Marines  Execute Operation Khanjar in Southern Afghanistan

03 July 2009

U.S. Marines pushed further into southern Afghanistan Friday, meeting little resistance as they moved to capture villages and population centers controlled by Taliban militants.

U.S. Marines and about 650 Afghan soldiers and police officers prepare to board CH-53D Sea Stallion and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters on Forward Operating Base Dwyer, Afghanistan, July 2, 2009. The Marines are assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 3, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. The Marines and Afghan forces are partnered for a major operation in Helmand province to transition security responsibilities to the Afghan forces.

Thousands of American servicemembers and hundreds of Afghan soldiers launched Operation Khanjar to provide security to the Helmand River Valley in southern Afghanistan.

The operation's name translates in English to "Strike of the Sword."

“What makes Operation Khanjar different from those that have occurred before is the massive size of the force introduced, the speed at which it will insert, and the fact that where we go we will stay, and where we stay, we will hold, build and work toward transition of all security responsibilities to Afghan forces,” said Marine Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, the brigade commander.

Officials said the focus remains true to counterinsurgency doctrine: ensuring the safety, security and stability of the area. Once secure, the British-run Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team in Lashkar Gah, working with Afghan government officials, will follow up security gains with economic and governance projects.

“The Taliban offer no future, no hope, and we will work to provide immediate security gains to the local citizens of the Helmand River Valley,” Nicholson said in a written statement.

The U.S. offensive is being led by 4,000 Marines who poured into southern Helmand province on Thursday. The operation is aimed at driving out militants and securing the area ahead of presidential elections August 20.

“The operation in Nawa is going to be very effective,” Helmand Gov. Gulab Mangal said. “The security forces will build bases to provide security for the local people so that they can carry out every activity with this favorable background and take their lives forward in peace.”

Marine spokesman Bill Pelletier says U.S. troops have engaged in only sporadic fighting, but he warned that could change. He says the U.S. is focused on keeping the Taliban militants out and winning the people's trust.

The U.S. military says one Marine has been killed and several others wounded in the offensive. Hundreds of Afghan soldiers and police are also taking part in the operation.

Separately, U.S. officials say the military is using all its resources to find an American soldier believed to have been captured by militants in eastern Paktika province on Tuesday.

The offensive in the south marks the first major operation under U.S. President Barack Obama's revamped strategy to defeat an increasingly violent Taliban insurgency.

Pakistan has re-deployed some of its troops to the border with Afghanistan to stop insurgents who may be fleeing the offensive in Helmand province.