NAKHONAY, Afghanistan - A major Canadian operation in southern Afghanistan has wrapped up, yielding caches of Taliban weapons and improvised explosive devices.
The sweep through the always-treacherous Panjwaii district comes as Canada gears up for one more stretch of combat this spring.
More than 3,000 troops from Canada, Afghanistan and the United States cleared large swaths of the Panjwaii district during Operation Hamaghe Shay, a four-day mission.
Maj. Frank Dufault, the deputy commander of Canada's battle group, says the goal was to allow the Afghans to take the lead on a major operation.
Nearly 1,300 Canadian troops were involved, making it the largest Canadian operation since the Afghan mission began in 2001.
Canada's combat role in Afghanistan is scheduled to formally end in July.
