KABUL — The would-be terrorists who directed two 107-millimetre rockets at the largest Canadian Forces base in Afghanistan had likely tried, but failed, to launch the weapons, military sources said Thursday.

The rockets were discovered Wednesday in a palace nearby Camp Julien as Defence Minister John McCallum was arriving for a three-day visit.

McCallum, who spoke with troops at Camp Julien Thursday before visiting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Defence Minister General Fahim Khan, commended Canada's soldiers for their quick action in dealing with the rockets.

"They really acted professionally, and I thank them for doing what they did," said McCallum.

"I never really felt I was in danger, and everything seemed to go smoothly."

Karzai also thanked Canada for its support for Afghanistan, saying it had taken in tens of thousands of Afghan refugees over the years and made great sacrifices to bring peace to the country.

Canadian forces make up the bulk of the NATO-led International Security and Assistance Force, or ISAF, which is charged with keeping the peace in the capital, Kabul.

Karzai also said he welcomed ISAF expansion. NATO has approved the expansion of peacekeepers outside the capital, but the process has not yet started and it isn't clear what size or form the force will take.

McCallum was later scheduled to travel to the eastern town of Gardez to visit American soldiers who are part of a provincial reconstruction team, a small unit helping to keep the peace and rebuild the area.

"Canada is committed to Afghanistan," McCallum said.

That commitment could include taking soldiers out of Bosnia to free them up for the longer-term Afghan reconstruction, McCallum said, adding Canada could pull out of Bosnia completely before November 2004.

"Discussions are ongoing ... on an urgent basis to switch over the responsibility (for Bosnia) to the European Union," McCallum added.

"I'm hoping that will allow Canada to have a total or near total withdrawal within a year."

Plans are already in place to reduce Canada's troop commitment in Bosnia by 50 per cent before April.

The reduction is part of an overall NATO strategy to turn over policing of the state to European control.

"The 50 per cent reduction is for sure. The total withdrawal within a year is not for sure, but it's something that we very much want to happen," said McCallum.

"We, as a country, I believe, have had enough of (Bosnia), and I clearly am trying to get us out as fast as I possibly can."

The minister called the slow departure from peacekeeping in Bosnia "a success, not a failure."

NATO isn't abandoning Bosnia, but rather the security situation there has stabilized substantially and Canada and other countries can afford to withdraw without sacrificing the country, argued McCallum. He described a growing fatigue among soldiers assigned there.

Canada has about 1,200 troops in the Balkan country and another 2,000 in Afghanistan.

Canada is currently committed to a one-year operation in Afghanistan ending in August 2004. Another rotation of about 1,800 soldiers is expected to begin arriving in February when Canada is scheduled to take over control of ISAF, the 5,500-soldier International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

However, there has been talk in military circles that "best-case scenario" plans are being developed to have Canada remain in Afghanistan for up to five years.

Meanwhile, the rockets discovered on Wednesday were found set in sand, peering outward from what was once a south-facing window on the second floor of the King's Palace, and were already attached to a new car battery, suggesting someone had tried unsuccessfully to launch them toward the Canadian base.

"They were all wired, aimed, ready to go," according to one investigator, who didn't want to be identified.

"But it doesn't look like the battery was charged. You could see (the battery) was fresh out of the packaging."

The rockets, which have been moved to an explosives storage facility, were found after local residents alerted a routine Canadian Forces patrol to people carrying weapons in the area. Investigators also now believe the weapons could not have been remotely detonated.

Meanwhile, entranceways to the once-opulent palace have since been blocked with razor wire, and soldiers are on guard around-the-clock against intruders.

The rockets were the first credible threat against Camp Julien since Canadian soldiers began deploying to Afghanistan.

A similar rocket was used in a Sept. 11 attack against the second, smaller Canadian base in Kabul, Camp Warehouse.

No one was injured in that attack.