Heavy Fighting In Afghanistan -- War News Updates For July 6, 2009

Dutch Major General Mart de Kruif estimates there are 10,000 to 18,000 Taliban fighters in volatile southern Afghanistan. Photo AFP.

Taliban Launch 'Operation' Against Marines -- AFP

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) — Afghanistan's insurgent Taliban movement said Monday they had launched a guerrilla operation to counter a major assault by US Marines on their stronghold in Helmand province.

Operation Foladi Jal, or "iron net" in Pashtu, would teach the Marines "a lesson," Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP by telephone from an unknown location.

About 4,000 Marines poured into the southern province on the border with Pakistan in an operation called Khanjar (dagger) that has faced little resistance since it was launched five days ago.

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In coming: British soldiers momentarily hold back as mortar shells rain down on a suspected Taliban stronghold. Photo from The Daily Mail

More News On Afghanistan

Four NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan -- AFP
4 US soldier killed in Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AP
Roadside Blasts Hit NATO Forces in Afghanistan -- Voice of America
Suicide Bomber Strikes Near Afghan NATO Base - New York Times
Britain loses 3 soldiers against Taliban -- Washington Times
Turning the heat on the Taliban: Mailmen at front of British push as it claims two victims -- Daily Mail
15 militants killed in Afghanistan -- Thaindian
FACTBOX: Security developments in Afghanistan -- Reuters
US troops in Afghanistan 'enough': top US officer -- AFP
German Troops Allowed To Fight -- Strategy Page
In Afghan desert, Marines face an invisible enemy -- AFP
New Offensive in Afghanistan Hampered by Shortages -- Politics Daily
The Other Enemies in Afghanistan: Heat and 120-Pound Backpacks -- AllGov.
Added U.S. Troops Enable Afghanistan Strategy, Mullen Says -- U.S. Department of Defense
Despite U.S. tactical shifts in Afghanistan, Taliban terror continues -- Miami Herald/McClatchy News
Earn our trust or go, Afghan villagers tell Marines -- Reuters
ADF quizzes its own on Afghan civilian casualties -- The Australian
Stakes High in Afghanistan Ahead of August Elections -- Washington Post
Karzai's Challengers Face Daunting Odds -- Washington Post
NCO receives Silver Star for valor in '08 battle at Wanat -- Stars And Stripes
Can Obama Be Successful in Afghanistan? -- Human Events
FACTBOX: Military deaths in Afghanistan -- Reuters