US troops retake Afghan mountain pass
US and Afghan soldiers killed about a dozen insurgents today and recaptured a key mountain pass in the south-east of the country, a local official said.
Suspected Taliban fighters were still thought to be hiding around the Moray Pass in rugged Zabul province, provincial intelligence chief Khalil Hotak said.
But some were forced to flee west towards Uruzgan province by a massive US aerial bombardment this week, he said.
Hotak reported no casualties among the American or Afghan forces.
The region has been the scene of fierce fighting in recent days. US jets bombed the area around the Moray Pass on Monday and yesterday. The guerrillas defended the pass with mortars and heavy machine guns.
The battles follow a series of strikes against Afghan police and government officials in recent weeks. The assaults have created new doubts about how much progress has been made by the US-led effort to secure and rebuild the nation.
The violence has also raised serious concerns that the increasingly well-organised Taliban are regrouping after their harsh Islamic regime was toppled by US-led forces in late 2001.
Without giving evidence, Hotak said the Taliban were operating with al-Qaida and loyalists of renegade rebel commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
