AP Top News at 1:07 p.m. EST

AP Top News at 1:07 p.m. EST

US, Afghan troops sweep into Taliban stronghold

MARJAH, Afghanistan — Thousands of U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers stormed the Taliban stronghold of Marjah by air and ground Saturday, meeting only scattered resistance but facing a daunting thicket of bombs and booby traps that slowed their advance through the town. It is the largest offensive since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan. The operation aims to establish Afghan government authority over the biggest southern town under militant control and break the Taliban grip over a wide area of their southern heartland.