AFGHANISTAN: Six days into the most prolonged and fiercely contested battle of the Afghan campaign, the US yesterday sent in 300 further troop reinforcements and 17 more Apache helicopters to join 2,200 or so allied troops battling an al-Qaeda force put now at 600-700. British military sources put the al-Qaeda death toll on Wednesday at 100, or close to 400 since "Operation Anaconda" began.
Afghan commanders said the battle twisted along a six-mile snow-covered frontline of bunkers and caves up to the top of 10,000-ft peaks around the village of Shah-e-Kot in Paktia province. In the village, some 5,000 Afghan government forces were said to be mobilising for a final push. But up in the mountains the weather deteriorated sharply yesterday, giving rise to fears helicopter resupply operations may be hampered.
With the US and its allies reporting only light foot sprains as injuries in the fighting, it is clear the allied force - half of it Afghan but also including special forces from six other countries - have control of the battlefield. Now they are tightening the noose, ridge by ridge, cave by cave, with repeated ground exchanges, bombing by B52s, and strafing by Apache helicopters and A10 "warthog" planes that fire 6,000 rounds a minute.
US-led infantry units have cleared out several cave hide-outs and al-Qaeda compounds, including some where troops found AK-47 ammunition, medicine, night-vision devices and documents, including a Saudi identification card.
Commander Abdul Muteen, who has about 135 fighters in the pro-government Afghan force of about 800, said possible rebel reinforcement routes had now been sealed and fighters were beginning to enter tunnel systems believed to hold Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Briefing journalists in Washington the Secretary of Defence, Mr Don Rumsfeld, said that the al-Qaeda forces were well dug in and showed no signs of surrenmdering. He hoped the battle would be over by the weekend.
