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NATO Says 30 Days Needed to Secure Marjah

   VOA News 18 February 2010
   US Marines with NATO forces keeps vigil as Marines and Afghan National
   Army  (ANA)  soldiers  setup a joint military base in north of Marjah,
   city of Helmand province, 18 Feb 2010

Photo: AP

   US  Marines with NATO forces keep vigil as Marines and Afghan National
   Army  (ANA)  soldiers  setup a joint military base in north of Marjah,
   city of Helmand province, 18 Feb 2010

   A  NATO commander in southern Afghanistan says allied troops will need
   25  to  30  days  to  overcome  what he called "stiff resistance" from
   Taliban fighters and secure Marjah.
   British  Major  General  Nick  Carter told reporters Thursday that the
   15,000 Afghan and NATO troops in the offensive are moving carefully to
   try to avoid civilian casualties and roadside bombs.
   He  said  it  could  be  three  months  before  officials  are able to
   determine if the offensive is successful.
   On  Thursday, the governor of Afghanistan's Helmand visited Marjah for
   the first time, six days after the offensive began.
   Governor  Gulab  Mangal  said  a  convoy of Afghan national police had
   arrived  in  Marjah.  Afghan  officials are planning to quickly deploy
   government  workers  and  security forces to begin providing security,
   services and jobs.
   At least five NATO soldiers and at least 15 civilians have been killed
   since  the  start  of  the  operation  late  Saturday.   The number of
   reported Taliban deaths has risen to 40.
   Meanwhile,  in  northern Afghanistan Thursday, Afghan officials said a
   NATO  air strike mistakenly killed seven Afghan police and wounded two
   others.  A spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry said NATO forces
   came under Taliban attack and called in an airstrike, which mistakenly
   hit a nearby group of Afghan police.
   NATO  forces  later  released  a statement pledging to fully support a
   joint investigation with the Afghan government.


   Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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