The U.S. Marine infantry company, accompanied by a squad of Afghan soldiers, set out long before dawn. It walked silently through the dark fields with plans of arriving at a group of mud-walled compounds in Helmand province at sunrise.<\/p>\n
The company had received intelligence reports that 40 to 50 Taliban had moved into this village a few days before, and the battalion had set a cordon around it. The Marines hoped to surprise any insurgents within.<\/p>\n
But as the company moved, shepherds whistled in the darkness, passing warning of the Americans’ approach. Dogs barked themselves hoarse. The din rose in every direction, enveloping the column in noise. Then, as the Marines became visible in the twilight, a minivan rumbled out of one compound. Its driver steered ahead of the company, honking the van’s horn, spreading the alarm. Spotters appeared on roofs.<\/p>\n
Marine operations like this one in mid-January, along with interviews with dozens of Marines, reveal the insurgents’ evolving means of waging an Afghan brand of war, even as more U.S. troops arrive.<\/p>\n