U.S. Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 1st Battalion 5th Marines takes positions along a tree line in the Nawa district in Afghanistan's Helmand province Friday, July 3, 2009. U.S. forces have encountered little resistance in the initial phase of a massive operation by some 4,000 Marines in Taliban-controlled areas of southern Afghanistan, but that's a common tactic by insurgents. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)