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| Afghanistan |
| Marjah Offensive Enters Second Day |
| 2010-02-15 |
| [Quqnoos] The long-awaited push, involving 15,000 NATO and Afghan troops, has been launched to target key Taliban strongholds in southern Helmand province. Operation Moshtarak, meaning "together", aims to wrest control of the town of Marjah and Nadi Ali districts in Helmand province from the Taliban. Mark Sedwill, Nato's senior civilian representative, on Sunday said they were satisfied with the operation's first day. "I can't yet say how long it will take for this military phase to get to the point where we can bring in the civilian support from the Afghan government, we hope that will happen quickly," Sedwill told reporters in Kabul. Marjah and Nad Ali are deemed as a spiritual Taliban stronghold and a hub for Taliban's narco-trade and foreign insurgents. The operation is the first major test of the new surge policy of Barack Obama, the US president. At least 15,000 US, British and Afghan soldiers stormed the stronghold in what is also NATO's biggest operation since the collapse of the Taliban. Two NATO deaths, including one Briton, have been confirmed. Afghan forces said 20 militants had been killed and 11 others have been arrested. President Hamid Karzai has warned the troops to do everything possible to avoid harming civilians, a sensitive issue among the Afghan people. The offensive began with waves of helicopters ferrying US Marines into Marjah. British troops then flew into Nad Ali district, to the north, followed by tanks and combat units. Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised the UK forces for their action. He said: "This day will be long remembered as the day when a new phase of the campaign to win the support of the people of Afghanistan was initiated." A White House spokesman said President Barack Obama was keeping a close eye on combat operations and had had multiple updates. He was also to be briefed by the top US commander in Afghanistan on Sunday. It was estimated there were between 400 and 1,000 militants based in the region before Operation Moshtarak was launched. Afghan Defence Minister Gen Abdul Rahim Wardak also said it was important to bring in Afghan security forces quickly. "The area has been heavily mined, that's why we are moving so slowly," he said in Kabul. |
| Posted by:Fred |