Major military operation under way in Afghanistan

[FOTD]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iqyaFh_efr-brDq0rMLF1hkop0tgD995VCR00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090702/ts_nm/us_afghanistan_assault_5

Into the Desert Of Death.

"Wave upon wave of helicopters landed Marines in the early morning darkness at locations throughout the valley, a crescent of opium and wheat fields criss-crossed by canals and dotted with mud-brick homes, where firmly entrenched fighters defied NATO forces for years."

"Taliban fighters have had years to reinforce positions among the valley's irrigation ditches and canals. They have fiercely resisted past advances. "