The assault, the first since he ordered extra troops to Afghanistan in December, is the start of a campaign to impose government control on rebel-held areas this year, before U.S. forces start to withdraw in 2011.
“The offensive in Marjah has begun. Our company is preparing to secure key terrain to facilitate stability and security for the people of Marjah,” Lt. Mark Greenlief of Bravo Company, First Battalion, Sixth Marines, told Reuters.
A dozen helicopters flew from south of Marjah and the first objective of U.S. Marines was expected to be taking over the town centre, a large cluster of dwellings.
The U.S. military said about 4,500 U.S. Marines, 1,500 Afghan troops and 300 U.S. soldiers were taking part in the offensive in Marjah district.
One local Taliban commander, Qari Fazluddin, told Reuters earlier some 2,000 fighters were ready to fight in the densely-populated area.
The safety of civilians may be the vital issue for NATO in one of the eight-year-old war’s biggest offensives against the Taliban, which have re-emerged as a powerful fighting force since they were toppled by a U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
Any heavy civilian casualties would make it even more difficult for the American-backed Afghan government to win support in towns that have been held by Taliban insurgents.
NATO forces have decided to advise civilians not to leave their homes, although they have said they do not know whether the assault will lead to heavy fighting.
