COMPLETE COVERAGE | FRONT LINES | AMERICA AT HOME | INTERACTIVES »

Operation Anaconda comes to an end

Troops with the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division board a helicopter to leave eastern Afghanistan's Shah-e-kot Valley.

SUMMARY:

The U.S.-led military mission in eastern Afghanistan known as Operation Anaconda is complete, a U.S. military official said Monday.

However, Brig. Gen. John Rosa, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said about 500 coalition forces remain in the area to search caves for any further traces of Taliban and al Qaeda forces.

Since it began at the start of the month U.S. officials say more than 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters have been confirmed killed in the offensive. (Full story)

Military officials said Monday a team of U.S. commandos attacked a convoy of vehicles about 70 kilometers south of Gardez Sunday, killing 16 al Qaeda members who were trying to flee Operation Anaconda. No U.S. forces were injured in the attack.

UPDATE:

Summary Update Key questions Who's who  CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

British Defense Minister Geoffrey Hoon told the House of Commons on Monday that up to 1,700 British troops will be sent to Afghanistan to support U.S. operations there. The minister said this is the biggest British offensive operation since the Gulf War and warned there may be casualties. (Full story)

Pakistan's police force and military were on a state of high alert Monday while a special committee investigated a grenade attack that killed five people, including two Americans, the day before at a church in Islamabad's diplomatic quarters. (Full story)

The attack in Pakistan has led some top White House officials to conclude Islamic militants are targeting Americans in an effort to drive a wedge between Musharraf and the U.S. government. (Full story)

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will unveil plans this week for military tribunals to consider charges against al Qaeda and Taliban suspects held by the United States. A senior defense official said the news media will have limited access to the commissions, with reporters allowed into the courtrooms but no television cameras permitted. (Full story)

The Bush administration has decided to end around-the-clock combat air patrols over New York and instead will rely on intermittent patrols and a plan to keep fighter jets on "strip alert," ready to fly within 15 minutes, officials said. The 24-hour combat patrols will continue over Washington. (Full story)

Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Israel on Monday, the latest stop on his tour of the Middle East. During his trip, Cheney has been working to build support among Arab leaders for tougher U.S. action against Iraq, one of three nations that President Bush has called part of an "axis of evil." (Full story)

Four U.S. service members assigned to guard detainees from the war in Afghanistan have been transferred to new duties at the Guantanamo Bay naval base, a U.S. military spokesman said Sunday. Two were transferred because of apparent stress and the other two were transferred because of what one military official called a "disruptive" detainee. (Full story)

KEY QUESTIONS:

Are Islamic militants in Pakistan targeting Americans in an attempt to divide the anti-terrorism coalition?

Does Operation Anaconda represent al Qaeda's final stand?

Will the United States need to send more troops to Afghanistan?

WHO'S WHO:

Osama bin Laden: Saudi Arabian-born leader of the al Qaeda terrorist network who is accused of masterminding the September 11 strikes on the United States.

George W. Bush: U.S. president

Dick Cheney: U.S. vice president

Pervez Musharraf: Pakistani president