By Agencies

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Nato-led and Afghan forces have met sporadic resistance on the third day of a major offensive to secure a town in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province.

Troops taking part in Operation Moshtarak were reportedly targeted with heavy gunfire, sniper fire and booby-traps as they attempted to push forward in Marjah and the surrounding areas on Monday.

"We are making steady progress, but being very methodical about detecting and clearing routes in an area heavily saturated with IEDs [improvised explosive devices]," Abraham Sipe, a US Marine captain, told the Reuters news agency.
  
"In many parts of Marjah, we have seen very little opposition. There are areas where Marines have met with stiff resistance, but they are making steady progress throughout the area."

US Marine units were twice beaten back by heavy gunfire as they tried to reach a market in the town and another armoured column reported that it had come under fire from three different sniper teams.

"It's a pretty busy day but we expected that because we are penetrating," Lieutenant Colonel Brian Christmas, the commander of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, told The Associated Press news agency.

Civilian deaths

Operation Moshtarak is the first major test of the strategy of Barack Obama, the US president, to take on the Taliban and end the eight-year conflict with one of the biggest offensives since the 2001 US-led invasion.

t is designed to clear Taliban fighters from the Marjah region of the southern province and hold it so that the civilian administration can establish itself.

"The objective here is to protect the people and help the government provide services to the people of Afghanistan, even in the most difficult areas," Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to the region, said.

Afghan officials say they have a "government-in-a-box" ready to sweep in and set up institutional services and security that will ensure the Taliban do not return to areas captured by US-led forces.

However, the long-term success of the offensive is likely to depend on securing the support of the local population, something which will be made more difficult by civilian casualties in the offensive.

Nato on Monday expressed its "deep regret" over the deaths of 15 civilians during the offensive in three separate incidents.

Twelve Afghans - six women and six children - were killed when rockets hit their houses suspected to be sheltering Taliban fighters. Three more civilians were shot dead after they ignored warnings from Nato soldiers to stop.

General Stanley McChrystal, the head of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, called the loss of life "regrettable" and said the operation was being conducted with "the protection of Afghan people in mind".

"We extend our heartfelt sympathies and will ensure we do all we can to avoid future incidents," he said in a statement on Sunday.