Helmand Province

A 22-year-old Marine from Towson was killed Saturday in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Jeremy M. Kane was assigned to the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif. Kane died in combat in the Helmand province.

A 19-year-old Waldorf man died Wednesday in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Friday. Terry E. Honeycutt Jr. suffered wounds during combat operations Oct. 21 in Helmand province in southwest Afghanistan. The lance corporal was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, N.C. A previous version of this article incorrectly stated when Terry E. Honeycutt Jr. died. The Sun regrets the error.

A 19-year-old Waldorf man died Wednesday in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Friday. Terry E. Honeycutt Jr. suffered wounds during combat operations Oct. 21 in Helmand province in southwest Afghanistan. The lance corporal was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, N.C. A previous version of this article incorrectly stated when Terry E. Honeycutt Jr. died. The Sun regrets the error.

A 25-year-old Marine from Frederick who was mortally wounded in Afghanistan will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The Pentagon says Sgt. David Smith died Jan. 26 of wounds suffered Jan. 23 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He died at a military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. A funeral service will be conducted Feb. 9 at 9 a.m. at the Frederick Christian Fellowship Church Complex. Burial at Arlington will start at 3 p.m. - Associated Press div.talkforum #creditfooter { display: none; }

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Officials in southern Afghanistan said yesterday that they were planning a military campaign to capture Mullah Mohammed Omar, the former Taliban leader they believe is hiding in a mountainous region about 100 miles northwest of here. Omar, who escaped from Kandahar before it fell to U.S.-backed forces in mid-December, is being protected by 2,500 to 3,000 loyal soldiers who control Baghran district in Helmand province, according to the officials, who work under Gul Agha Shirzai.

JALALABAD, Afghanistan -- Sixteen Afghan policemen were killed and six more wounded in an ambush yesterday morning on the main road that runs from the capital to the southern city of Kandahar. The ambush took place amid reports of heavy fighting in several places in southern Afghanistan, in particular in Helmand province, where a NATO helicopter crashed Wednesday night, possibly brought down by Taliban fire. The policemen were driving from Zabul province toward the capital, Kabul, when they came under fire at 9 a.m. at Shah Joy, a district known for robberies and ambushes, which lies on an infiltration route used by insurgents heading to the mountains.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Taliban fighters made an unusual bid to capture a provincial capital, Afghan and Western officials said yesterday, a failed assault that underscored their heightened boldness in recent months. Hundreds of Taliban militants took part in the multipronged attack that began late Saturday against Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, where British troops maintain a regional garrison. NATO-led forces carried out airstrikes to stave off the assault, which left more than 60 insurgents dead in fighting that continued into early yesterday, according to Afghan and Western military officials.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- NATO forces yesterday launched the alliance's largest offensive yet against insurgents in southern Afghanistan, marking the start of what both sides predict will be an intense round of fighting over the spring and summer. The operation, centered in the volatile Helmand province, will involve 4,500 NATO troops and about 1,000 soldiers from the Afghan national army, military spokesmen said. Commanders declined to specify how many troops took part in the initial push, or elaborate on the fighting that had taken place.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- At least one American soldier was killed in fighting with Taliban guerrillas as the U.S.-led coalition prepared to launch an offensive today against insurgents in southern Afghanistan, the military said yesterday. The soldier died Tuesday during a Taliban attack on a patrol in Helmand province, where guerrillas and coalition forces have fought several fierce battles in recent weeks. The U.S. military said more than 11,000 Afghan, American, British and Canadian troops will begin Operation Mountain Thrust against Taliban fighters today in the four southern provinces where the insurgents are strongest: Zabol, Kandahar, Helmand and Oruzgan.

KABUL, Afghanistan - -Reflecting a quickening tempo of combat in Afghanistan as a U.S. troop buildup gets under way, six Western troops died Monday in or following clashes in the south and east. At least three of the dead were Americans. It was the worst daily toll in months for the Western coalition, which will increase this year by 30,000 American troops and an additional 7,000 from allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Four of the deaths came in separate incidents in Afghanistan's restive south, where most of the newly arriving troops are expected to be deployed.

A 22-year-old Marine from Towson was killed Saturday in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Kane was assigned to the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based in Camp Pendleton, Calif. Kane died in combat in the Helmand province. He was the first armed-services member from the Baltimore area killed in combat this year. Kane joined the Marines in May 2007. He was serving his first tour in Afghanistan.

KABUL, Afghanistan - -Reflecting a quickening tempo of combat in Afghanistan as a U.S. troop buildup gets under way, six Western troops died Monday in or following clashes in the south and east. At least three of the dead were Americans. It was the worst daily toll in months for the Western coalition, which will increase this year by 30,000 American troops and an additional 7,000 from allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Four of the deaths came in separate incidents in Afghanistan's restive south, where most of the newly arriving troops are expected to be deployed.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Taliban fighters made an unusual bid to capture a provincial capital, Afghan and Western officials said yesterday, a failed assault that underscored their heightened boldness in recent months. Hundreds of Taliban militants took part in the multipronged attack that began late Saturday against Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, where British troops maintain a regional garrison. NATO-led forces carried out airstrikes to stave off the assault, which left more than 60 insurgents dead in fighting that continued into early yesterday, according to Afghan and Western military officials.

JALALABAD, Afghanistan -- Sixteen Afghan policemen were killed and six more wounded in an ambush yesterday morning on the main road that runs from the capital to the southern city of Kandahar. The ambush took place amid reports of heavy fighting in several places in southern Afghanistan, in particular in Helmand province, where a NATO helicopter crashed Wednesday night, possibly brought down by Taliban fire. The policemen were driving from Zabul province toward the capital, Kabul, when they came under fire at 9 a.m. at Shah Joy, a district known for robberies and ambushes, which lies on an infiltration route used by insurgents heading to the mountains.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- NATO forces yesterday launched the alliance's largest offensive yet against insurgents in southern Afghanistan, marking the start of what both sides predict will be an intense round of fighting over the spring and summer. The operation, centered in the volatile Helmand province, will involve 4,500 NATO troops and about 1,000 soldiers from the Afghan national army, military spokesmen said. Commanders declined to specify how many troops took part in the initial push, or elaborate on the fighting that had taken place.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- At least one American soldier was killed in fighting with Taliban guerrillas as the U.S.-led coalition prepared to launch an offensive today against insurgents in southern Afghanistan, the military said yesterday. The soldier died Tuesday during a Taliban attack on a patrol in Helmand province, where guerrillas and coalition forces have fought several fierce battles in recent weeks. The U.S. military said more than 11,000 Afghan, American, British and Canadian troops will begin Operation Mountain Thrust against Taliban fighters today in the four southern provinces where the insurgents are strongest: Zabol, Kandahar, Helmand and Oruzgan.

A 25-year-old Marine from Frederick who was mortally wounded in Afghanistan will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The Pentagon says Sgt. David Smith died Jan. 26 of wounds suffered Jan. 23 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He died at a military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. A funeral service will be conducted Feb. 9 at 9 a.m. at the Frederick Christian Fellowship Church Complex. Burial at Arlington will start at 3 p.m. - Associated Press div.talkforum #creditfooter { display: none; }