It’s a real blitzkrieg, the combined attack of massed United States marines, Afghan forces and NATO troops which has been launched against Taliban rebels in southern Afghanistan. It is also the first test of President Barack Obama’s new strategy for Afghanistan.

On Thursday, before dawn, 4000 US marines and hundreds of Afghan soldiers began an offensive in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. They were parachuted from 50 NATO aircraft south of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah in the River Helmand valley.

Afghan rebels at present control the area. British NATO troops have never been able to gain a real foothold here. It is also the centre of Afghanistan’s large-scale opium poppy cultivation activities. The US is convinced Operation Khanjar (‘strike of the sword’) will prove a turning point in its fight against the rebels.

D-Day
Dutch General Mart de Kruif, commander of joint NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, agrees. In a speech to US marine commanders, he compared the offensive to D-Day.

“Just as the Allied landings on the Normandy coast in June 1944 heralded victory over Nazi Germany, so the offensive in Helmand is designed to be a decisive watershed in the war against the Taliban.”

Quick as lightning
The first 36 hours of the offensive will be crucial: all centres of resistance must be taken by surprise and overwhelmed with military superiority, both in strength of numbers and military hardware. “The intent is to go big, go strong and go fast,” said US commander Larry Nicholson, summing up the tactics for his men.

By gaining control of the region with lightning speed, the marines hope to avoid civilian casualties. A US army spokesman explains:
 
"It's absolutely essential that no civilians will be harmed during this operation. We have to show these people that we are not their enemy and they're not our enemy. Our fight is not with the Afghan people. Our fight is on behalf of the Afghan people against the insurgencies."

Elections
After the first quick advance, the plan is that the troops will remain in the area for months. This will influence Afghanistan’s general election due to be held on 20 August. People are too frightened or simply unable to register as voters while the Taliban is in control.

The US marines are being supported by 650 Afghan soldiers and police officers. According to the US army spokesman, the Afghans are crucial for the future of Helmand:

"Afghan troops are the key to success in the province in the long term. Right now, we don't have as many troops as we’d like. The forces we do have are committed, they are training units working with us side by side, but it's no secret that we do need more."

Litmus test
The military operation in Helmand is a litmus test for President Obama’s policy on Afghanistan. He has dubbed the Taliban rebels as the biggest threat to US security. This consideration has led the president to order the number of US troops in Afghanistan to be more than doubled from 32,000 at the beginning of 2009 to 68,000 at the end of the year.

Success of the lightning offensive against the Taliban in Helmand will strengthen confidence in Mr Obama. However, any failure will represent defeat and a serious setback for the ambitions of the White House.