On the offensive

last updated 8 January 2015

Kunar, Afghanistan

U.S. and Afghan forces this week killed more than 40 militants in Kunar, a lawless province near the Pakistani border where the Taliban has been mounting a new offensive. In June, a U.S. helicopter was downed in the valley, killing 19 soldiers. Last weekend, four soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb, bringing the U.S. death toll in the country to 65 for the year. In the last few weeks, as Afghanistan prepares for the Sept. 18 legislative elections, U.S. troops have engaged militants in dozens of firefights, killing more than 100, according to the Pentagon. A spokesman for the Taliban this week announced that the guerrillas have decided not to attack polling stations during the election, but said the struggle against U.S. and Afghan troops will continue.