US army's Bravo company digs in in Afghanistan

Watch Video>>

Also in Afghanistan July was the deadliest month yet for US troops in the war-torn nation, and mounting Afghan civilian casualties continue to plague the fight against the Taliban. But one American outfit is trying to stay positive amid the grim news and scarcity of resources.

Bravo Company commander Cpt. Drew Schoenmaker of the U.S. Marines 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 1st Battalion 5th Marines gathers with his Marines in a abandoned farm house in the Nawa district in Afghanistan's Helmand province Friday July 3, 2009. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Fifty young Americans from the Army's Bravo Company are holed up in Zabul Province, deep in the heart of southern Afghanistan.

They've been there for six months, facing daily firefights within the sweeping Afghan landscape.

It's estimated that almost 90 percent of the province remains under Taliban control, now nearly eight years since the start of the war.

Lt. T. Patrick Higgins, Bravo Company, US Army, said, "We're limited in the operations we can do. Clearing the orchard is one of them. So once they get more dudes out here we can actually do more than just disrupt the enemy in here. We can more effectively just hunt them down and destroy them."