Taliban bastion 'almost' under control - Afghan military

Afghanistan's military yesterday said that US-led troops had almost taken control of a key Taliban bastion, although pockets of stiff resistance remained on the operation's third day.

The assault is the first major test of US President Barack Obama's strategy to reverse the Taliban insurgency and end the eight-year war, and one of the biggest since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down the Taliban.

US Marines were leading 15,000 US, Nato and Afghan troops in the ground and air operation designed to clear the Taliban from the Marjah region of southern Afghanistan and make way for Western-backed authorities.

So far, at least nine Afghan civilians and two Nato soldiers have been killed in Operation Mushtarak ("Together" in Dari). Five British and American soldiers have died elsewhere in southern Afghanistan since the assault began on Saturday.

But despite upbeat assessments from Western leaders and Afghan commanders, US and British soldiers urged patience.

US Marine spokesman Captain Abe Sipe said fighting continued in certain areas of Marjah, which is located in Helmand province, and noted "a couple of difficult areas where the Marines have met stiff resistance".

"In about 12 months, we will be able to look back and say that this whole operation has been successful," the head of Britain's armed forces, Jock Stirrup, told the BBC.

An AFP photographer on the outskirts of Marjah said troops had advanced painstakingly, coming under Taliban fire and hunting for bombs on Sunday, as they sought to reassure residents that they were in the area to stay.

Mr Obama has ordered the deployment of over 50,000 US troops to Afghanistan since taking office in January 2009, with the final reinforcements due to bring to 150,000 the total number of US and Nato-led troops in the country by August.