According to NATO and Afghan commanders, Operation Mushtarak in Marja, Helmand ended successfully. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of international forces in Afghanistan, announced that new military operations would follow in Kandahar. Afghan National Security Forces are expected to join the fight there as well.

The telecast of the Kandahar announcement indicates that international forces are closely coordinating with their Afghan counterparts. The plan is to place continued pressure on the Taliban for 18 months in order to drive out insurgents and establish a long-term security presence in cleared areas…
The caveat is that it won't be enough to drive out insurgents in Afghanistan alone. While the Pakistan Army has cleared Taliban strongholds in parts of their territory, the Taliban still operate with impunity from large swaths of the border areas…
If coalition and NATO forces want a decisive victory, its essential for Pakistan to launch operations now, not a year from now.
It remains to be seen if the Americans can convince Islamabad to keep up their current efforts… European governments can’t support the NATO effort in Afghanistan forever, neither will the American public, which is why the next 18 months are crucial.
Military success is our only option