NATO to Take On Taliban Stronghold

Beginning in June, NATO forces will begin an assault on the Afghan city of Kandahar, the Taliban's spiritual home and a stubborn holdout of the insurgency. U.S. forces hope to clear the Taliban out before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins in August, and the offensive will be a major test of Obama's new strategy in Afghanistan. In the months leading to June, troops will begin securing transit routes and diplomatic relations with leaders from the surrounding districts around Kandahar in an effort to gain cooperation. Several thousand of the 30,000 troops Obama ordered to the area are expected to be mobilized for the assault, according to military officials.