U.S. military commanders were upbeat, bolstered by the high turnout in the center of town to watch the flag raising ceremony and the swearing-in of Abdul Zahir Aryan as the town's new administrator.[...]
"I think this genuinely underscores that this is a fresh start for Marja," Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson told ABC News. U.S. officials hope Marja will be a model for new governance all over Afghanistan.
"We have said from the very beginning it's going to be a 30 day operation and I think I got to tell you it's day 12 and here we are... [I'm] pretty pleased that we are here in city center," Nicholson said.
Just a few dozen yards from the bullet-riddled government building, Marine Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson found more proof Saturday that the battle for Marja was over."A popcorn vendor on the streets of Marja," Nicholson said in a gleeful voice as he found some coins in his pocket and bought a bag of freshly popped corn.
Marines and Afghan troops cleared the last major pocket of resistance in the former Taliban-ruled town of Marja on Saturday -- part of an offensive that is the run-up to a larger showdown this year in neighboring Kandahar province.[...]
"Basically, you can say that Marja has been cleared," said Capt. Joshua Winfrey, commander of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines Regiment.
Even as Marines in Afghanistan continued to fight for control of the Taliban stronghold of Marja, senior Obama administration officials said Friday that the United States has begun initial planning for a bigger, more complex offensive in Kandahar [Afghanistan's second largest city] later this year.[...]
The assault on Marja, the largest U.S.-NATO military operation since 2001, is a "prelude to larger, more comprehensive operations," senior Obama officials said Friday. Administration officials declined to say when the Kandahar offensive will begin, but military officials have said that it probably will kick off in late spring or early summer after additional U.S. forces have moved into the area.
Nothing could possibly go wrong.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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