The United States military in Afghanistan Saturday ruled out reports that members of the ousted Taleban regime were regrouping in the south-east of the country to launch a major attack.
"I think that the Taleban is no longer the strategic threat," US spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Hilferty told a news conference in Kabul.
"I think they have a tactical threat, they can do local things but I do not believe they can gather in big numbers," he said.
"We would like them to get all together in one place so we can kill them easily," Hilferty said.
"The last time the Taleban gathered in large numbers was last summer and we killed hundreds of them," Hilferty said, referring to a major US-led anti-militant offensive in which hundreds of people, mostly suspected Taleban fighters, were killed.
Hilferty's comments come after a Taleban spokesman, during an interview with AFP, claimed that fighters were preparing to launch a new offensive against US-led troops in south and south-eastern Afghanistan in coming weeks.
And they follow reports from local officials that more than a 100 armed Taleban have gathered in Zabul province, also in the south-east.
Hilferty said that the Taleban, forced out of the power by a US-led military campaign in late 2001, were too weak to be able to mount a major threat.
"I think attacks of the Taleban are on the wane," Hilferty said, adding that there had been fewer attacks than some months ago.
The US-led force of more than 12,000 troops has been hunting Taleban since the toppling of the regime and the members of the militia launch regular attacks on foreign and pro-government troops.
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