KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canadian soldiers used the cover of darkness early Monday morning to sweep through an Afghan village where they thought enemy insurgents had regained a foothold.
It was a relatively uneventful mission, much to the relief of military officials.
But the mission was an example of what Canadian soldiers are up against in this sunbaked expanse of sand and rock in southern Afghanistan.
Last year at this time, Canada took the lead in a major NATO offensive called Operation Medusa, driving the Taliban out of strategic positions around Kandahar city and the surrounding area.
It was an offensive that cost a dozen Canadian lives.
NATO secured much of the area and later turned it over to Afghan government forces. Now, however, insurgents have returned to several areas previously won by NATO, and Canadian troops have had to sweep the area again.
"The intent was to disrupt IED makers,'' Capt. Josee Bilodeau, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Forces, said of Monday's mission. "They found nothing, so it was a success.''
Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are the biggest threats for international troops in Afghanistan.
Of the 70 Canadian soldiers who have died in the war in Afghanistan, 38 were killed by roadside bombs, mines or suicide attacks.
Operation Balye Deweh -- which means Operation Light Candle in English -- began at 4:30 a.m. Monday morning in the area around Patrol Base Wilson, about 25 kilometres west of Kandahar city. By 7:35 a.m. soldiers had swept through the sleepy village of Makuan without encountering any enemy combatants.
But Zhari district, along with the Panjwaii district to the south, have been traditional Taliban strongholds and the insurgents have made a violent return, launching attacks against NATO forces and civilians alike.
About 20 kilometres from Makuan, Forward Operating Base Gundy Ghar came under mortar fire as Operation Balye Deweh was taking place. Canadian troops were too far away to respond.
The Canadians took the base back from the Taliban just last week in an operation that cost the lives of two soldiers and an Afghan interpreter killed by a mine.
After taking control of much of the Zhari district last year, international forces turned control over to Afghan security forces.
Canada is helping to train tens of thousands of Afghan army soldiers and police with the aim of eventually withdrawing and leaving them in charge.
But the Afghan security forces are plagued with problems. Ill-equipped, under-staffed and under-paid, they struggle to establish the authority of the Afghan government in many parts of the country.
On Monday, Afghan police officers who were out of uniform accidentally fired on Canadian troops en route to participate in Operation Balye Deweh, prompting an exchange of fire at a highway checkpoint.
No Canadian soldiers were injured. There were minor injuries to an unspecified number of Afghan police, but none was described as life-threatening.
