U.S. troops had been conducting surveillance for five months in the area where Afghan civilians were accidentally killed a week ago and were pursuing al-Qaeda fighters in the area, the Pentagon said Monday. Officials wouldn`t say whom they were pursuing, but the lengthy surveillance indicated they might have been tracking senior al-Qaeda or Taliban leaders, including former Taliban leader Mohammed Omar. He is from the region. Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold, director of operations for the Pentagon`s Joint Staff, described the rugged, mountainous province as the haven of a significant number of “Taliban sympathizers.” Full Story