Canadian and US soldiers today landed on a key mountain ridge in eastern Afghanistan where they will hunt down remaining al Qaeda and Taliban fighters, the Canadian military said.
"The mission is called Operation Harpoon and consists of (an) assault using land and air assets," Vice-Admiral G R Maddison, deputy chief of the Defense Staff, told a briefing.
Nearly 500 Canadian soldiers and a US infantry company launched the attack today.
The attack is to the south of Gardez, in eastern Afghanistan, and is designed to capture a ridge named the Whaleback, which the US military said is key to victory in the region.
US helicopters flew the soldiers there, Canadian Commodore Mr Jean-Pierre Thiffault, based at US Central Command in Florida, said.
"I am pleased to report the insertion went off flawlessly and that they secured the initial objective without any difficulty. There was no opposition or contact with the enemy," Mr Thiffault said.
Operation Harpoon follows Operation Anaconda, which was designed to clear Taliban and al Qaeda fighters out of eastern Afghanistan.
Mr Maddison said Operation Anaconda's objectives had by and large been met.