Petraeus: 300 Taliban Leaders Hit in 3 Months

Special forces operations increase threefold
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 15, 2010 2:05 PM CDT
Petraeus: 300 Taliban Leaders Hit in 3 Months
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S and NATO commander addresses RUSI members on ‘The International Mission in Afghanistan', at the United Services Institute in central London, Friday Oct. 15, 2010.   (AP Photo/Dan Kitwood, Pool)

Special Forces teams have killed or captured more than 300 Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders in the last three months, says David Petraeus. The top general revealed the figure in a wide-ranging and upbeat discussion of the Afghan war, noting that the results had come from a three-to-four-fold increase in the number of special forces operations from the previous year, the Telegraph reports.

Other reports have said that America dropped 2,100 bombs and missiles over the last four months, a 50% increase over last year. Petraeus said the offensive has forced senior leadership deeper into hiding, asserting that a message from Osama bin Laden took four months to get out. "It indicates a considerable inability, certainly to conduct any kind of day-to-day or even week-to-week operational guidance," Petraeus said.
(More Taliban stories.)

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