Author: Alfred De Montesquiou
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Afghan army raises flag on embattled Taliban town
MARJAH, Afghanistan — Military commanders raised the Afghan flag in the bullet-ridden main market of the Taliban’s southern stronghold of Marjah on Wednesday as firefights continued to break out elsewhere in the town between holed-up militants and U.S. and Afghan troops. About 15,000 NATO and Afghan troops are taking part in the offensive around…
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Bombs slow U.S. advance in Afghan town
MARJAH, Afghanistan — Bombs and booby traps slowed the advance of thousands of U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers moving Saturday through the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah — NATO’s most ambitious effort yet to break the militants’ grip over their southern heartland. NATO said it hoped to secure the area in days, set up a local…
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U.S. troops close Taliban escape route before attack
NEAR MARJAH, Afghanistan — U.S. and Afghan soldiers linked up with Marines on the outskirts of the Taliban stronghold of Marjah on Thursday, sealing off escape routes and setting the stage for what is being described as the biggest offensive of the nine-year war. Taliban defenders repeatedly fired rockets and mortars at units poised…
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Marines test Taliban defenses before Afghan attack
NEAR MARJAH, Afghanistan — U.S. Marines fired smoke rounds Wednesday and armored vehicles maneuvered close to Taliban positions to test insurgent defenses ahead of an anticipated attack on the biggest militant-controlled town in southern Afghanistan. A NATO spokesman in Brussels called on Taliban militants holding Marjah to surrender. But a Taliban spokesman boasted that…
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U.S., U.N. send more troops to aid Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haitii — U.S. troops landed on the lawn of Haiti’s shattered presidential palace to the cheers of quake victims on Tuesday, and the U.N. said it would throw more police and soldiers into the sluggish global effort to aid the devastated country. The U.N. forces are aimed at quelling the outbursts of violence…
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More troops, aid to Haiti, but hunger persists
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Troops, doctors and aid workers flowed into Haiti on Monday and officials said billions of dollars more will be needed following the quake that killed an estimated 200,000 people and left many still struggling to find a cup of water or a handful of food. European nations pledged more than a half-billion…
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A day in the life at a Marine combat outpost
ANP HILL, Afghanistan — Cpl. Justin Thompson crawled out of his rat hole dug deep into a wind-beaten, barren hilltop. Stepping over mounds of protective sand bags, he watched the sun rise over the Now Zad valley, a Taliban stronghold. Thompson is part of a small Marine force that keeps watch over the deserted town…