Nawa (Afghanistan), July 04: US Marines pushed deeper
into Taliban areas of southern Afghanistan, seeking to cut
insurgent supply lines and win over local elders in the
biggest US military operation here since the American-led
invasion of 2001.
On the other side of the border, US missiles struck a
Pakistani Taliban militant training center and communications
center, killing 17 people and wounding nearly 30, Pakistani
intelligence officials said.
Both US operations were aimed at what President Barack
Obama considers as the biggest dangers in the region: a
resurgent Taliban-led insurgency allied with al-Qaeda that
threatens both nuclear-armed Pakistan and the US-backed
government in Afghanistan.
The 4,000-strong US force met little resistance yesterday
as troops fanned out into villages in Afghanistan's southern
Helmand province, although one Marine was killed and several
others were wounded the day before, US officials said.
Despite minimal contact, the Marines could see militants
using flashlights late Thursday to signal one another about
American troop movements.
Military spokesman Capt Bill Pelletier said the goal of
the Helmand operation was not simply to kill Taliban fighters
but to win over the local population.
Marines also hope to cut the routes used by militants to
funnel weapons, ammunition and fighters from Pakistan to the
Taliban, which mounted an increasingly violent insurgency
since its hard-line Islamist government was toppled in 2001 by
an international coalition.
As Operation Khanjar, or "Strike of the Sword", entered
its second day, Marines took control of the district centers
of Nawa and Garmser, and negotiated entry into Khan Neshin,
the capital of Rig district, Pelletier said.
In one village near Nawa, the atmosphere was tense.
"When we asked if they had a village elder or mullah for
the American commander to talk to, the answer was no," said
Capt Drew Schoenmaker, a Marine company commander. "It's fear
of reprisal. Fear and intimidation is one thing the enemy does
very well."
The head of US Central Command warned yesterday that
American troops are in for a tough fight.
While visiting Calgary, Canada, Gen David Petraeus - best
known for coordinating the troop surge in Iraq that is
credited with reducing that country's violence - cautioned
that the Taliban are resilient fighters.
"I think you have to recognise this is an enemy that is
adaptable and at times is barbaric," he said. "(They) adjust
to our tactics, techniques and procedures. We certainly do see
it as an enemy that represents an ideology that does not
tolerate those who do not think the way they do."
Bureau Report