Reply #5: NATO says anti-Taliban operation is done

[LTR]

A top NATO general said Sunday an offensive aimed at driving Taliban militants out of their safe havens in southern Afghanistan has been "successfully completed."

Meanwhile, violence persisted in parts of the country. Suicide bombers attacked Canadian and U.S. troops in separate incidents Sunday, killing two civilians and wounding six soldiers.

Lt. Gen. David Richards, head of the 20,000 NATO-led force in Afghanistan, said the insurgents had been forced to abandon their positions and reconstruction and development efforts would soon begin in the volatile former Taliban heartland, he said.

He said the insurgents had "suffered significant casualties" and "had no choice but to leave."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060917/ap_on_re_as/afghani...