Joint operation to take Taliban town

Afghan anti-terror forces are poised to take back a Taliban-controlled town in the nation's south, alongside US and NATO troops. The operation will be one of the biggest of the eight-year-old war.

Thousands of Afghan soldiers and police personnel will join US and NATO troops during an upcoming offensive in the country's southern Helmand Province.

Although no exact number has been given, officials are confirming that the force will consist of many more Afghans. Their number should be far greater the 10-to-1 ratio of Americans to natives that took part in last summer's offensive in the area.

The mission is code named Operation Moshtarak, which means "together" in the local language.

The joint unit is poised to take back the town of Marjah, the last major bastion of Taliban control in the region. Planners are very confident about their chances of success.

Brigadier Gen. James Cowan, Helmand Task Force Commander, said, "The critical piece of information is actually the precise time, and that is very much a closely guarded secret. So the enemy do not have that advantage, and we retain the moment at which we arrive during this operation. I don't think we have lost anything by doing this, and I think we will find the enemy will either choose to run away, or to reintegrate, and only those that we wish to kill will seek to fight."

Troops have raided Marjah in the past, but lacked the numbers necessary to hold the town. This time, mission planners say NATO soldiers and their Afghan allies will hold the territory "forever".

The NATO-led force in Afghanistan now numbers more than 114,000 individuals and that figure is due to rise to nearly 150,000 after a US military escalation later this year.