Nato launches new operation in Afghanistan

Nato forces in Afghanistan launched a new military operation today in the most violent southern province, while nearby a suicide bomber on foot blew himself up next to a police vehicle, wounding eight policemen, officials said.

Some 2,500 Afghan and Nato troops began the operation in the Gereshk region of Helmand province, the site of the fiercest battles this year and the largest opium-producing region in the world.