Operation Moshtarak— under way

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan –NATO troops in Afghanistan launched their biggest offensive of the war early Saturday, attacking what they call the last Taliban stronghold in a war-scarred southern province.

Military officials said the offensive—dubbed Operation Moshtarak— got under way at 2 a.m. (4:30 p.m. ET Friday).

Some of about 15,000 troops from the United States, Afghanistan and Canada attacked Taliban targets in and around Marjah, a city of 80,000 to 100,000 where the Taliban has set up a shadow government, coalition military authorities said.

The coalition said its troops expected to confront up to 1,000 entrenched Taliban fighters. It expected foreign Taliban fighters to battle to the death but is prepared for local Taliban members in Marjah to try to escape.

“We will follow the enemies and bring them to justice,” said Gen. Mohiyiden Ghori of the Afghan National Army.

In the past few days, forces from Afghanistan, Britain and other nations have conducted air and ground operations to prepare for the assault and dropped leaflets in and around Marjah warning residents not to allow the Taliban to
enter their homes.

The allies had been unusually vocal in describing their plans for the assault. (Related: Why the military publicized operations)

“I think there’s a certain strength in the Pashtunwali culture just from laying it out there in saying, ‘Hey, we are coming. Deal with it,’” U.S. Marine Gen. Larry Nicholson has said.

Some of the 30,000 additional U.S. troops that President Barack Obama sent to Afghanistan will take part in the fight.

The goal is to force the Taliban from Marjah so that people there can live free of Taliban influence and drug traffickers in a province with a major source of the world’s opium. It’s an example of a U.S. strategy to focus on population centers and separate the Taliban from Afghan civilians. (Related: Why Marjah, why now?)

“It’s about the security of the population, not fighting down insurgent numbers,” British Gen. Gordon Messenger has said.

About 3,000 U.S. Marines are involved in the fight.

The advance notice given to residents will help avert civilian casualties, a problem that has hurt the military’s credibility among Afghans. They are also trying to get those Taliban who aren’t hard-core to turn in themselves and their weapons.

Reaching the battleground could be one of the biggest challenges for NATO and Afghan troops. It’s a tough terrain hard to cross with tanks.

The town of Marjah is surrounded by a deadly ring of roadside bombs, military officials say.

They say the Taliban has had months to plant bombs in the ground, most of them homemade mixes of ammonium nitrate, shrapnel fuel, salt or flour.

Such bombs have caused about 80 percent of the deaths in past fighting in Helmand province, military officials said. They are detonated remotely or by pressure plates.

“This is possibly the largest IED threat NATO has ever faced,” Nicholson has said.

Massive armored vehicles, called assault breacher vehicles, were to lead the charge into Marjah, coalition authorities said before the offensive.

The tank-like vehicles can destroy roadside bombs. Even with their help, though, military officials have increased staff at the hospital at Camp Bastion, in the capital of Helmand province, in anticipation that roadside bombs would cause casualties.

Troops also expect to encounter booby-trapped houses, as well as fierce urban combat.

New 9-11 Images released

The New York City police department released aerial photographs that officers took of the attack on the World Trade center on 9/11 after ABC News filed a Freedom of Information Act request in 2009 with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which had collected as part of an investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Center.

These photos give an aerial view of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. From whatever angle these photos are viewed, they are all haunting reminders of the more than 2800 lives that were taken that day.

The photos, obtained exclusively by ABC, include 2,779 pictures that have never been published. The ABC website has posted 12 of these photos that should prompt everyone to take pause.

The newly released images spread quickly on the Internet on Wednesday after ABC posted them on their site. The images can be viewed on the ABC site.

On a positive note, there are pictures and videos showing the rebuilding at the World Trade Center site on two social networking sites. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says it added the viewsfrom One World Trade Center to photo sharing site flickr.com and online video service YouTube.com on Tuesday.

Body found in 777 wheel well.

Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- A body was found in the landing gear bay of an airplane that arrived at Tokyo's Narita Airport Sunday, the airport announced.
The dead man was not carrying a passport or personal belongings, airport police said.
The man was of dark complexion and dressed in blue jeans and a red and dark blue long-sleeved shirt, police told CNN.

Police said he possibly froze to death and suffered a shortage of oxygen at high altitude, but did not provide a definite cause of death pending an autopsy.

A mechanic found the body in the landing gear bay, which was impossible to enter from the cabin, the airport said.

