Taliban fighters, Canadians die in Afghan fighting

By Sayed Salahuddin

KABUL (Reuters) – A major NATO offensive killed more than
200 Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan and four NATO
soldiers died in Sunday’s fighting, the organization said.

NATO also lost 14 British military personnel, who died when
a Royal Air Force Nimrod MR2 spyplane crashed Saturday while
the alliance and Afghan forces mounted Operation Medusa in
Panjwai district of Kandahar province.

Canada’s military said four Canadian soldiers died in
Sunday’s assault, which involved hundreds of troops, backed by
warplanes and helicopter gunships in an area southwest of
Kandahar city that has been a center of Taliban resistance.

“Reports indicate that more than 200 Taliban fighters have
been killed since Operation MEDUSA began early Saturday
morning,” a statement by NATO said, adding Afghan forces
captured more than 80 other Taliban.

The operation was the biggest by NATO since it took over
command of the southern region on July 31 from U.S.-led
coalition forces, said Major Scott Lundy, a spokesman for the
alliance.

Officials said the Nimrod’s crash was caused by a technical
problem, though the Taliban claimed its fighters shot down the
plane with a Stinger missile.

HEAVY FIGHTING

Panjwai has seen heavy fighting before, and several
thousand people fled the region earlier this year to avoid
being caught in the crossfire.

This time, Lundy said, NATO asked villagers to evacuate the
area beforehand and there were no reports of civilian
casualties.

A purported Taliban member, Nasib Khan, phoned Reuters from
the battle zone and denied that any Taliban fighters had been
killed.

The sound of artillery fire, and explosions resounded as he
spoke, and the cries of children were heard in the background.

The insurgency is going through its bloodiest period since
U.S.-backed forces overthrew a Taliban government in late 2001
after it refused to hand over al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden
following the September 11 attacks on the United States.

More than 2,000 people, most of them militants, along with
scores of civilians and aid workers as well as hundreds of
Afghan security personnel have been killed so far this year,
while over 110 foreign troops, have died, including those
killed in Saturday’s plane crash and Sunday’s battle.