Wounded Canadian soldiers improving

Canadian soldiers seriously woundedwhen U.S. jets mistakenly fired on themwill be back home with their families by the end of the week, while the bodies of five soldiers are expected to arrive in Canada Wednesday night.

Medical officials at a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, were optimistic Wednesday about the condition ofthe wounded Canadians who arrived at the facility a day earlier.

Pte. Mark Anthony Graham was killedand roughly 30 were wounded Monday when two U.S. A-10 Thunderbolts mistakenly fired on a Canadian platoon.

Graham's platoon was taking part in Operation Medusa, a large-scale offensive intended to rout Taliban fighters from Panjwaii, an area about 40 km west of Kandahar where they have established a stronghold.

Four other Canadians were killed on Sunday in battle with Taliban fighters during the same operation.

Seven of the most seriously wounded in the "friendly fire" incident were flown to Germany Tuesday, along with an eighth soldier hurt in another attack last week.

The worst of the injured, Pte. Michael Spence, improved overnight, officials said. He had been placed in a medically induced coma with a serious head wound on Tuesday and had surgery overnight.

His neurosurgeon said Spence remains in intensive care in serious condition, but had a very good night and is looking increasingly better.

Cpl. Bruce Moncur, who had surgery on Wednesday, remains in stable condition.

'Moods are good'

Six more wounded soldiers at the hospital —Maj. Matthew Sprague, Cpl. Ryan Pagnacco, Cpl. Monty Macdonald, Sgt. Kym Cousineau, Master Cpl. Gary Mitchell and Cpl. Derick Lewis — are out of intensive care and doing well in thehospital's "Canuck ward," said medical officials.

"I'm always astonished at their professionalism and their great moods," said Maj. Nick Withers, a senior medical officer with the Canadian Forces.

"They're telling war stories, their moods are good and several of them are saying, 'Get me back to theatre, I want to get back with my buddies'."

All eight will be ready to board a flight back to Canada by Friday, said officials at the U.S.-run medical facility, which has treated 70 Canadians since November 2005.

ACanadian injured Tuesday in Operation Medusa is expected to arrive at Landstuhl Wednesday evening for further treatment, said officials, who didn't give any more details.

Bodies on way home

Meanwhile, a military Airbus carrying Graham's body and those offour others killed earlier in Operation Medusa is expected to touch down at CFB Trenton around 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Sgt. Shane Stachnik, Warrant Officer Frank Mellish and Warrant Officer Richard Nolan and Pte. William Jonathan James Cushley, were killed in action on Sunday.

All were based at CFB Petawawa.

NATO officials on Wednesday continued to defend their military operations in southern Afghanistan, saying Taliban militants wrongly believe they can defeat NATO forces.

Taliban not winning: NATO

"It is clear that some of the terrorists, the spoilers, think they can win in the south," NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told reporters during a press conference in Kabul with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

"They are wrong. Because they cannot win, they will not win," the NATO chief said. "That is why we are engaged in combat as well at this very moment."

His comments echoed ones made Tuesdayby NATO's chief military adviser, Canadian Gen. Ray Henault, whosaid Operation Medusa is succeeding at driving militants out of the south.

De Hoop Scheffer and Karzai also signed an accord to boost security and development in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

Afghanistan this year has been gripped by its deadliest spate of violence since the Taliban's ouster as U.S. and NATO forces continue hunting for militants in volatile southern and eastern parts of the country.