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Operation Anaconda Winds Down
Monday, March 18, 2002
CBS

Army door gunner Sgt. Jeff Bierman of Alton, Illinois, flying out of the Shah-E-Kot valley in eastern Afghanistan.
Image Credit: Pool -- Reuters.

"I believe that future operations may well be the size of Anaconda," U.S. Gen. Tommy Franks said.

The overall commander of forces in Afghanistan said early Monday that the biggest U.S.-led offensive in the Afghan war has been "an unqualified and absolute success" and will be completed within 12 hours.

However, U.S. Gen. Tommy Franks, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command, said the overall mission in Afghanistan - to wipe out al-Qaida and their Afghan Taliban allies - is far from over.

"We still have additional work to do," Franks said during a news conference at Bagram air base north of Kabul. "If you talk to anyone of these soldiers, they'll tell you they are here to do that work."

Air Force Senior Airman Clayton Davis of Fort Hood, Texas, and 10th Mountain Division Major Brad Herndon of Fort Drum, New York, inspect a book left behind at an enemy camp.
Image Credit: Pool -- Reuters.

Franks made the announcement while awarding the Bronze Star to four U.S. servicemen who served in Operation Anaconda.

"This is about you, this is about Operation Anaconda, which within 12 hours will be completed because you did it, you did it on time, you did it with a good plan, you did it with violent execution, you did it taking care of one another," said Franks.

In recent days, Canadian, American and other coalition troops have been searching cave-to-cave for bodies, intelligence, weapons and anything else remaining after the two-week operation of airstrikes and ground combat seized control of the Shah-e-Kot valley where Taliban and al-Qaida had been regrouping.
(More: CBSNews.com News Source)
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Dan