Operation Achilles Launched

NATO launched it's biggest Afghan offensive since 2001 on Tuesday, targetting the Taliban and drug lords as hundreds of people rallied in the east against U.S. soldiers killing civilians.

Operation Achilles, which will eventually involve 4,500 NATO soldiers and 1,000 Afghans, began about dawn in Helmand province -- the opium centre of the world's biggest producer, the head of the alliance's southern command Dutch Major-General Ton van Loon said in a statement.

The Taliban over-ran the key Helmand town of Musa Qala a month ago, ending a controversial truce, but a NATO spokeswoman said Achilles was not specifically aimed at regaining the town. "It signifies the beginning of a planned offensive to bring security to northern Helmand and set the conditions for meaningful development that will fundamentally improve the quality of life for Afghans in the area," van Loon said. NATO has about 33,000 troops in the country, including support personnel. The open-ended operation is aimed largely at allowing the repair and expansion of the province's Kajaki dam hydroelectric facility. More.

Photo: Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patrica's Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) Battle Group hike through the mountains east of Gardez at 3,000 metres above sea level, resting frequently to adjust to the oxygen-poor atmosphere. These troops were engaged in Operation Anaconda, the Canadian Army's first combat mission since the Korean War. The 3 PPCLI Battle Group is deployed in Afghanistan on Operation APOLLO, Canada's military contribution to the international campaign against terrorism.

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A US CH-47 Chinook performs an Afghan rooftop pickup.


Army Pvt. 1st Class stands in the turret of his Humvee, flanked by his M240B machine gun and his laser rangefinder on a bluff deep within enemy territory in Afghanistan.

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