Military activity at Camp Rhino US base in southern Afghanistan

(10 Dec 2001) 1. Various of US Marines loading equipment onto helicopters 2. Various forklift truck loading equipment into the loading bay of waiting helicopter 3. Wide of helicopters (TH53) taking off 4. Helicopter (Sea Stallion) taking off 5. Marines in the distance 6. Marines lined up to board the helicopter 7. Various of Marines inside helicopter 8. View of planes on the ground from out the back of helicopter 9. Helicopter crewman test firing machine gun through window 9. View of a helicopter flying over the desert taken from another helicopter 10. Various of Marines unloading their packs and other gear 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Major Tom Impellitteri, US Marine Corps "(I) absolutely feel like we have an important role to play out here for the folks back home. As a matter of fact the other day one of the guys in our crew took a New York City Fire Department bumper sticker and put it right on one of the bridges out here." 13. Two marines dug in and on the look out 14. Wide of light armoured vehicles and helicopters departing in the background STORYLINE: U-S Marine ground and air assault teams from Camp Rhino have moved closer to the southern Afghan city of Kandahar to step up the search for Taliban leaders and members of Osama bin Laden's terror network fleeing their fallen stronghold. The new staging area, overlooking several roads, is about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Kandahar. The Marines say it will allow them to respond quickly to tip-offs from anti-Taliban forces about any escape attempts. The troops are arranged in hunter-killer teams ready to seek out and destroy enemy units or race to support anti-Taliban fighters. The Taliban agreed to surrender Kandahar on Thursday, with many fleeing the following day as opposition forces moved in. Others are believed to be still in the city and armed. At the staging area, the Marines have fast-moving light armoured vehicles with cannons, as well as humvees armed with anti-tank missiles. They are backed by attack helicopters. At least a dozen helicopters left Camp Rhino, the Marines' base some 110 kilometres (70 miles) southwest of Kandahar, to pick up troops guarding roads around Kandahar and move them to the staging area. The Marines haven't surrounded Kandahar, but they say they're in a position to cut off any escape routes. The troops are patrolling roads, carrying photographs of key suspected terrorists, in the search for Taliban figures, including the supreme leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...