The Boeing 777, Delta Flight 59, which departed New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at 12:53 p.m. ET Saturday arrived at Narita at 4:46 p.m. local time Sunday, the airport said.

"Delta is fully co-operating with the Japanese authorities, and there is (an) on-going investigation which is being led by the Japanese authorities. The airline has not issued an official statement at this time," a Delta representative told CNN.

US military prepares to support Super Bowl XLIV

By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service

As the excitement builds in the minutes before the Super Bowl
kick-off, four Air National Guard F-15 Eagle fighter jets will scream over Miami's
Sun Life Stadium in a dramatic show of military support for the big game.

The F-15s - from the Florida Air National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing -
will time their fly-over to begin just as country music superstar Carrie
Underwood belts out the last note of the National Anthem, reported USAF Lt
Col Richard Bittner, the 125FW's public affairs officer.

USAF Lt Col John Black, who goes by the callsign "Homer," will lead
the formation, followed by Wing Commander Col Bob "Squirt" Branyon Lt Col
Mike "Speedo" Rouse, the 159FS's commander, will be in position three, with
Col Bill Bair, commander of the 125FW's operations group, holding up the rear.

After the pilots land at nearby Homestead Air Reserve Base, a
Miami-Dade Police helo will whisk them back to the stadium, where they'll be
introduced to the crowd, Bittner said.

The Super Bowl fly-over is a first for the Air National Guard. The wing
has done fly-overs for other National Football League events, most frequently
over Jaguars games near its Jacksonville IAP. But Bittner said there's a
special panache that comes with flying over the big daddy of football games.
"It's a huge honor," he said, calling it a recognition of the wing's
impressive operational readiness posture, and its 24/7 mission of being ready to
scramble at a moment's notice to protect US air space.

The fly-over is just part of the military support being provided as
the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts do battle during Super Bowl
XLIV. The Armed Forces Color Guard from the Military District of Washington
will kick off that support, marching onto the field before the game to
present the colors, accompanied by two drummers from US Air Force Band.

Meanwhile, as more than 75,000 fans enjoy the sold-out game, military
forces will be at work behind the scenes, supporting civil authorities to
maintain security in and around the stadium and in the skies overhead.

Fighter jets from the Continental US North American Aerospace Defense
Command Region will be airborne, working in coordination with the FBI, US
Customs and Border Protection, FAA and local law enforcement to enforce
flight restrictions over Miami during the game, reported its commander, USAF
Maj Gen Garry Dean.

USAF Col Randy Spears, commander of the 601st Air and Space Ops Ctr,
called the mission an extension of the eagle-eyes his airmen provide every day.
"The men and women of this AOC monitor the skies 24/7, 365 for the
contiguous United States, and Sunday's special event is another part of our mission
set," he said.

In addition, the FL-ANG's 44th Civil Support Team will be on the
ground, poised to support civil authorities, as required. The 40-member team, a
mix of soldiers and airmen, is trained respond to any emergency situation,
including those dealing with weapons of mass destruction, said USAF Lt Col
Ron Tittle, a FL-ANG public affairs officer.

As in recent years, about 40 wounded Marine Corps warriors will be
enjoying the game in person, courtesy of tickets donated by the Cleveland
Browns. Meanwhile, thousands of US service members will be watching, too,
either at home or overseas, via Armed Forces Network broadcasts.

Ladies and gentlemen as you look out the plane you'll notice - uh oops - where's the engine cowling?

A plane part fell off an Atlas Airlines Boeing 747 and landed in the parking lot of MIami International Airport on Friday, Feb. 5, 2010.

Stephanie Smith/CBS

At Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV Media Day At Sun Life Stadium Some folks at Miami International Mall may have thought the sky was falling Friday afternoon when a piece of plane fell from the sky and landed in the parking lot.

The part, which is about as big as a car, landed outside of the Dillard's Department store.

The incident involved an Atlas Air Boeing 747 cargo light en route to Miami from Santiago, Chile, and took place at about 11:35 a.m. on Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration reported. The FAA's Kathleen Bergen says the aircraft was on final approach when the part fell. The plane landed safely at MIA.

Atlas Air confirms that the part was a fiberglass fairing from one of its freighter aircraft. The sizeable part did not hit anyone or anything but workers from a nearby auto dealership said they heard it fall and it was very loud.

In a statement released by Atlas, the company said, "Atlas is grateful that no one was injured and is investigating the matter further. Atlas is also cooperating with the appropriate authorities in their review of this matter. Atlas takes this matter very seriously and will be conducting a thorough investigation."