Admiral says risks are high as Patricias flown in to search ridge line
By Stephen Thorne
Canadian Press
WITH CANADIAN TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN (CP) -
Some 500 Canadian troops launched their first major offensive operation today in eastern Afghanistan to pursue Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters who are scattering after days of intensive bombardment by coalition forces.
Well-armed and equipped with heavy packs, Canadian soldiers landed high in the snow-capped mountains under a crisp morning sky, after the U.S. helicopters transporting them had flown close to the jagged terrain in a defensive technique known as contour flying.
As they landed, the twin rotors of the Chinook helicopters kicked up large clouds of dust. Small groups of soldiers swamped out of each helicopter as U.S. marine Cobra gunships provided air cover. High above them, a remote-controlled Predator aircraft kept an eye on the operation as it unfolded.
The Canadians made their way up mountain trails, zig-zagging through a ravine and fanning out in all directions. They were treading carefully, one step at a time, keeping a wary eye out for unexploded ordnance.
The area had been heavily bombed before the troops landed. Twisted steel, shell casings and charred shrapnel were everywhere.
The Canadians met no resistance and took control of a ridge offering a commanding view of both sides of the mountain. A contingent of U.S. infantry troops joined them.
There were no casualties or prisoners taken so far, senior military officials said in Ottawa.
Lt.-Col. Pat Stogran, commander of the Canadian contingent in Afghanistan, is leading "Operation Harpoon" with about 500 Canadians and 100 Americans under his command, the officials said.
Commodore Jean-Pierre Thiffault, the top Canadian officer at Central Command in Tampa, Fla., said this is "a combat operation to clear out the remaining Al Qaeda and Taliban pockets in caves and other site in the mountainous areas south of Gardez, near the Whale Back feature we have heard so much in the context of Operation Anaconda."
Gardez, about 130 kilometres south of Kabul, is the main city in Paktia province. Whale Back, or "the whale," is a name given to a strategic ridge in the towering mountains of Shah-e-Kot in the province.
Operation Anaconda is the biggest U.S.-led offensive in the current conflict with Taliban and Al Qaeda forces, who were reported to have regrouped in the province. Sixteen Canadians were involved in Operation Anaconda, including six snipers, Vice-Adm. Greg Maddison said in Ottawa.
The snipers inflicted casualties on enemy forces before returning to base, he said. The Canadians did not suffer any casualties or take any prisoners in Operation Anaconda, which is still continuing.
Operation Harpoon is a separate offensive in the same general area, being conducted in conjunction with Operation Anaconda. It is "designed to eliminate a specific pocket of Taliban and Al Qaeda resistance," Maddison said.
"As Anaconda unfolded, we saw that the larger concentrations of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters began to disperse," he said. "And the area that we are engaged in is one of the areas where some of the fighters went to."
Maddison estimated there are probably less than 100 enemy fighters there, possibly hiding in caves.
"I think the risks are high" for the troops involved, he said, even though reconnaissance patrols have so far reported little evidence of activities by fighters of the Taliban or Al Qaeda - the terrorist network headed by Osama bin Laden.
Troops from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry went into the area "flawlessly and ... they secured the initial objective without any difficulty," Thiffault said.
"There was no opposition or contact with the enemy."
The top commander's remarks were echoed on the ground by reconnaissance Capt. Ryan Latinovich.
"This was far less resistance than we expected," he said.
Still, Thiffault said it would "take some time" to clear the Whale Back, which is six kilometres by one kilometre in area. He added the task will require two days.
There is a crisp, cold wind on the ridge. Breathing is more laboured in the thin mountain air. But the Canadians' green uniforms, dulled by weeks of dust from their base, blended in well against the mountains.
Before their departure from the Bagram air base near Kabul, the Canadian troops appeared confident and morale was high. They lined up in groups while waiting for helicopter transports. Some painted their faces with green and brown camouflage.
The Bagram base itself is strewn with the refuse of war. Soviet-era equipment is scattered everywhere - upturned, twisted and damaged.
Earlier on, heavy bombing could be seen on neighbouring mountains, followed by at least three deep booms echoing across the valley.
Canada has sent nearly 900 ground troops to Afghanistan. Most of them arrived last month at the coalition base in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. The latest group arrived last week.
As fighting raged in eastern Afghanistan, some elements of the Canadian Forces in Kandahar moved forward over the weekend to Bagram, which is much closer to the battle.
I'm surprised that the Canadian-haters haven't been out in full force to complain about this one...
Good, our Canadian friends are used to the cold and mountains. I wish them the best of luck in killing the rest of the Taliban