About 7,000 U.S. and Afghan government forces launched an offensive against the Taliban in central and eastern Afghan provinces on Saturday, as a blast near Kabul killed three Afghan aid workers. Operation Mountain Fury is the third offensive launched in recent weeks against a resurgent Taliban who have unleashed the worst phase of Afghan violence since they were ousted in 2001. “Mountain Fury is just one part of a series of coordinated operations placing continuous pressure on Taliban extremists across multiple regions of the country,” the U.S. military said in a statement. Full Story