US troops to begin big push in Kandahar by June

US and NATO forces will begin their big push to clear the Taliban fighters from their spiritual homeland of Kandahar in June as president Barack Obama has lamented that the progress in Afghanistan has been "too slow".
     
A US combat brigade comprising 4000 men is already deployed around Kandahar to secure the lines of communications to the city as thousands fresh troops and tanks pour in to flush out the key strategic town of Taliban insurgence, NBC reported.

The Channel quoting US officials said the strength of US forces will be boosted up to 150,000 troops by May and most of these new troops would participate in clearing the Taliban strongholds ringing the key city.
     
During his five year rule in Afghanistan, Taliban supremo Mulla Omar, now in hiding never left Kandahar and governed the country from the city which is considered to be a Pushtun heartland.

The top US general Stanley McChrystal has already indicated that after Marjah, the next target of its forces would be Kandahar which he will take on once troop strength is bolstered.
     
US president during his surprised visit to Afghanistan at the weekend had told his commanders and forces that the pace of operations in the country was too slow.

"Our strategy should be to take fight to the Taliban while creating the conditions for greater security for the Afghans", Obama said in his address to troops at the Bagram Airfield outside Kabul.
     
Upon his return, the president told NBC, "But what I think the progress is too slow, and what we have been trying to emphasise is the fierce urgency of now".
     
US media reports said that after Marjah and Kandahar, US and NATO forces will undertake major operations to decimate the powerful Haqqani network from their strongholds of Pakhtiar, Pakyta, Khost and Ghazni provinces.