DESERT AIRSTRIP RHINO (Afghanistan), Dec 5: US Marines have moved from a desert airstrip in southern Afghanistan towards the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar to block roads in the area as part of the siege of the city, officials said on Wednesday.

“We have stepped into a new phase of the campaign, and that is participating in offensive actions,” said Major Jim Parrington, executive officer for the battalion landing team of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Parrington said a substantial raid force had left the airstrip, codenamed Rhino, on Tuesday and was preparing to start offensive action.

He declined to say how many or what type of vehicles or troops were involved in what may be the first major combat for the Marines, who seized the airstrip without a fight.

“The marines were excited,” Parrington said. “Every single one of them was very focused on what they were going to do.”

“We’re conducting operations in conjunction with the other coalition forces as they’re putting pressure on Kandahar.”

Reporters had seen a large number of armoured vehicles loaded up with food, water and weapons departing from the airstrip on different occasions over two days.

Parrington said the goal was to cut lines of communication from Kandahar in order to support Afghan opposition fighters who he said were closing in on the city.

“In cutting the lines of communication we’re orienting on the Taliban, we’re orienting on al Qaeda, we’re orienting on things of military value to the Taliban and al Qaeda,” Parrington told reporters at the airstrip.

Light armoured vehicles and all-terrain humvees carrying anti-tank weapons regularly go out on patrol from the airbase and reconnaissance missions have been pushing further away from the base in recent days.

The Marines have not said how may troops, vehicles or aircraft they have on the ground, and military ground rules bar reporters from giving those numbers or details of ongoing or future operations.

Parrington said the Marines had not yet engaged any hostile targets on the mission: “They’re still preparing for conducting the interdiction.”

Cargo planes have been flying in additional troops, supplies and equipment most nights since the Marines took the airstrip. Helicopters continued to patrol the area and there was a lot of activity around the airstrip around the hours of dawn.

CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters from the airstrip were sent out to recover injured U.S. servicemen and Afghan opposition fighters hit by an errant U.S. bomb north of Kandahar.

All the U.S. wounded were transferred immediately from the airstrip to the USS Peleliu, in the Gulf, and other medical facilities, according to Marine spokesman Captain Stuart Upton. Most of the Afghans were also moved on to other facilities.

Two U.S. servicemen were killed and around 20 injured when a B-52 bomber missed its intended target near Kandahar dropped its ordnance close to friendly forces. An unknown number of Afghan opposition fighters were also killed or injured.

Upton said two U.S. servicemen’s bodies were in the morgue at the airbase, but he was unable to say whether these were the two killed by the stray bomb.—Reuters