<

Marines Push Deeper in Hunt for al-Qui’da
Monday, May 6, 2002
(09:00)
By Tiania Stevens
Western Morning News

"Still, I'm glad to be doing what I'm doing because if it means wiping out the al-Qaida it will be worth missing my honeymoon for."

Westcountry commandos have begun the most dangerous phase of their mission to track down elusive al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in the rugged mountains of south-eastern Afghanistan.

A 1,000-strong force of Royal Marines, including up to 800 Westcountry troops, have been sweeping through a vast area of "fantastically difficult" terrain as part of Operation Snipe for several days.

The assault is the largest deployment of British troops since Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf conflict and is the single biggest military operation of the Afghan War.

The operation involves scaling mountain peaks at altitudes of up to 13,000 ft to confront an estimated 1,000 enemy fighters in fortified positions.

So far, however, the marines have made no contact with the fighters, who are adept at disappearing into the mountains when they spot advancing troops.
(More: Western Morning News Source)
2002 © Northcliffe Electronic Publishing, Ltd.

Dan