<p>Operation ‘Dragon Strike’ began on Saturday with air strikes and ground operations in the Taliban heartland around Kandahar, the Afghan Defence Ministry and the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. <br /><br />Many of the areas had already seen weeks of fierce fighting as a surge of foreign troops pushed across the region trying to reclaim ground from insurgents, while the government had also been making a push for “hearts and minds”. <br /><br />The low-key announcement of the offensive — after weeks of fighting in several of the targeted areas, and after it had officially begun — contrasted strongly with the fanfare surrounding an operation in Marjah in neighbouring Helmand province at the start of the year. <br /><br />Nato forces advertised that push long before it began, and provided almost daily updates on progress. But after claiming the town there was little success in getting a much-vaunted “government in a box” up and running in Marjah. <br /><br />Taliban also crept back into surrounding areas. <br /><br />Limited success<br /><br />Extremely low turnout in the September 18 parliamentary election sealed the impression of limited success in Marjah. Both Afghans and Nato now appear to be taking a more cautious approach. <br /><br />“Most of our focus is on having a dialogue with people, good governance and development projects. It has been going on for weeks now,” said Zahir Azimi, a defence ministry spokesman. <br /><br />“This is a small operation," he added, when asked to compare the fighting in the districts of Zhari, Panjwai and Arghandab with the Marjah offensive in February. <br /><br />The drive comes as civilian and military casualties in Afghanistan have surged to their highest since US-backed Afghan forces ousted the Taliban in late 2001.</p>
<p>Operation ‘Dragon Strike’ began on Saturday with air strikes and ground operations in the Taliban heartland around Kandahar, the Afghan Defence Ministry and the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. <br /><br />Many of the areas had already seen weeks of fierce fighting as a surge of foreign troops pushed across the region trying to reclaim ground from insurgents, while the government had also been making a push for “hearts and minds”. <br /><br />The low-key announcement of the offensive — after weeks of fighting in several of the targeted areas, and after it had officially begun — contrasted strongly with the fanfare surrounding an operation in Marjah in neighbouring Helmand province at the start of the year. <br /><br />Nato forces advertised that push long before it began, and provided almost daily updates on progress. But after claiming the town there was little success in getting a much-vaunted “government in a box” up and running in Marjah. <br /><br />Taliban also crept back into surrounding areas. <br /><br />Limited success<br /><br />Extremely low turnout in the September 18 parliamentary election sealed the impression of limited success in Marjah. Both Afghans and Nato now appear to be taking a more cautious approach. <br /><br />“Most of our focus is on having a dialogue with people, good governance and development projects. It has been going on for weeks now,” said Zahir Azimi, a defence ministry spokesman. <br /><br />“This is a small operation," he added, when asked to compare the fighting in the districts of Zhari, Panjwai and Arghandab with the Marjah offensive in February. <br /><br />The drive comes as civilian and military casualties in Afghanistan have surged to their highest since US-backed Afghan forces ousted the Taliban in late 2001.</p>
