type operations," the spokesman said. However, the United States has several thousand more troops strung out across the south and east, where insurgents are strongest, compared with last winter, and commanders have said they will maintain their forces at current strength at least until after the parliamentary elections. "The security situation right now is good, but there are still threats out there. We have to round up those threats," McCann said. "We will continue these operations until the Taliban is no more." The number of so-called Provincial Reconstruction Teams _ small military units tasked with supporting local authorities and carrying out small-scale relief and development projects _ has also risen from five to 19. "It's not just about conducting combat operations. It's also about connecting with the people here," McCann said. The new operation follows Lightning Resolve, a massive security operation begun in July to protect the October election, the first national vote in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001. In previous winters, the U.S. military has mobilized one or two battalions for sweeps of particular regions, an approach which brought few visible results.
