SAN FRANCISCO, May 11: The US-led coalition forces were forced to postpone plans for a major assault against Al Qaeda remnants along the border with Pakistan, the Chicago Tribune reported on Saturday.
For days last week, Pentagon officials were predicting that a major US-led operation would take place in southeast Afghanistan. Extra troops, including 1,000 British Marines, were flown into the region.
The US Special Forces in the provincial capital of Khost asked its trained Afghan fighters to recruit 300 to 400 more men. But then, although British and Canadian forces carried out reconnaissance missions, nothing much happened.
The paper quoted senior military official based in Afghanistan as saying that the coalition troops will wait until circumstances are right. Among other things, military intelligence will need to determine where Al Qaeda pockets are, their strength and whether they will still be there in days to come.
The paper said one of the difficulties is that Al Qaeda fighters are no longer gathering in large groups.
Many also have slipped into Pakistan’s tribal regions, at times re-entering Afghanistan for short periods. So, American officials may plan an attack, but the Al Qaeda stragglers disperse by the time troops arrive.
The smaller scope of allied activity reflects a scaling down of offensive operations, the top British commander in eastern Afghanistan said, adding that the war in Afghanistan is essentially over.
