U.S. Marines attend a flag raising ceremony in which the American and Afghan flags were raised at Kandahar Airport in Afghanistan on Tuesday.
(CNN) -- U.S. Marines were on the ground in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday to gather intelligence and look for members of the Taliban and al Qaeda.
The target of the mission is a large walled compound west of Kandahar in Helmand province, said Col. Andrew Frick, commanding officer of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Frick said it was his understanding that the operation did not extend to Baghran, an area where Pentagon sources have said Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar is hiding.
Early Tuesday, CNN Correspondent Bill Hemmer noted "substantial Marine activity," involving half a dozen light armored vehicles, a dozen Humvees and an oversized truck filled with Marines leaving the Kandahar airport. The same convoy was seen a short time later by reporters moving through the city of Kandahar.
The 200 or so Marines involved in the operation are a large group compared to what has been used on the ground in Afghanistan during the U.S.-led military effort. Frick said the operation may be completed by sunrise Wednesday. (Full story at CNN.com)