17/02/2010 Despite military claims of US and NATO-led occupation troops are now in control of crucial areas in Marjah in Helmand province as a major offensive in Afghanistan against the Taliban enters its fifth day, progress remains slow because of the stiff resistance and "everywhere" homemade bombs.
A Taliban spokesman disputed the US military's claims, saying fighters have NATO forces under siege.
General Larry Nicholson, the commander of US marines in the province, avoided sounding upbeat about the operation, while cautioning that "there are tough days ahead".
Lieutenant Josh Diddams, of Taskforce Leatherneck said "we are definitely finding more than we expected," adding: "It's a slow process."
OCCUPATION CASUALTIES
Meanwhile, an occupation soldier was killed in southern Afghanistan rising to ten the number of killed occupation soldier since the assault on Taliban in area of Helmand province began last Sunday, NATO said Wednesday.
The soldier, whose nationality was not disclosed, was killed Tuesday by "small arms fire", NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.
"This is an Operation Mushtarak-related casualty," a brief statement said.
The death brings to 77 the number of foreign troops to have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on the independent icasualties.org website.
Military officials have said the 15,000 US-led troops involved in Mushtarak are facing resistance in pockets of the targeted area, including arms fire and guerrilla-style hit-and-run tactics.
The offensive is expected to last some weeks and according to the chief of the British defense staff in NATO Jock Stirrup, the assault "could not be judged for about a year", talking about long term offensive.
Improvised bombs have become the main threat, Afghan and NATO military officials have said, and are impeding progress in the assault on what is essentially a cluster of villages in a poppy-growing river valley.
Before the launch of the offensive, the Taliban movement vowed a guerilla war against NATO forces; a different tactic from the movement's previous battles with US-led occupation forces.
CIVILIAN VICTIMS
Apparently, civilian casualties are not avoided in this assault.The British commander of international forces in southern Afghanistan said Tuesday that a NATO strike that killed at least nine Afghan civilians, during the assault was not a "rogue missile and hit where it was intended".
NATO forces have resumed using the type of rocket involved, after "probing what went wrong", he said.
"We know now that the missile arrived at the target that it was supposed to arrive at," Major General Nick Carter told reporters in London via video link from Lashkar Gah, in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.
A military spokesman in Afghanistan said the strike had been aimed at the Taliban and it "was not unusual for them to operate from civilian-populated areas".
NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) originally said that 12 civilians were killed after two rockets from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) had landed about 300 meters off their intended target.
More than 100,000 NATO and US troops are in Afghanistan, with another 40,000 being deployed through to August, most of whom will be sent to the troubled south as part of the 'counter-insurgency effort.'
OBAMA TO HOLD AFGHAN WAR CABINET
For his part, US President Barack Obama will convene a meeting of his Afghan war cabinet on Wednesday to assess the offensive.
The meeting, in the White House Situation Room, also comes after the reported capture by US and Pakistani spies of the Taliban's top military commander.
US and other media reported on Tuesday that Taliban military commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was arrested in Pakistan's port city of Karachi several days ago.
The White House refused to confirm the arrest, as the Taliban denied confirming that Baradar is in Afghnaistan.
Obama will meet top officials including Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and General David Petraeus, head of US Central Command.
War commander General Stanley McChrystal and US ambassador to Kabul Karl Eikenberry were due to take part in the meeting by video conference, the White House said.
The meeting is similar to the long series of high-level consultations Obama initiated before deciding on the strategy to surge 30,000 extra troops into the Afghan war late last year.
River to Sea
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