Petraeus says raids on Afghan Taliban leaders on rise

WASHINGTON — The U.S. is deploying more counterterrorism teams in Afghanistan designed to kill Taliban leaders as the Afghan government works to lure away their supporters, Gen. David Petraeus, the war commander, said Thursday.

The "operational tempo" in Afghanistan of so-called special mission units "is going to increase in the months ahead," Petraeus said in an interview in Washington.

Alongside that military effort, the U.S. is working with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on his plan for a loya jirga, or tribal assembly, next month to discuss possible reconciliation with some Taliban loyalists, said Petraeus, the 57-year-old military commander in the Middle East and Central Asia.

The missions are part of a strategy intended to deny Taliban leaders any sanctuary in Afghanistan if they are unwilling to give up the fight. The U.S., NATO and Afghan allies are seeking to secure population centers and train the country's police and soldiers to take control starting in July 2011.

U.S. special forces "have been going after the Taliban leaders and the leaders of the other extremist elements that cause problems for our troopers and Afghanistan partners at a higher operational tempo in recent months," Petraeus said.

"I don't think you should ever assume that there is a location in Afghanistan that is beyond the reach of our forces," he added.

The U.S. has set up "intelligence fusion cells" in Afghanistan similar to those established during the 2007 surge of forces in Iraq. The cells integrated commando and conventional forces with intelligence agencies to carry out quick attacks on suspected terrorists, Petraeus said.

These cells "help everyone — not just to help special mission units, that was to help all forces," he said.

The U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization war commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, directed the Iraq efforts and has consolidated all special operations — including special mission units — under his authority.

U.S. intelligence agencies and elite special-forces units in Iraq worked in cell that gathered and analyzed real-time information from informants, satellites and eavesdropping on top al-Qaida operatives. The strategy enabled quick, focused attacks on militants.

In Afghanistan, the U.S. also is working more with Karzai on his plan to move toward a peace agreement with the Taliban.