This isn't going to be as easy as they thought, apparently. In the video, journalist Gareth Porter says the real purpose of the Marja offensive is to prepare the American public to accept negotiations with the Taliban:

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan — Following the deadliest day yet for coalition forces seeking to drive the Taliban from the town of Marja in southern Afghanistan, U.S. Marines took aim Friday at the threat posed by insurgent snipers.

Surprisingly accurate fire by Taliban marksmen, together with intricate webs of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, has slowed the progress of the offensive, now in its seventh day. Commanders say key goals are being met, but acknowledge that clearing operations will probably take weeks.

Amid what a military statement described as "determined pockets of resistance" by insurgents in and around the town, six service members from NATO's International Security Assistance Force were killed Thursday by explosions and small-arms fire. That doubled the coalition death toll for the offensive so far, bringing it to 11 Western troops and one Afghan soldier.

Taliban sharpshooters had long had a reputation for being anything but. But coalition field officers say they have been encountering snipers considerably more skilled than those seen previously -- in part, perhaps, because the insurgents had many months to prepare for this battle.

The Marines heavily publicized plans to seize Marja, in hopes that less committed insurgents would leave, and civilians in the area would be spared an even bigger battle. As it is, the offensive is the largest since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that drove the Taliban from power.