[Quqnoos] The 4,000 US Marines have regained the control of two Taliban stronghold districts of Nawa in the north and Khanshin in the south of the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah. Now, the fighting moves towards another Taliban stronghold, Garmsir District, in the southern Helmand, to setback the militants, says our correspondent Baryalai Rahimi in Lashkar Gah.According to fresh reports, militants have planted landmines to prevent the US Marines and Afghan Army to speed up the offensive in the volatile Afghan province.
There have been no causalities reported yet in the major fighting but a Taliban spokesman claimed to have killed five US soldiers in Shinkai and Zor Abad villages of Nad Ali districts, Saturday evening. Moreover, a militant website quoting a purported Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reports that a US military helicopter was knocked down by insurgents, Saturday, in Garmsir district.
| Brave, brave lions of Islam ... |
A militant commander in Nad Ali district said Taliban cannot fight face to face with the US and Afghan troops in on-going offensive, Khanjar, ...
| ... that's a correct statement ... |
US officials said the aim of the operation in short term is to secure the area to run the elections in August and in long term, the US army would seek people's support to stablise the province. The US troops would station the districts regained from the Taliban, US military officials insisted. "The operation is to clear up the area, provide security, good governance and to begin construction programmes," MoD spokesman further said.
It seems operation Khanjar is a long-run one as a large number of militants are positioned in Helmand province.