U.S. Marines provide security for fellow Marines during a security patrol in the Nawa district in the Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 20, 2009. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Artur ShvartsbergHard Fight In The Desert, Soft Targets In The Cities -- Times Online
The Taliban knew the marines were coming and they left a ghost town littered with bombs before leaving their stronghold.
Under the harsh sunlight, a lone grey donkey sauntered across one end of a silent street; halfway down the far end, a US marine lay in the dirt, exposed and alone — brushing the dust from a pressure plate linked to a massive bomb.
A few days ago this town, deep in Taliban territory, was thronged with up to 800 residents and traders. This is Helmand’s biggest drugs market, but today all but a handful of Kuchi, the Afghan nomads, have vanished.
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My Comment: It is clear that there are not enough troops in Afghanistan to do the job. It is also clear that there is little if any support from the civilian population for this foreign presence in their territory.