Taliban forced to retreat as battle for Marjah intensifies

Julius Cavendish, The Independant

Civilians in the southern Afghan town of Marjah said fighting there continued yesterday at "maximum intensity" as Taliban insurgents were squeezed into ever-smaller pockets.


Despite encountering fierce resistance from small bands of guerrillas, the allies claim most of the town in Helmand province is under the control of Nato and Afghan troops. They are unable to take the main bazaar, however, having been forced back twice by heavy fire from Taliban sharp shooters.

"The foreign troops have control of all the main roundabouts," Ajmal Gullai, a 33-year-old taxi driver who lives in Marjah, told The Independent by phone. Like many other civilians in the town Mr Gullai has remained indoors, terrified that any attempt to venture out will be met with a bullet or a bomb.

"We're learning to recognise the different kinds of gunfire and can tell who is firing what," he said. "The Taliban use small weapons like AK-47s, PKM machine guns and rocket launchers. Most of the fire is coming from foreign troops."

Although progress is slow, with British soldiers in the Nad-e-Ali area engaged in clearing minefields, there was a sense of optimism among Afghan troops, who are involved in unprecedented numbers.

"Almost all Nad-e-Ali and Marjah had been taken", General Aminullah Patiani, the senior Afghan officer in Operation Moshtarak, claimed.

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