From the ArcaMax Publishing, News & Features Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/newsheadlines/s-575577-821007
KABUL, Afghanistan (UPI) -- British troops moving into Afghanistan's
restive Helmand province say they're encountering little resistance
from Taliban insurgents.
A major operation in the province -- considered to be a Taliban
stronghold -- is seeing more than 700 British troops enter the area as
part of Operation Panther's Claw, designed to install Afghan rule in
the lawless region ahead of the August presidential elections, the BBC
said Saturday.
British military commanders had expected stiff resistance from
insurgents, but so far, few such encounters have taken place, they
say.
The British broadcaster said many Helmand residents have left the
region because of fighting in earlier phases of the operation, in
which soldiers cleared private compounds that had been used by the
Taliban to launch attacks.