U.S. Marines taking over towns in Afghanistan

The hard part will be winning support in a region where few foreigners have ventured. The lack of resistance by insurgents in Helmand province in the mission's first phase could change in coming days, said Capt. Bill Pelletier, a spokesman for the unit, on Friday.

The operation's focus is not killing the Taliban but winning the local population over, Pelletier said — a difficult task in a region where foreigners are viewed with suspicion, and few have stayed for long.

"We are not worried about the Taliban, we are not focused on them. We are focused on the people," Pelletier said. "It is important to engage with the key leaders, hear what they need most and what are their priorities."

The offensive along 55 miles (88 kilometers) of Taliban-controlled areas in southern Afghanistan will test the Obama administration's new strategy of holding territory to let the Afghan government sink roots in Helmand.

The insurgency has proven particularly resilient in the area, and foreign troops have never before operated in such large numbers here. Large areas have been under Taliban control, with little or no government presence.

As the operation entered its second day, the units secured control of the district centers of Nawa and Garmser, and negotiated entry into Khan Neshin, the capital of Rig district, Pelletier said.

"They waited for the local and village elders," outside Khan Neshin and "with their permission they went in and now are engaged in talks," Pelletier said.

One Marine was killed and several others injured or wounded on the first full day of the assault Thursday, the largest military operation in Afghanistan since the fall of Taliban government in 2001.

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