Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters have regrouped in four provinces near Kabul and thousands of government troops are on the way to the areas to head off an uprising, a senior Afghan military official said today.
The official, who did not want to be identified, said the provinces were Wardak, Ghazni, Khost, and Paktia where US-led troops are already besieging one rebel force near Gardez, capital of Paktia.
"We have intelligence that remnants of the Taliban and al- Qaeda are armed and still active in these regions," the official, a top aide of Defence Minister General Mohammad Fahim, told reporters.
"We know they are still alive and can cause trouble. He said General Fahim met top commanders from Kabul and the provinces today to brief them on an operation that would send a total of 5,000 troops to the trouble spots.
Up to 5,000 troops will be deployed and stationed in these areas within the next two days, he said.