KANDAHAR, Sept 17: Afghan and Nato forces announced on Sunday that they had driven Taliban out of an insurgent stronghold in southern Afghanistan and were starting reconstruction work.

The combat phase of Operation Medusa, which kicked off in southern Kandahar province on Sept 2, was over, Kandahar province governor Assadullah Khalid told reporters.

The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force has said the operation, which involved about 2,000 foreign and Afghan forces, killed more than 500 rebels.

Khalid has said 13 civilians were also killed.

It was Isaf’s biggest anti-Taliban operation since the alliance took command of the south on July 31.

It was focused on Panjwayi, about 35 kilometres west of Kandahar city.

“We believe we have cleared the Taliban out of the Panjwayi Pashmul area,” Isaf spokesman Major Quentin Innes told AFP.

There were however a “significant” number of Taliban-laid mines and Improvised explosive devices in the area and troops wanted to remove them before encouraging the thousands of people who had fled the area to return home.

The troops would now help with reconstruction and humanitarian aid, he said.—AFP