General David Petraeus, the commander who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said yesterday that the Marjah battle was the opening salvo in a broader campaign to turn back the Taliban, which could last 12 to 18 months. On NBC's "Meet the Press," he described the Taliban as both "formidable" and "a bit disjointed at this point."

On the third day of the biggest allied military offensive in Afghanistan since 2001, U.S., British and Afghan troops have converged on Marjah, a Taliban stronghold and opium hub in Helmand province. Coalition forces are said to be engaged in numerous firefights throughout the city. Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, joins Daljit Dhaliwal for more.

With his long-awaited announcement on Afghanistan finally out of the way, President Obama now faces the next hurdle -- convincing Democrats in Congress and skeptical allies abroad about the wisdom of his plan. Many troops are hopeful that the plan will help wind down the war. David Brancaccio speaks with Masood Aziz about the the Obama plan.

Italy lost six of its troops in Afghanistan to a suicide car bombing on Thursday. Alessandra Baldini, the New York bureau chief of the Italian news agency ANSA, discusses how Italians view the war in Afghanistan and the Obama administration.

Marvin Weinbaum of the Middle East Institute discusses the civilian casualties and potential setbacks to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan after an explosion killed at least 90 people, many of whom were civilians.