U.S. marines launch assault in S.Afghanistan valley

LOWER HELMAND RIVER VALLEY, AFGHANISTAN, July 2 (Reuters) - U.S. marines launched a helicopter assault early on Thursday in the lower Helmand river valley in southern Afghanistan, spokesman Capt. Bill Pelletier said.

A Reuters correspondent in the valley saw flares in the sky over the town of Nawa, south of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah. (Reporting by Peter Graff, editing by Tim Pearce)