U.S. Marines killed more than 80 militants in recent fighting in Afghanistan, military says

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) _ U.S. Marines have killed more than 80 militants in a three-week assault on a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, the military said Saturday. <br/><br/>The tally highlights

Saturday, June 12th 2004, 9:54 am

By: News On 6

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) _ U.S. Marines have killed more than 80 militants in a three-week assault on a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, the military said Saturday.

The tally highlights the bloody fighting that has engulfed parts of the insurgency-plagued south.

``The Marines have been aggressive, relentless and successful,'' U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Tucker Mansager said. ``They have demonstrated that there is no refuge for the terrorists.''

Only two Marines have been wounded in the latest fighting, the U.S. military said.

American commanders sent some 2,000 Marines into Afghanistan in the spring, helping swell the U.S.-dominated force to 20,000 _ its largest yet _ in an attempt to put militants on the defensive ahead of September elections.

Militants have stepped up their own operations, feeding a spiral of violence that has left more than 450 people dead across the country this year.

Troops elsewhere in the country also had come under rocket and mortar fire several times in recent days but suffered no casualties, Mansager said.

In another operation, U.S. troops on Friday detained an expert bomb maker about 40 miles south of Kabul, Mansager said. He described the suspect as a ``medium-value target'' but declined to give more details.

The American military and international peacekeepers based in Kabul have been warning since last year that militants are increasingly using the kind of roadside bombs that have proved so deadly in Iraq.

Seven American forces have been killed in southern Afghanistan since early May and dozens of Afghan soldiers have died in the region this year.

The Marines are based in Uruzgan, the home province of fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Omar, and have called in warplanes to pound a large group of militants in nearby mountains. At least 20 reportedly died in a single clash last week.

Most of the fighting has been near Daychopan, in neighboring Zabul province, a rerun of clashes last summer that left more than 100 militants and one American special operations soldier dead.

Mansager said the Marines' offensive was allowing regular Army troops to focus on building ties with local communities across the troubled border region.

Commanders hope this approach, which includes offering millions of dollars in reconstruction aid, will persuade villagers and tribes to turn against the militants and provide intelligence.

It also is supposed to help safeguard the elections.

The United Nations has registered nearly one-third of the estimated 10 million voters but has yet to send voter registration teams into the most hostile areas.