US MARINES and Afghan troops yesterday launched the first offensive since US President Barack Obama announced an American troop surge, striking against Taliban communications and supply lines in a southern insurgent stronghold, a military spokesman said.

US MARINES and infantry moved with surprising speed toward Baghdad yesterday, passing down roads littered with black combat boots as Saddam Hussein’s loyalists shed their uniforms and switched to tribal robes hoping to avoid capture.

The Pentagon is adjusting its tactics for the war in Iraq after US commanders on the ground said they were surprised by the resistance put up by Saddam Hussein’s paramilitaries.