Afghanistan, Marjah | featured news

Marines and Afghan troops cleared the last major pocket of resistance in the former Taliban-ruled town of Marjah on Saturday ...

U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers advanced through poppy fields of Marjah on Saturday under withering gunfire from Taliban fighters shooting from mudbrick homes and compounds where families huddled in terror.

Troops' entry into municipal center is expected to begin the process of establishing government authority, delivering basic services to residents.

A nine-hour journey covering one mile reveals the danger and complexity of U.S. Marines' effort to wrest control of Marjah from the Taliban in Afghanistan.

U.S. Marines and Taliban insurgents exchanged gunfire Thursday on the outskirts of Marjah, a southern militant stronghold where American and Afghan forces are expected to launch a major attack in the coming days.