Marines told to make history in south Afghanistan

Other company commanders said they expected to drink a lot of tea in the coming days and weeks.

Cabaniss's soldiers rallied later in the day in a mud-walled compound by the side of an important road junction.

Afghan border guards waved a black, red and green Afghan flag while the Marines unloaded water and other supplies in the summer heat close by a pile of harvested opium poppies.

In the capital Kabul, Afghans accustomed to war over the past 30 years watched the operation play out on television screens. Many were sceptical about its chances for success.

"In my opinion these operations won't have any good result. The only thing that will give a good result will be peace talks, talks with the Taliban," Wahdat Khan, a 23-year-old from Helmand, told Reuters television.

Amirollah, from Jalalabad, was blunt in his assessment.

"They haven't come here for Afghans or to take their hand and give them peace," Amirollah, 45, said of the Americans.

But Mustafa, a 22-year-old student, disagreed. "Everybody is happy about this offensive because these people (the Taliban) are creating violence and they are destroying people's homes. They should launch such offensives in different parts of the country."

(Additional reporting by Akram Walizada and Yusuf Azimy; Writing by Golnar Motevalli; Editing by Paul Tait)