Afghans back in control of taliban town after Nato mission

The Afghan government has taken over control of the southern Taliban stronghold of Marjah as Nato troops worked to root out pockets of militants.

The ceremony was held in a central market as Nato troops and Afghan soldiers slogged through bomb-laden fields in the north of the town.

Militants and allied troops are still getting caught up in gunfights in some areas, Nato said. But the number of residents returning has increased, shops have opened and officials hailed the installation of Abdul Zahir Aryan as the administrator as a key sign of progress.

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The ceremony opened with a reading from the Koran, and then he and the Helmand governor pledged to provide basic services that they did not have under the Taliban.

Operation Moshtarak, with 15,000 Nato and Afghan troops, is the largest military operation in Afghanistan since 2001.

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