War on Terror Update

American troops pushed far into a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan's Khakeran Valley on Monday, hoping to reassert their control after a couple attacks rocked the region. Up to 300 insurgents are suspected to be holed up in the valley, but no contact with them has been made since U.S. troops came in Sunday.

One soldier described Khakeran Valley as a "sanctuary", one that the troops are hoping to take away. About 465 suspected insurgents have been reported killed since the beginning of a major upsurge in attacks in March. Last week, in a flurry of assults, left a reported 178 terrorist dead.

American spokesman Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara said that the troops were going around, taking away the sanctuaries. "The enemy forces are not dumb. So when they get a sense that we're doing an operation in area 'X,' they will move on to area 'Y'. It is our goal to be in area 'Y' before they set anything up."