U.S. Military Operations Ramping Up in Afghanistan

With military operations increasing in Afghanistan, U.S. Marines and soldiers have been having run-ins with militants on a regular basis. Enduring scorching heat and taking small arms fire from militants hiding behind whatever structures are available to them, U.S. personnel are seeking to stabilize the country in accordance with President Obama’s strategy to bring some semblance of peace to the region while ousting the Taliban from control. That offensive, referred to as "Operation Khanjar" or "Strike of the Sword," began on Wednesday evening and saw thousands of Marines disembarking into the heat from helicopters and armored vehicles into Taliban-controlled areas in the Helmand province.

The area is well-known as a Taliban training area and a center for opium production. Under the operational plans, the goal is to rid insurgents from the area before the August 20 presidential election. Thus far, there have been so serious casualties and Lt. Abe Sipe, a spokesman for his unit, noted, "The enemy has chosen to withdraw rather than engage for the most part. We had a couple of heat casualties, but not deemed serious in nature at this time." The newest operation is the largest since the Fallujah operation in Iraq that began in 2004 and involves about 4,000 Marines and 650 additional Afghan forces.

Note Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson in a statement, "Where we go we will stay, and where we stay, we will hold, build and work toward transition of all security responsibilities to Afghan forces." On a more personal note, soldiers have thus far been fortunate in their limited encounters with the enemy, but the heat is a different story. Said Lance Corp. Charlie Duggan, Jr. of the heat, "It’s like when you open up the oven when you’re cooking a pizza and want to see if it’s done. You get that blast of hot air. That’s how it feels the whole time."