US enters mopping-up phase

US-led allied forces are claiming victory in the Shah-i-kot area of eastern Afghanistan and declaring Operation Anaconda an "incredible success."

But they also warn that the war is far from over. They are just beginning a mopping up and assessment of the damage done in the fortified mountain redoubts from where the Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters waged the fiercest battle to date against US forces.

"The progress has been great. Operation Anaconda has been nothing but a success," Maj. Bryan Hilferty told reporters here. "We have killed hundreds of the Al Qaeda. We now control the majority of the valley."

Major Hilferty said the battle had inflicted heavy casualties on a "hardcore" of Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, while the allied forces sustained comparatively few casualties. Eight US soldiers and three Afghans were killed, while about 80 Americans were wounded, mostly with light injuries.

But military officials say they cannot be sure that their supremacy over the area is complete. For that reason, some 1,500 troops are still in the area now, more than 1,000 of whom are Afghan.

Yesterday, they were just beginning to enter the cave hideouts, some of which may still be mined and booby-trapped. They are searching for documents, weapons, or other information that might help the US figure out the million-dollar question: where next?

About 20 detainees were captured by the US in the latest fighting. US military officials said that they were not Afghans, but they could not confirm the nationality of those they killed, who are reported to number about 700.

But, from their experience in Tora Bora in December, US military officials say they are concerned that many of the best fighters could have escaped into caves where they can lie low and later regroup. The Afghan ground forces still in the area are in the process of reestablishing their positions "to prevent a lot of enemy forces from moving to the east," says Lt. Col. Jim Marye, a battalion commander.

Other reports from the region indicate that many of the Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters may have already escaped. Afghan soldiers reported finding only one body in each of the first three caves they entered. And villagers are reporting they have received few bodies for burial.

Meanwhile, soldiers who had been on the mission in Shah-i-kot relaxed in their tents yesterday, talking about near misses and filling out forms to nominate their leaders for medals.

Some of the soldiers interviewed at the US military base here, where they basked in the bright sun, say they saw some of the fighters run when they saw how overpowered they were.

"I think we surprised them. I don't think they realized how many people we had out there," says Staff Sgt. James Harris, a mortar platoon commander. "The hills kind of came alive on them."

Page: 1 | 2