Marines here are making big moves for the future of Afghanistan. Combat engineers in Marjah in direct support of 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, began demilitarizing bases in order to reduce their footprint from military operations here.

The battalion is currently manning 17 outposts in the Marjah area, but is planning to cut that number down to three posts to include Camp Hanson.

First Lt. John Winslow, Engineers Platoon commander serving with 2nd Bn., 9th Marines, said his Marines are preparing for the arrival of their replacement units who’ll man the three posts in Marjah. The Afghan National Security Forces here will operate the remaining outpost.

“We’ve spent a lot of time tearing outposts down completely or making them smaller to turn them over to the Afghan forces,” said Winslow, a Sacramento native. “We’ve been lucky in Marjah because there’s a huge ANSF presence here.”
Read more here: www.marines.mil/unit/1stmardiv/Pages/MarinesreducefootprintinMarjah.aspx