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Operation Anaconda over, Pentagon says

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

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- 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.

U.S. officials said more than 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters have been confirmed killed since the offensive started at the beginning of March. Another 200 deaths have been reported but not confirmed. Eleven allied forces, including eight Americans, have been killed.

"This is about you... . 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," Gen. Tommy Franks, head of U.S. Central Command, said during a medal ceremony Monday in Afghanistan honoring soldiers in the campaign.

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The most intense combat in Operation Anaconda ended more than a week ago, but U.S. and allied troops remain in the mountainous eastern Afghan region searching for al Qaeda and Taliban remnants.

A team of U.S. commandos attacked a convoy of three vehicles Sunday about 43 miles (70 kilometers) south of Gardez, killing 16 al Qaeda members who were trying to flee Operation Anaconda, military officials said.

In addition, one al Qaeda fighter was injured and another captured unharmed. The vehicles were full of weapons and ammunition. No U.S. forces were hurt in the attack.

Special Forces stopped and then released a fourth vehicle, which was carrying a family.

Military officials said the convoy was a clear indication al Qaeda members remain in the area.

During the weekend, coalition forces also located bodies of opposition fighters and items they left behind.

About 750 troops -- Americans from the Army's 10th Mountain Division joined by Canadian forces -- have discovered weapons, ammunition, diaries, journals and notebooks that will be analyzed for intelligence value.

U.S. officials said most of the opposition fighters remaining in the Shah-e-kot Valley are believed to be non-Afghan members of the Taliban.