<

Hundreds of Fighters Mass at Front Line for Decisive Push on al Qaeda
Monday, March 11, 2002
FoxNews

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Friday: U.S. soldiers take over a dwelling near the villages of Sherkhankheyl, Marzak and Bobelkiel, Afghanistan.
Image Credit: The Associated Press.

"The Al Qaeda and Taliban extremists seem to be in much smaller pockets now -- not the larger groups that we saw the first few days," said Maj. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for the 10th Mountain Division. "We will continue to work our way through the area until we are satisfied we have taken out all of the Al Qaeda terrorists."

GARDEZ, Afghanistan -- AP
Afghan fighters allied with the United States gathered in the foothills of Paktia province Monday evening, moving tanks and trucks slowly up the mountains in preparation for what American officials called "mopping up" attacks on Al Qaeda guerrillas still hiding out in the area's caves.

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Operation Anaconda, which began more than a week ago with a heavy U.S.-Afghan assault on Al Qaeda and Taliban positions, would continue "until it's completed."

"As the mopping up process continues, additional information will be gained," he said. He pointed out that "a great many Al Qaeda " members had been killed and "several prisoners" had been taken.

American warplanes resumed steady bombing runs over the area after nightfall Monday.

In the United States, ceremonies in New York and Washington marked six months to the day since the Sept. 11 attacks which killed thousands and sparked the current war on terrorism.

A convoy of at least 12 tanks and about 1,000 soldiers moved Monday toward the front line to reinforce hundreds of American troops believed still in the Shah-e-Kot mountains as part of the largest offensive yet in the Afghan war. U.S. Special Forces were seen operating at the base of the mountains.
(More: Fox News Source)
2002 © Fox News Network, LLC.

Dan