Afghans take over Taliban stronghold

MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan officials raised the national flag over Marjah on Thursday, asserting government control even as Marines searched for militant holdouts. Kabul also confirmed the arrest of another top Taliban leader — part of a roundup that could further strain the insurgent movement.

About 700 men in turbans and traditional caps gathered in a central market for the flag-raising ceremony, during which Abdul Zahir Aryan was installed as the top Afghan official in this town of 80,000 in Helmand province.

The provincial governor told the crowd that authorities were eager to listen to requests from the townspeople and provide them with basic services that they didn’t have under the Taliban. Taliban fighters still control about 25 percent of the 80-square-mile area in and around the town.

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