Military officials said allied troops killed three al-Qaida fighters in an intense battle Thursday, which erupted within hours of launching the mission, code-named "Operation Harpoon," in the Shah-e-Kot region.

 About 600 troops, 500 Canadian and 100 American, are participating in the mission, which is being conducted under Canadian operational command as part of the U.S. led war on terrorism. 

Meanwhile, U.S. military officials say Afghan troops have found Egyptians, Sudanese and Indonesians among the 20 dead Taleban and al-Qaida fighters discovered in caves in near the Pakistani border.

 The commander of U.S. forces on the ground, General Frank Hagenbeck, says he believes Chechens, Uzbeks and other foreigners were also among hundreds of militants killed in fierce battles earlier this month, when U.S. forces were conducting "Operation Anaconda" against al-Qaida and Taleban fighters. However, Afghan commanders have expressed concern that many militants may have slipped away in the mountainous terrain.

 U.S. officials say al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and former Taleban ruler Mullah Omar were not among those killed, but that U.S. military and intelligence continue to track down leads about their whereabouts.

 In another development, a U.S. congressional committee is pushing for an extra $1 billion in reconstruction aid for Afghanistan.
 
 

Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP.

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