thrust, military forces are “moving forward with large-scale operations” in four southern provinces – Uruzgan, Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul, the military said in a statement.

The offensive is part of a major push to squeeze Taliban fighters responsible for a spate of ambushes and suicide attacks against coalition forces and Afghan authorities in recent months.