Summary Tajik Reinforcements May Drag U.S. Into Ethnic Conflict The deployment of ethnic Tajik fighters to the front lines of the battle in Afghanistan could complicate matters for the United States. The first of 1,000 troops promised by Afghanistan's interim government arrived March 8 in Paktia province to reinforce U.S.-led forces battling al Qaeda and Taliban fighters there, Agence France-Presse reported. Seven armed personnel carriers headed into the province, along with three trucks equipped with multiple-rocket launchers. Click here to continue. Operation Anaconda signals the beginning of a new phase of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. In this phase insurgency and counterinsurgency operations will become the main feature. Militarily, Operation Anaconda shows the United States has yet to find an effective response on the ground to guerrilla warfare.