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Afghan Government Reclaims Authority Over Taliban Stronghold

   VOA News 25 February 2010
   Afghans  gather to attend an official flag raising ceremony in Marjah,
   25 Feb 2010

Photo: AFP

   Afghans  gather to attend an official flag raising ceremony in Marjah,
   25 Feb 2010

   The  Afghan  government  says  it  has recaptured the southern town of
   Marjah  from  the Taliban, in the biggest NATO-led offensive since the
   start of the eight-year war.
   Afghan  officials  raised the country's green, red and black flag over
   the  former  militant  stronghold  Thursday.   Hundreds  of  residents
   attended  the  ceremony.   Last  week,  Afghan soldiers had raised the
   national flag over the main market in Marjah.
   Restoring  government  services to the town in Helmand province is the
   next step in the operation involving 15,000 NATO and Afghan troops.
   The  town's new district administrator has been living in Marjah since
   Tuesday.   Officials  say  residents  are beginning to return to their
   homes, although some fighting continues in the area.
   The  Marjah  campaign  is a new NATO-led strategy to drive the Taliban
   out  of  the  town  and quickly provide Afghan government services and
   security.
   In   a  separate  development,  Britain's  Defense  Ministry  reported
   Thursday  that  a  British  airman  has  died  in  an explosion in the
   southern Afghan province of Kandahar.
   The  airman  died Wednesday after suffering wounds in a blast while on
   patrol north of the Kandahar air base.

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

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