A recent offensive in southern Afghanistan against the Taliban has already accomplished its goals, says the man commanding Canadian forces in the war-torn nation.
Though NATO troops have seen little combat with Operation Baaz Tsuka, Brig.-Gen. Tim Grant says it has been successful in disrupting the Taliban.
"Although Canadians have not been involved in close combat, at the end of the day, I'm very happy the objectives of Baaz Tsuka have been reached, that is we have disrupted the Taliban,'' Grant said.
"We have seen significant evidence that low-level Taliban have simply put down their weapons and run away,'' he said, adding that the deaths of their senior commanders have thrown their ranks into disarray.
The goal of the mission has been to either kill or force hardline leaders to leave the Panjwaii-Zahre district, once a Taliban stronghold, where Canadian troops have been involved in deadly conflicts for the last several months.
Launched more than two weeks ago, the offensive sent a combat team of Canadian troops, tanks, and armoured vehicles near the village of Howz-e Madad.
The troops have also sought to convince so called Tier-two fighters -- who have joined the Taliban simply for the relatively good pay -- to go back to their villages.
With the disarming of those fighters, the ideologically committed Tier-one hardliners would be left on their own.
Grant suggested the number of hardliners is more likely in the dozens than in the hundreds.
However, he rejected the notion that the Taliban had been defeated.
"There are still hardliners out there,'' Grant said. "There is no doubt and the operation is not yet over. We will continue to root them out and either capture or kill them.''
He said NATO strikes had killed a number of top-level commanders but refused to pinpoint how many.
"We are not into body counts. In my mind the success is not the number of Taliban that have been killed but the effect we've had on separating the Tier-one from the Tier-two and disrupting the command and control of the Taliban in this part of the province,'' Grant said.
Grant vowed that NATO forces will hunt down the remaining Taliban fighters until they are either killed or captured.
Since the launch of the offensive, NATO forces have been securing areas and then installing Afghan police.
Some 800 auxiliary officers have now been deployed in Kandahar province.
Their installation is already working, said Grant, who pointed out many women and children are returning to villages secured by NATO troops.
"Many of the lower-level Taliban realize that NATO is here and that we have really convinced them through our operation that this is not a wise lifestyle they've chosen,'' Grant said.
"If they have put down their weapons and become part of Afghan society that's a good thing.''
But a top rebel commander vowed on Tuesday to step up attacks on foreign troops in Afghanistan.
Mullah Dadullah promised the new year would usher in new attacks on NATO and U.S. forces.
"Suicide and guerrilla attacks on NATO, American and coalition forces will continue and increase this year. The Taliban will inflict heavy casualties on them," Dadullah told Reuters by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location.
Dadullah said the Taliban used a winter lull in attacks to prepare for a spring offensive that will inflict maximum damage.
He also threatened dire consequences for any foreign troops who negotiate with the government, which has implemented a program aimed at convincing Taliban members to rejoin society.
Some Afghan politicians have said achieving peace is an impossible task unless the Taliban is somehow involved in the negotiations.
Operation Baaz Tsuka recorded its first NATO casualty last Wednesday south of Garmsir in Helmand, the province directly west of Kandahar.
An explosion caused a NATO vehicle to crash during a reconnaissance mission, leaving one dead and wounding three. The soldiers were British, confirmed Britain's Ministry of Defence.
With reports from CTV's Murray Oliver and The Canadian Press
