US helicopters flew Afghan troops into a remote district overrun by the Taliban and recaptured the main town on Tuesday without firing a shot, military officials said.
The move comes ahead of a major conference in Kabul starting Wednesday where Afghan President Hamid Karzai will try to build consensus for peace overtures to the insurgents. The Taliban on Tuesday dismissed the conference as serving the interests of “foreign invaders.”
A unit of about 200 elite Afghan troops landed in Barg-e-Matal district of Nuristan province before dawn in an assault backed by US helicopters and a handful of American advisers, US officers familiar with the operation said. They recaptured the main town in the region without shooting and no one was harmed, Nato said in a statement, though the operation was expected to continue for a few days. Taliban fighters were believed to have left the town and may have taken positions elsewhere in the valley.
Government forces pulled out of the rugged, mountainous region last weekend after hundreds of Taliban fighters swept into the area from nearby Pakistan and fought for almost a week with Afghan troops and local residents, who have a reputation for fierce resistance to outsiders.
US troops had established an outpost in Nuristan but abandoned it in October 2009 after eight American soldiers were killed in a fierce Taliban attack.
Insurgent strength has grown in the region since, prompting fears that Taliban who have come under pressure from US missile strikes and military operations in nearby Pakistan could be looking for a new haven.