M1 Abrams tanks, which will be fielded by the Marines in the country’s southwest, will be deployed in Afghanistan for the first time, and will allow ground forces to target insurgents from a greater distance.

The M1 Abrams tank is armed with the most lethal force of any U.S. military ground vehicle. The 68-ton tanks are propelled by a jet engine and equipped with a 120mm main gun that can destroy a house more than a mile away.

The M1 Abrams tanks will be used initially in parts of northern Helmand province, where Marines have been engaged in intense close combat against resilient Taliban cells. The initial deployment is about 16 tanks, but the the number might be expanded.

The Taliban are usually armed with assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and homemade bombs.

Analysis of M1A2 Abrams US tank: Sprinter: 1500 horsepower, 500 rounds/minute, and more …

Third time in a week that insurgents have attacked Kandahar NATO base. As many as 100 insurgents — some with suicide vests — may have been involved — in the attack on the airfield. At least five rockets and mortars fire into the base. Small arms gunfire was also reported.

There are thousands of troops located at the air base, which is the largest in southern Afghanistan.