The US-led coalition troops have launched a new wave of operations in a bid to hunt down masterminds of the Taliban and Al Qaeda as well as their followers, a spokesman for coalition in Kabul said Saturday.

The new wave of operations, codenamed Operation Mountain Storm was started March 7, with the objective of destroying terrorist organizations and their infrastructure while continuing to focus on national stability and support, Bryan Hilferty said at a routine weekly news briefing.

During the just-ended two-month-long military campaign, codenamed Operation Mountain Blizzard, the coalition troops have killed 22 armed personnel and retrieved a large number of weapons and ammunitions. No coalition soldiers were killed or injured during the operation.

The US-dominated coalition forces have also conducted 143 raids and searches, according to the American army officer.

Hilferty hoped that the continuing campaign will "bring the heads of terrorist organizations to justice." The new offensive is the newest step to the continuing series of operations in the south, southeast and eastern parts of Afghanistan, he added.

The US-led campaign against terrorism drove the Taliban and Al Qaeda from the Kabul in late 2001. In recent months, the Taliban and Al Qaeda remnants have been busy re-establishing their influences in southern Afghan provinces, and launched small-scale hit-and-run attacks on coalition and Afghan government forces.

(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2004)