U.S. Helps Afghan Troops Retake Taliban District

U.S. helicopters flew Afghan troops into a remote district overrun by the Taliban and they recaptured the main town Tuesday without firing a shot, military officials said.

The move comes ahead of a major conference in Kabul starting on Wednesday where Afghan President Hamid Karzai will try to build consensus for peace overtures to the insurgents. The Taliban on Tuesday dismissed the conference as serving the interests of "foreign invaders."

A unit of about 200 elite Afghan troops landed in Barg-e-Matal district of Nuristan province before dawn in an assault backed by U.S. helicopters and a handful of American advisers, U.S. officers familiar with the operation told The Associated Press.