[Quqnoos] NATO warns Afghan civilians to "keep their heads down" when a major joint military offensive begins in Helmand province. Mark Sedwill, NATO's senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, admitted on Tuesday that the offensive was likely to prompt more people to leave the area.The fighting around the town of Marjah -- a key Taliban stronghold and a hub for nacro-trade -- is expected to be one of the largest since the collapse of the Taliban. Thousands of US Marines, NATO and Afghan troops are massed in the province for Operation Mushtarak which aims to drive Taliban out of Marjah.
"We very much hope that the military phase of this operation will go ahead swiftly and with as little incident as possible," Sedwell told reporters in a briefing at NATO headquarters in Kabul. "The success of the operation will not be in the military phase.
"It will be over the next weeks and months as the people ... feel the benefits of better governance, of economic opportunities and of operating under the legitimate authorities of Afghanistan," he said.
Gulab Mangal, Helmand's provincial governor, said a commission has been formed to handle the flow of displaced people.
"The commission is fully prepared. We have got tents. We've got food. We've got everything in place," he said at the joint news conference with Sedwill on Tuesday. "So far we have had two waves of displaced people from the area - 72 and 92 families."
Authorities have not advised people to leave the Marjah area but have warned them to stay inside and avoid road travel once the operation begins. "The message to the people of the area is of course keep your heads down, stay inside when the operation is going ahead," Sedwell said.