4,000 newly deployed US Marines launch Operation Khanjar to flush out Taliban militants from Helmand River valley In the biggest deployment of US Marines since the Vietnam War, the United States has launched a massive offensive against Taliban militants in the Helmand River valley in southwest Afghanistan. More than 4,000 Marines, backed by 650 Afghan soldiers and police, were moved in by heavy trucks and helicopters, supported by Nato fighter aircraft cover. Operation Khanjar - or 'Sword Strike' - was launched under cover of darkness in the early hours of Thursday morning. The US military said the first 36 hours would be fast and furious while the troops secured their positions. There would then be a period of consolidation as they attempt to break Taliban control and create safe zones. The main purpose is to make it... [read full story]
