Meanwhile in Afghanistan

The Marines are grinding down the Taliban, or at least it's remnants:

KABUL (AP) - U.S. marines have killed more than 80 militants in a three-week assault on a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, the military said today.
The tally highlights the bloody fighting that has engulfed parts of the insurgency-plagued south.

"The marines have been aggressive, relentless and successful," Lt.-Col. Tucker Mansager said. "They have demonstrated that there is no refuge for the terrorists."

American commanders sent some 2,000 marines into Afghanistan in the spring, helping swell the U.S.-dominated force to 20,000 - its largest yet - in an attempt to put militants on the defensive ahead of September elections.

Militants have also stepped up their operations, feeding a spiral of violence that has left more than 450 people dead across the country this year.

The military says only two marines were wounded in the latest fighting. Still, seven American soldiers have been killed in the south since the start of May, including at least one marine, and dozens of Afghan soldiers have died in the region this year.

The War on Terror moves along.