Bagram (Afghanistan), Nov 10: US-led coalition and Afghan troops have launched a new anti-terror operation in Eastern Afghanistan, the US military said today. Spokesman Col. Rodney Davis said operation mountain resolve began Friday in Nuristan and Kunar provinces, which are about 150 kilometer northeast of the capital, Kabul, and border Pakistan. US troops are working alongside afghan militia, he said. "The main objective is against terrorism. It is focused on destroying anti-coalition elements, disrupting their ability to operate in the eastern region of Afghanistan," Davis told reporters. "We want the anti-coalition forces to understand that there is no sanctuary for them anywhere in Afghanistan," he said.

Davis did not say how long the operation was expected to last.

Insurgents from the former Taliban regime, which was ousted two years ago by a us-led invasion, have stepped up attacks in recent months against us-led coalition forces and representatives of Afghanistan's central government, which wields only limited influence outside Kabul. Bureau Report