Marines told to make history in south Afghanistan

"You're going to change the world this summer and it starts this morning," Lieutenant Colonel Christian Cabaniss, commander of the 2nd battalion, 8th Marines, told his troops dressed in desert fatigues before they mounted helicopters and humvees.

"The United States and the world are watching. Their expectations are enormously high during this summer of decision."

Their mission was part of the first major push under U.S. President Barack Obama's new regional strategy to turn the tide

in Afghanistan and defeat the Taliban and its al Qaeda allies.

There was little resistance as Fox Company from the 3rd platoon of Cabaniss's battalion pushed north along the Helmand River valley from the town of Garmsir to Nawa.

Afghans kept their distance, sitting in the shade under trees by the side of the road as armoured convoys rumbled past and helicopters kicked up swirling clouds of dust.

On their way to Nawa the company found a roadside bomb, the insurgents' weapon of choice in Afghanistan. The Marines carefully took the device into a field and blew it up.

The Marines have arrived in Afghanistan with a vow to do less shooting and more talking and that was certainly the case in the early stages of Operation Khanjar, or Strike of the Sword.

No major engagements were reported and one company commander said he was looking forward to meeting village leaders in the evening. Orders went out to set up shuras, or community councils, within 24 hours of arriving in a village.

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)