NAWA, Afghanistan – U.S. Marines suffered their first casualties of a massive new military campaign Thursday as they engaged in sporadic gunbattles along 55 miles of Taliban-controlled territory in southern Afghanistan.

One Marine was killed and several others injured on the first day of the assault, the largest military operation in Afghanistan since the fall of Taliban government in 2001.

A spokesman for Marine forces in the province, Capt. Bill Pelletier, described the contact with Taliban fighters as "mostly hit-and-run."

The offensive will test the Obama administration's new strategy of holding territory and letting the Afghan government sink roots in Helmand province. The insurgency has proven resilient in this area, where foreign troops have never before operated in such large numbers.

An immediate goal, the military says, is to clear away insurgents before the nation's Aug. 20 presidential election.

The Pentagon is deploying 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan in time for the elections, and the total number of U.S. forces is expected to reach 68,000 by year's end. That is double the number of troops in Afghanistan in 2008 but still half as many as are now in Iraq.

Even bigger challenges will come in the weeks and months after the Marines have established their presence in Helmand.

The U.S. will have an opportunity to help develop alternate livelihoods for farmers whose opium poppy crops bankroll the Taliban. Helmand province is the world's largest opium poppy-producing area.

U.S. military and diplomatic officials say that the vast majority of Afghans, even those in violence-wracked places such as Helmand, do not want to be ruled by the Taliban and its extremist ideology. The officials contend that if Afghans are provided security and basic services, they will switch allegiances and support the local government.

"It is not simply about killing the enemy, but about protecting the population and improving their lives, which will help prohibit the return of insurgent elements," a senior military officer said.

The southern offensive was launched shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday as thousands of Marines poured from helicopters and armored vehicles into villages along the Helmand River. Officials described the offensive, involving almost 4,000 newly arrived Marines and more than 600 Afghan security forces, as the largest of the war's new phase.

The troops fanned out into the districts of Nawa and Garmser in central Helmand and up to 55 miles south in the vicinity of Khan Neshin, the capital of Rig district, according to the military.

Reactions to the Marine operation varied across the valley. In Khan Neshin, residents largely stayed off the streets, wary of being caught in the crossfire of possible Taliban attacks on the troops. In the northern areas, around the Nawa district, several residents approached Marines with information about where roadside bombs had been planted. Farther south, in Garmser district, a Marine company was attacked by a group of insurgents, who eventually retreated to a housing compound.

A gunbattle at the house was the day's most significant combat engagement, resulting in the Marine fatality and the deaths of at least three insurgents. As the sun set, it appeared that the standoff would continue through the night.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's army said Thursday that it had moved troops from elsewhere on its side of the border to the stretch opposite Helmand to try to stop any militants from fleeing the offensive.

Another significant challenge for the Marines was the 110-degree heat. Loaded down with backpacks and ammunition, and insulated by flak vests and Kevlar helmets, several fell ill from heat stroke, and five had to be evacuated for medical attention. Helicopters had to be summoned to replenish units with extra water.

"It's like when you open up the oven when you're cooking a pizza and you want to see if it's done, you get that blast of hot air," said Lance Corp. Charlie Duggan Jr., 21, of Baldwinsville, N.Y. "That's how it feels the whole time."

The Associated Press,

The Washington Post,

The New York Times

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