Britain's Lt. Gen. David Richards, the commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan, said on Saturday that the fight against the Taliban might take three or five years.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, Richards, who took command of the 8,000-strong NATO troops in August, said he was sure the campaign would be successful and that the Taliban would "start dancing to my tune."

He said fighting in the southern province of Helmand was "very tense" two weeks ago and the Taliban had lost many fighters.

"Although in a way we were not able to maneuver as freely as we would have wished perhaps, we have, I think, created an environment in which most people, including many Taliban, have just had enough fighting," he said.

Also on Saturday, about 3,000 U.S.-led coalition troops along with 4,000 Afghan soldiers and policemen launched a massive anti-Taliban operation in eastern and central provinces of Afghanistan.

Operation Mountain Fury began in the morning to beat off Taliban resistance in Paktika, Khost, Ghazni, Paktia and Logar provinces, a statement from the coalition said.

"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 statement said.

The goal of Mountain Fury is to not only defeat Taliban extremists in the region, but to continue the process of economic growth and development, it added.

Afghanistan has been suffering from a rise in Taliban-linked violence this year, during which more than 2,300 people, mostly Taliban rebels, have been killed. The fatalities included over 100 foreign troops.

Source: Xinhua