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A Marine takes up a fighting position after unloading from a helicopter in Main Poshteh, Afghanistan, today.

"The patrols we've been going out on have been pretty quiet" so far around the small southern Afghan village of Sorhodez, NPR's Graham Smith just said to All Things Considered co-host Robert Siegel:

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Graham is embedded with some of the 4,000 or so Marines who today surged into southern Afghanistan as part of an offensive known as "Khanjar," or "Strike of the Sword."

Some of the Afghans, Graham says, weren't too happy to see the Americans. But he says they also appeared to be "cautiously" optimistic that the Marines might push Taliban militia out of the region:

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There will be more from Graham's conversation with Robert on today's ATC. Click here to find an NPR station near you.