Afghan troops and US special forces fighting in eastern Afghanistan had to pull back after a ground offensive encountered heavy resistance yesterday. One US soldier and two Afghan allies were killed in the biggest known US ground operation of the Afghan war.
This morning, at least nine powerful bombs blasted the Shah-e-Kot mountain range for a third day of strikes, shaking the ground in the foothills. B-52s raced across the sky in a constant stream.
For the first time, warplanes dropped newly developed bombs designed to send suffocating blasts through cave complexes, US military officials said. The "thermobaric" bombs were tested in December and officials said in January that they would be rushed to the region for the war.
Pakistan closed its border to prevent escape by any fleeing al-Qaeda or Taliban members.
US intelligence had estimated that more than 500 al-Qaeda fighters were hiding in Paktia along with their families, but reports from the front suggest the total was much higher.
Reports said some troops had been cut off and surrounded as the al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters defended their high ground with mortars and heavy machine-guns.
AFP