Though clashes are continuing in Marjah and NATO is attempting to focus on what are being called “pockets of determined resistance,” top US commander General Stanley McChrystal is already looking forward to the next offensive.
According to Gen. McChrystal, offensives against the Kandahar Province will be the next order of business, once the Marjah offensive is finally wrapped up. Control over Kandahar City remains hotly contested, over eight years after the US invasion.
British Lieutenant General Sir Nick Parker, the deputy commander of the NATO forces, says that similar offensives will be needed in multiple places in Kandahar, though education and health services will be the emphasis.
Gen. McChrystal called Marjah “a model for the future,” and lauded military efforts to reduce civilian deaths during the invasion. 16 civilians have been killed in Marjah so far, including 12 who died when a US rocket targeted their home.
