KHENJAKAK, Afghanistan - It was billed as a sweep of the last major Taliban stronghold southwest of Kandahar, but for a combined force of 1,000 Afghan and Canadian troops, it was more like chasing ghosts.
The soldiers arrived in this eastern Panjwaii district only to be told by local villagers that insurgents had already been chased away.
Troops conducted clearing operations over six days during the last week under a media blackout in a pair of villages nestled at the edge of the imposing Registan Desert.
But there wasn't much to clear.
Elders here and in nearby Adamzai -- both villages long recognized as transit points for the Taliban -- insisted they had ejected the militants, telling them they were no longer welcome.
These two villages, along with Nakoney further to the north, were commonly used by insurgents as launching pads for suicide bombings and roadside bomb attacks in Kandahar city.
Afghan and Canadian commanders wasted little time taking credit for the absence of insurgents, which they described as proof NATO's new counter-insurgency strategy is working.
"This traditionally has been a forwarding operating zone," said Lt.-Col. Jerry Walsh, commander of the battle group.
Instead, it's now home to "peace and stability," which Walsh attributed to the presence of NATO-supported Afghan security forces in the Nakoney area.
It was just last fall when Canadian and Afghan troops fought their way into Nakoney, a village the mere mention of which makes battle-hardened Canadian soldiers cringe.
Aid and reconstruction has flowed into the village in the intervening months, which has locals sitting up and taking notice, Walsh said.
"The word is spreading amongst the Afghan people that they can have peace in their villages and they are taking it upon themselves to tell the insurgents: You are not welcome here," he said Monday.
Only two suspected insurgents were captured during four days of ground searches by foot soldiers, who were air-dropped into the area two days after a full squadron of tanks took up position.
Surprisingly, no weapons caches nor booby-trapped compounds -- the usual hallmarks of past insurgent retreats -- were discovered, suggesting that the insurgents may indeed have been driven out.
The entire Panjwaii has been a bloody battleground for Canadian troops since they arrived in the province in strength four years ago. Villages and towns have been repeatedly cleared, only to see the Taliban reassert itself by stealth.
With the Taliban gone, the question now becomes: How long will it last?
The answer may be found in the weariness and exasperation among villagers who met Monday in an empty, sun-baked field under a huge tarp erected by Canadian combat engineers.
"We don't want this situation to continue," one unidentified village elder said during a meeting with village elders, known as a shura, that followed the end of military operations.
There was a clear sense that they just wanted to be left alone by both sides. One village leader complained loudly that the combat sweep had interfered with the irrigation of their fields and farmers were afraid to go out at night for fear of being mistaken for insurgents.
Despite their misgivings, both villages accepted the invitation of district governor Haji Baran to send representatives to regular district meetings -- something they had refused to do in the past.
It is that kind of inclusive political strategy that might pay dividends throughout eastern Panjwaii in a series of restive villages that once encompassed what Canadian troops called the Taliban triangle.
The way was also smoothed with the distribution of humanitarian aid in the form of flour, beans, rice and cooking oil for dirt-poor families.
The political pitch for co-operation came not only from government appointees, but directly from an Afghan National Army officer, who appealed to their pride.
"If we want to end the handouts, if we want to govern ourselves, then the only way is peace," said Capt. Rahmatullah, a company commander in the Afghan army's 2nd Kandak, or battalion, who like many Afghans goes by only one name.
Afghan troops were in the lead for the entire operation, deciding where to go and when. They led compound searches for militants and possible weapons caches, while Canadian troops stayed back and provided security.
That is also part of NATO commander U.S. General Stanley McChystal's new counter-insurgent strategy, which is taking hold with the influx of thousands of fresh American troops.
The fact Muslim troops were in charge of patrols made an distinct impression on villagers, who were comfortable chatting with them in their own language.
Operation Sher II -- Lion II in English -- was the first of its kind to be planned and commanded entirely by Afghans, a milestone hailed by Canadian commanders who took every opportunity to showcase their counterparts.
Battalion commander Col. Sakhi Barriz said his unit is ready to conduct operations on its own in conjunction with local police.
Canada has made fielding independent, capable Afghan brigades in Kandahar one of the benchmarks for withdrawing its own troops next year.
"This is our country,' said Barriz.
"It is our responsibility to save our country from the enemies. We are ready at any time for a new operation with the (Afghan National Police)."
