Canadians waging major battle against Taliban
Updated Wed. Oct. 31 2007 4:32 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Canadian, American, and Afghan troops were engaged in a major battle against the Taliban near Kandahar City on Wednesday.
Unconfirmed numbers from the police chief in the region state that more than 50 Taliban fighters have been killed and 50 others wounded.
There is no word on Canadian or NATO casualties. But the Canadian Press reported that three Afghan police officers and an Afghan soldier have died in the fighting.
The Taliban are believed to have about 300 fighters in the area. The fighting has struck fear in area residents, many of whom are now fleeing to Kandahar City for refuge.
Rumors are swirling that more than 1,000 Taliban have come to the region and are attacking refugee camps.
"There are a lot of wild stories going on here. Some people say there are 250 Taliban and others say it is 1,500 ... People are worried,'' an unidentified aid worker told the Canadian Press.
"The psychological effect on the local population is dramatic,'' she said.
The aid worker added she, too, is worried about her friends in the region.
CTV's Paul Workman reports the Afghans asked for Canadian help to counter a significant attack by the Taliban, which comes in the wake of the death of a local leader who had been protecting the area.
He noted that Canadian military officials say it appears a Taliban offensive, launched earlier in the week, is the most significant in the last month. The latest battle is a troubling development for the international mission in the area, according to Workman.
He reported that the Canadian troops are already stretched thin west of the city, and now they're facing a second front.
"The reason this area is quite vital is because it opens up another front just North of Khandahar City and in some ways leaves Khandahar vulnerable," Workman told Canada AM.
He noted, however, that "the Canadians say that there is no danger of the city itself being overrun."
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