In Afghanistan, the NATO occupation force and the Afghan military are preparing their biggest joint offensive of the over eight-year war. The attack is expected to target the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah. The US hasn’t given a time frame, but Marjah residents have been given leaflets warning them to be prepared to flee. Meanwhile, President Obama’s escalation of the Afghan war is in high gear. Testifying before Congress, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said US troops in Afghanistan will soon outnumber those in Iraq for the first time.

Admiral Mike Mullen: “We have already moved nearly 4,500 troops to Afghanistan and expect that about 18,000 of the President’s December 1st commitment will be there by late spring. The remainder of the 30,000 will arrive as rapidly as possible over the summer and early fall, making a major contribution to reversing the Taliban momentum in 2010. Indeed, by the middle of this year, Afghanistan will surpass Iraq, for the first time since 2003, as the location with the most deployed American forces.”