A U.S. soldier shakes hands with a local elder, Mohammad Akbar, in the village of Sorkhdoz in Helmand River Valley in Afghanistan July 2, 2009. Thousands of U.S. Marines stormed deep into Taliban territory in an Afghan valley on Thursday, marking the start of a major new effort by the Obama administration to regain the initiative in the war. Locals expressed cautious reactions to the arrival of the U.S. forces. REUTERS/Baris Atayman (AFGHANISTAN MILITARY CONFLICT)
REUTERS/STAFF