March 04, 2010
Commander says Marines to stay in Marjah for now
Anne FlahertyA U.S. Marine commander says there are no immediate plans to pull back the 4,000 Marines and Afghan troops in the Afghan town of Marjah until the local government has a chance to get up and running.
Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, the Marine commander in Helmand province, told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that a decision could be made in the summer on whether to keep all 2,500 Marines and 1,500 Afghan troops in the area. They waged a major offensive to oust Taliban forces.
Nicholson said they haven't engaged in enemy fire for eight days but that officials are "very conscious of the fact that this is a very fragile area."
The Associated Press