Training, terror, focus of Afghan effort

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 2 (UPI) -- The bulk of American forces operating in Afghanistan work toward training Afghan security forces and conducting counter-terrorism operations, the Pentagon said.

"The focus of the International Security Assistance Force is security for the Afghan people, so reconstruction, governance and development work can take place," said Army Lt. Col. Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman. "The focus of Operation Enduring Freedom personnel is training Afghan security forces and counter-terrorism."

Wright said of the 57,000 U.S. combat troops stationed in Afghanistan, 28,850 are serving with ISAF. U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, however, commands both organizations.

McChrystal, a counterinsurgency expert who led U.S. troops on several high-profile raids in Iraq, has embraced the "clear, hold and build" strategy from his tenure in Iraq as part of the revamped war strategy in Afghanistan.

U.S. Marines on Thursday, meanwhile, launched Operation Strike of the Sword in the southern province of Helmand in an effort to drive Taliban and other insurgents from the opium-rich area.

Despite the influx of combat troops entering Afghanistan, McChrystal has called for a moderate approach to combat, cautioning against heavy fighting in populated areas in an effort to reduce civilian casualties.