NATO ends offensive in southern Afghanistan, hailing success

Operation Medusa, the Canadian-led NATO mission set up to drive Taliban fighters out of the volatile Panjwaii district of southern Afghanistan has ended after two weeks, military officials announced on Sunday.

Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, the Canadian commander in charge of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, called the mission southwest of Kandahar a success and said it will make the country's second-largest city safer.

NATO forces drove about 700 insurgents from the district, he said.

The Canadians carried out what was described as one of their biggest battles since the Second World War. With the support of Afghan, Dutch, British and U.S. units, they used air strikes and artillery in one of the most intense military clashes in southern Afghanistan since U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban government for harbouring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Alliance soldiers now occupy parts of Panjwaii and neighbouring Zhari district and have reopened a section of a main highway that had been closed to civilian traffic during the operation, NATO said.

During the offensive, four Canadian soldiers were killed by insurgents. In another setback, a U.S. warplane mistakenly fired on a group of Canadians, killing one soldier and injuring more than 30 others.

More than 30 NATO troops were killed in Operation Medusa, while the military alliance estimated more than 500 militants died.

Suicide bomber injures 3 Canadians

On Sunday, a suicide bomber drove his explosive-laden vehicle into a Canadian military convoy west of the city of Kandahar, killing himself and one civilian.

Three Canadian soldiers were slightly wounded, a NATO spokesman said. Eight civilians were also hurt in the blast, police said.

One Canadian military vehicle was slightly damaged and the bomber's vehicle was destroyed, said an Associated Press reporter at the scene.

NATO's top commander, Gen. James Jones, recently said the conflict in southern Afghanistan would drag on unless other countries in the alliance provide more assistance.

Gordon O'Connor, Canada's defence minister, has said he will raise the issue of the military burden being borne by Canadian troops at a NATO defence ministers meeting in Slovenia that begins Sept. 28.

NATO is asking for up to 2,500 more troops as well as additional planes and helicopters to overcome resistance from a resurgent Taliban that is preventing NATO's 20,000 troops in Afghanistan from engaging in reconstruction and peacekeeping in the restive southern provinces.