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WASHINGTON, March 2, 2010 – The first phase of a Marine offensive in a former Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan’s Helmand province is nearing completion, the Pentagon’s No. 2 official said today. As the military operations of the roughly 15,000 NATO and Afghan forces that have been engaged in Operation Moshtarak since Feb. 13 begin to wind down, the focus in the Marja section of central Helmand is shifting from clearing out the enemy to holding the gains the operation has brought about. “Our strategy, however, recognizes that military action is only the first step in a successful transition,” Deputy Defense...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2010 – Operations in Marja, Afghanistan, are transitioning from the clearing to the holding phase, as today’s turnover of the government center there marks a symbol of progress, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today. Twelve days into Operation Moshtarak, the offensive in the former Taliban stronghold is “trending in a very positive direction,” Morrell said, on both the military and governance fronts. The new Afghan government raised its flag over Marja today, with Abdul Zahir Aryan installed as its administrator. Morrell called the transfer of the government center “symbolic of where we are in this operation.”...

As the campaign to take over the village of Marjah enters its second day, the fog of battle has somewhat dissipated, bringing to light one of the untold truths over what the real battle is all about. Coalition forces conducting the operation are trying their utmost, to emphasize the role of the Afghan National Army as an equal member of the engaged military force, and lead element representing the interests and authority of the central government in Kabul. But the battle is not fought over the land, but on the hearts and minds of the local Pashtun tribe people, torn...

This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR On Feb. 13, some 6,000 U.S. Marines, soldiers and Afghan National Army (ANA) troops launched a sustained assault on the town of Marjah in Helmand province. Until this latest offensive, the U.S. and NATO effort in Afghanistan had been constrained by other considerations, most notably Iraq. Western forces viewed the Afghan conflict as a matter of holding the line or pursuing targets of opportunity. But now, armed with larger forces and a new strategy, the war — the real war — has begun. The most recent offensive — dubbed Operation Moshtarak (“Moshtarak”...

Pakistan confirmed that it had captured the number two Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Brader, in Karachi. This happened last week, in a joint U.S.-Pakistani intelligence operation. Mullah Abdul was the chief military planner for Afghanistan. Senior Afghan Taliban leaders have long been suspected of hiding in Karachi, along with hundreds of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban who have fled there. That's because the city is home to over two million Pushtuns (out of a city population of 12 million). About half these Pushtuns are Afghans (refugees from the 1980s war with Russia) and their children. Since Pushtuns, as a...

US Marines moving from the north of Marjah have joined up with US troops who were dropped into the area by helicopter four days ago, helping to increase their control over a crucial area known as the “Pork Chop”. Major-General Nick Carter, the British commander of Nato forces in southern Afghanistan, said that two thirds of the town of Marjah had been cleared but the remainder would take longer to purge of insurgents because of roadside bombs. British troops hold three quarters of their designated area, he added. US troops, facing continued fire from the Taleban, fired smoke rounds to...

MARJAH, Afghanistan—U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers seized the site of Marjah's government offices, setting the stage for Kabul to attempt to resume its authority in a town long run by the Taliban. In a full day of skirmishing, the troops took a former police station in central Marjah, as well as the ruined foundations of the former government center. "The government will return to Marjah, and in short order," predicted Lt. Col. Calvin Worth, commander of 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. Progress continued to be deliberate—at times slow—in the fourth day of what the U.S.-led coalition bills as its biggest...

US and Pakistani spies have captured the Taliban's top military commander, US media reported, but the militia has denied his arrest and said he was still leading the fight in Afghanistan. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was arrested in Pakistan's sprawling port city of Karachi "several days ago" by US and Pakistani intelligence services, the New York Times and other US media said, citing unnamed US government officials. If confirmed, the arrest would be a huge blow for the Taliban, which have been fighting to bring down the Afghan government and evict Western troops since the 2001 US-led invasion removed them...

Operation MOSHTARAK, the Afghan-led initiative to assert government authority in central Helmand province, has completed its first clearing operations, with 'hot stabilisation' already underway in the UK area of operations. UK military spokesman Major General Gordon Messenger gave a comprehensive account of events on Operation MOSHTARAK over the past 24 to 48 hours at a press briefing in London on Sunday 14 February 2010. Major General Messenger set out the context. The Regional Command (South) plan for the south of Afghanistan has three phases. Phase one was to rearrange forces around Kandahar so as to improve security around the city and its routes,...

NEWS RELEASEISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan 2010-02-CA-069 For Immediate Release  KABUL, Afghanistan (Feb. 15) - The clearing phase of operation Moshtarak continued yesterday, with the combined forces conducting a number of mounted and dismounted patrols. Elements of the combined force have been engaged in periodic small arms fire fights, and a number of insurgents have been either killed or detained. The combined force has sustained some injuries. Two rockets from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launched at insurgents firing upon Afghan and ISAF forces impacted approximately 600 meters off their intended target, killing 12 civilians in Nad Ali....

Improvised bombs planted by Taliban fighters are slowing Nato's big offensive in Afghanistan, military officials say. The BBC's Frank Gardner, in Kandahar, says the homemade bombs have been planted in far greater numbers than Nato had anticipated. Operation Moshtarak - targeting Taliban strongholds in southern Helmand province - has entered its third day. Earlier, the Nato commander apologised after rockets killed 12 civilians.

Bryan Denton for the Wall Street Journal Lance Cpl. James Button, left, eyed a suspected Taliban position through his rifle scope, as Cpl. Grimm called out targets to their group.MARJAH, Afghanistan—Taliban insurgents tried to overrun a U.S. Marine outpost with a combination of rocket-propelled grenades and suicide bombers in a brazen attack just after sundown on Sunday. The Marines and Afghan soldiers fended off the assault, shooting the suicide attackers before they had a chance to detonate their weapons.The attack took place on the second day of a major offensive to wrest control of this town of 75,000 people from...

MARJA, Afghanistan — The helicopters landed before dawn Saturday in a poppy field beside a row of mud-walled compounds. The Marines ran into the darkness and crouched through the rotor-whipped dust as their aircraft lifted away.For the Marines of Company K, Third Battalion, Sixth Marines, the assault into the last large Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province was beginning. For almost all of them, this was to be their first taste of war. And an afternoon of small-arms combat was ahead.But at first, these Marines, the vanguard for 6,000 NATO and Afghan troops streaming in to loosen the Taliban’s grip here...

NEWS RELEASEISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan 2010-02-CA-063 For Immediate Release  KABUL, Afghanistan (Feb. 14) - Operation Moshtarak, the Afghan-led initiative to assert government authority in the centre of Helmand province has completed its first day of "clearing" operations. Saturday morning's air insertion over Central Helmand included helicopters, A-10s, Tornadoes and C-130 aircraft. The waves of aircraft-borne troop insertions of Afghan National Army, United States and United Kingdom soldiers were completed by 5:55 a.m. local time. Since then, at least two shuras have been held with local Afghans - one in Nad-e Ali and one in Marjah. The ANA have been meeting...

Since 2006, the Taliban have made a dramatic comeback in Afghanistan after being driven from the country in 2002. As security has deteriorated, they have steadily taken control of more and more territory. In response, a new strategic plan for Afghanistan has been formulated by General Stanley McChrystal, Commander of ISAF and US Forces - Afghanistan. On Dec. 3, 2009, this plan was approved by the Obama administration. While there are several important aspects of the strategy, such as political development, economic development, counter narcotics, and the police and justice system, this article will focus on the military aspect.