Half of the Canadian troops involved in sweep-and-search operations in the caves and mountains of eastern Afghanistan have returned to their base in the capital, Kabul. 

During three days of searches, the 500 Canadian soldiers recovered weapons and information and encountered several al-Qaida and Taleban fighters. 

Some enemy fighters were reported killed, while others fled. About 100 U.S. soldiers were also taking part in the search operation while Afghan fighters secured the Shah-e-kot valley. 

The search comes after a major U.S.-led offensive ran into heavy resistance despite intense bombing raids by U.S. warplanes. U.S. military officials report little combat in recent days. U.S. officials believe there were up to 1,000 enemy fighters in the area earlier this month, but don't know precisely how many may have been killed. Many are believed to have fled and are feared to be regrouping. 

Meanwhile, eight U.S. soldiers wounded in the early fighting of Operation Anaconda were awarded Purple Hearts in a ceremony at Bagram air base in Afghanistan on Saturday. For some, evacuation took as long as 16 hours because of the raging battle. The eight are members of the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division. 

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters. 

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