US troops launch major offensive against Afghan Taliban

The Pentagon stated that approximately 4,000 soldiers from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and 650 Afghan troops were involved in the operation, pushing south down the Helmand River valley into the districts of Garmsir and Nowa. Brigadier General Larry Nicholson, who commands the troops, said this operation, codenamed Khanjar (Strike of the Sword), differed from previous offensives because of its speed and the "massive size of the force". Operation Khanjar follows the UK-led Operation Panchai Palang (Panther's Claw) last week, during which more than 350 British soldiers launched a major airborne assault north of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand.