MARJAH, Afghanistan — US Marines came under fire from militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and sniper guns as they prepare Wednesday to overrun a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan.
Thousands of Marines together with foreign and Afghan troops are gearing up and taking up position around the town of Marjah in Helmand. Officials said that the area is one of the last in the province that is under Taliban control.
Provincial officials said that the surge of residents fleeing from the massive offensive has slowed down, after fully-loaded buses, cars, trucks and tractors clogged roadways from Marjah to Lashkah Gar for days.
Daud Ahmadi, spokesman for Helmand Governor Mohammad Gulab Mangal, said that 75 families had fled from Marjah, in addition to the 164 families who had already left earlier. However, other officials claimed that more than 400 families have fled the area.
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