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Canadian troops are among nearly 700 soldiers who launched an attack near the southern Afghanistan town of Marjah, setting the stage for one of the West's largest offensives in the country.

About 30 Canadians are accompanying 250 Afghan National Army soldiers and a 400 American troops northeast of the town in a small-scale preparatory mission, according to reports from embedded American journalists. Such "shaping" missions are meant to support Operation Moshtarak, the looming and highly publicized Western offensive in Helmand province.

Despite the small number of soldiers, yesterday's preparatory operation has a distinct Canadian feel - the Afghan soldiers have been trained by Canadians and are armed with Canadian-made guns.

There was no word on casualties.

The joint operation is one of many such exercises in the past week, meant to eliminate Taliban targets ahead of the full-scale "clearing" of two areas: Marjah and the Nad Ali district to the north. They are considered Taliban strongholds.

The 30 veteran soldiers will stay in Helmand with their ANA pupils until the operation's end, a Canadian Forces spokesman said at Kandahar Air Field. "Due to operational security reasons, the duration of the operation cannot be released, but once it is completed the Canadian troops will return to Zhari [district]," Major Daryl Morrell said.

Operation Moshtarak is being hailed as an ANA-led operation meant to demonstrate the co-operation between the budding army and its Western mentors. "Moshtarak" means together in the Dari language.

All told, about 15,000 Afghan soldiers, Afghan police and foreign troops will be involved in the offensive, the date of which has not been made public for security reasons, the British Ministry of Defence said.

Leaflets about the offensive have been dropped in Marjah over the past several days, giving Afghan civilians and Taliban a heads-up about the attack. Western officials have suggested they have telegraphed their general intent so as to minimize civilian casualties and fighting.

Whether the strategy has worked remains to be seen. Reports of how many people are leaving the area have varied significantly. The coalition International Security Assistance Force issued a statement earlier Tuesday playing down the estimates, suggesting neither Taliban insurgents nor civilians have elected to leave. "Despite reports of large numbers of civilians fleeing the area, the facts on the ground do not support these assertions," the ISAF statement said.

Helmand province is west of Kandahar, where Canadian operations are focused. The Canadian soldier leading Joint Task Force Kandahar, Brigadier-General Daniel Ménard, has pledged repeatedly in the past two weeks to "break the back" of the Taliban in Kandahar province in a series of attacks outside Kandahar city. The offensive was largely made possible by a surge of U.S. soldiers into the region.

Canada plays a key role in training the ANA through its Operational Mentor Liaison Teams, of which the 30 soldiers near Marjah are a part. Canada has donated 2,500 C7 rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition to the ANA to replace their aging AK-47s and strengthen their fight against Taliban insurgents.

"Since receiving the new weapons, the morale of my soldiers is much higher," Brigadier-General Abdul Bashir, commander of the brigade that sent the 250 ANA soldiers, said in a recent interview. He praised the Canadian support his unit has received. "Starting from the soldiers to the highest ranks, we are working together and we are co-operating together," said Brig.-Gen. Bashir, who personally addressed and thanked families of fallen Canadian soldiers at Kandahar Air Field last week.