KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Thousands of U.S. and Afghan soldiers have launched a major offensive against Taliban militants in five Afghan provinces, the U.S.-led coalition said Saturday.
The offensive, dubbed Operation Mountain Fury, involves some 3,000 U.S.-led troops and 4,000 Afghan soldiers operating in five provinces, three of them on the Pakistan border, military officials said.
It is the third large offensive launched in recent weeks against a resurgent Taliban, who have unleashed the worst Afghan violence since they were ousted from power in 2001.
The latest offensive includes Khost province, where a U.S. soldier was killed and another wounded in attacks on military bases near the border with Pakistan Friday, the BBC reported.
Another operation in the south, called Medusa, was winding down after killing more than 500 Taliban forces, an International Security Assistance Force spokesman said Saturday.
