CAMP GERONIMO,
— The Afghan government laid symbolic claim to the former Taliban
stronghold of Marjah on Thursday with a flag-raising ceremony and the
formal installation of a new civilian administration.
Both Afghan and Western military officials, though, said the campaign to secure the southern
As the flag-raising was taking place, scattered
clashes between U.S. Marines and insurgents continued, and coalition
forces continued the painstaking work of finding and destroying the
huge numbers of buried bombs planted by insurgents.
U.S. Marines, British and Afghan troops launched their assault on the town two weeks ago, on
With 15,000 troops taking part in combat and support operations spread
over a wide area, it has been the largest single Western offensive
since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the Taliban.
At Thursday’s ceremony, hundreds of local residents
looked on as their red and green national flag was raised. The town’s
new civilian leader, Haji Zahir, promised to begin restoring basic
government services — something Marjah had lacked for at least two
years.
Brig. Gen.
U.S. Marines’ commander, attended the ceremony but did not speak.
Western military officials said that was a deliberate gesture, meant to
emphasize that the massive military offensive was meant to pave the way
for Afghans to govern themselves.
A spokesman for the NATO force, Brig. Gen.
that the fight was not over, but coalition troops were shifting from
“clear to hold posture” in Nad Ali district, where Marjah was located.
“The operation … has made a lot of progress since
But he said the Taliban maintained a presence in the
town, some by disguising themselves as civilians. Others were holding
out in fortified bunkers or laying ambushes against the coalition force.
“It is true that some insurgents may have pushed
themselves out of the area,” Tremblay said, “but some have melted away
among the population.”
Thirteen Western service members, including at least
eight U.S. Marines, have been killed so far in the Marjah campaign,
along with three Afghan soldiers.
Gen.
news conference that 35 civilians had been killed — a higher number
than previously provided — but did not provide a breakdown of how many
deaths were attributed to Western forces and how many to insurgents.
“We are striving every day to reduce the risk in
order to ensure that we protect as many civilians as possible,”
Tremblay said. “The reality is we cannot remove all the risks.”
—
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