It’s a 30-hour trek from Lejeune to Afghanistan

[thedrifter]

Coalition troops kill 'several militants' in Afghanistan

Thursday • September 11, 2008

International forces killed several suspected militants in eastern Afghanistan in a raid on a "terrorist leader" said to be helping smuggle in foreign fighters, the US-led coalition said Thursday.

The man targeted in the operation near the Pakistan border on Wednesday was also believed to have close ties to senior Taliban commanders, the force said in a statement.

Residents and local officials however said the victims were civilians.

"Coalition forces targeted a regional terrorist leader... who is suspected of facilitating the movement of foreign fighters into Afghanistan," the US-led coalition said.

When soldiers arrived in the Andar district of Ghazni province, they came under attack and responded, killing "several militants" and arresting two.

The statement gave no number of dead, nor make it clear if the targeted man was killed or captured.

Residents and officials in the village of Shahpouri, in Ghazni, said three people -- a mother and two sons, aged 12 and 19 -- were killed in a coalition air strike.

A village elder said the husband and third son were injured and arrested.

There was also a raid on Wednesday on a compound of a subcommander in the network of a Taliban group headed by Jalaluddin Haqqani, the coalition said.

Haqqani, who was a close aide to fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Omar, has not been seen since the fall of the hardline regime in Afghanistan in 2001.

One man was arrested and weapons and other military equipment was found and removed, the statement said.

The raid was in Bak district, which is on the border with Pakistan's tribal areas where Islamist extremists are said to have bases.

The United States led the invasion that ousted the Taliban regime for sheltering Al-Qaeda after the September 11 attacks seven years ago Thursday.

Despite the presence of tens of thousands of international soldiers, a Taliban-linked insurgency has grown over the years.

US Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday he was not convinced that "we're winning it" in Afghanistan.

He said he had ordered a "new, more comprehensive military strategy for the region" covering both sides of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. — AFP

Ellie

[thedrifter]

24th MEU returns a safer, more stable Garmsir to British Army

9/11/2008 By Cpl. Alex C. Guerra , 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan —After operating in the Garmsir City District for more than 130 days, and liberating its people, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit returned responsibility for the area’s security to the British Army during a Transfer of Authority Ceremony Sept. 8.

With support from Afghanistan National Army, Security Force and Border Patrol, the British Army will again oversee security operations in this region, an area far more secure than the one they patrolled less than six months ago, a testament to the MEU’s success.

“The most important measure of success is the improved quality of life and return to normalcy for the citizens of Garmsir. The reconstruction and development and the active role of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in making that happen were all made possible by the stable environment created and maintained by the MEU,” said Col. Peter Petronzio, commanding officer, 24th MEU, ISAF.


Marines may be leaving, but all forces involved have worked hard to ensure the only change the people of Garmsir see in security are the uniforms of the people protecting them.


“The British forces operating in Helmand Province are extremely capable,” said Petronzio. “Our hope is that this transfer of authority is transparent to the Afghan citizens on the ground and there is no interruption to the security we were providing. This enables the TOA Ceremony, for us, to mark the shift of our main effort from the battalion to the logistics Marines and the mission of getting us and our equipment and vehicles home”

During the TOA ceremony Lt. Col. Doug M. Chalmers, commanding officer, 2nd Battalion, The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, British Army awarded a bronzed tiger to Lt. Col. Tony Henderson, commanding officer, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 24th MEU, ISAF serving as a token of gratitude and accomplishment.

“Seeing our battalion commander accepting that [award] was the first empirical sign for our [Marines] that our mission here was finally done,” said Sgt. William O. Bee, squad leader, Alpha Company, BLT 1/6, 24th MEU, ISAF. “The British have been anxious to pick up where we left off and continue to turn this area around.”


Marines were originally assigned a five to seven day mission to secure some routes through Garmsir so that a portion of the battalion landing team could move to the southern part of the district and set up a forward operating base from which they would disrupt insurgent movement.


“We were told that there were insurgents in the area just south of the British southernmost forward operating base Delhi and that they would fight us for a few days should we try to move through the area,” Petronzio said. “In order to get to the more southern location, we would need to move Marines and equipment through the insurgent controlled area.”


As Marines moved to secure the route, the insurgents did fight, but not for a “few” days as expected, they fought daily for more than a month.

“This made us and others realize that the district center of Garmsir (the area immediately south of FOB Delhi) was pretty important to the insurgents and it was not a place we just wanted to clear and then leave,” Petronzio said. “That is when the commander of ISAF decided the Marines would stay in Garmsir.”


Other factors leading to Marines remaining in the area included concern about giving the insurgents a false victory by enabling them to claim they had run ISAF forces off and protecting the Afghan citizens who had been displaced by the insurgents as they began to return to their homes.


With the mission evolving from original plans, the MEU utilized its forces to transition from the initial kinetic operations to civil military operations – the path counter insurgency operations frequently follow.


“We are not going to solve all the problems with 2,500 Marines for seven or eight months, but what we can do is eat this elephant one bite at time, and we took a big bite and we did some great things in Garmsir, and for the people there it will be a lasting, lasting success," said Petronzio.


British commanders praised the 24th MEU as Marines reintroduced the British who returned to a friendlier populace and an area less hostile.


“The Marines and this unit have really done themselves proud,” said Maj. James J. M. Driscoll, commanding officer, B Company, 2nd Battalion, The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, British Army. “I can see the effort they put into the kinetic [phase] and successfully fought through. From what I can see there has been no confusion from moving from the kinetic stage to the counterinsurgency stage.”

Both units worked side-by-side for several weeks, ensuring that British troops benefitted from the Marines’ rapport in hopes that the Afghans will soon govern themselves.


“The people here have seen a lot of countries come and go – everyone from the Gurkas, the Russians and the British,” said Bee, who previously deployed to Afghanistan in 2001-02 with the 26th MEU. “Hopefully they will remember us for our professionalism and as the ones who affected permanent change.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

The Afghanistan War - Learning from Iraq
By Chuck Holton
CBN News
September 26, 2008


CBNNews.com - Helmand Province, AFGHANISTAN - Tenacity, Toughness and Time - that's what it took to win Iraq's Anbar province which some said was "unwinnable."

In early September, the victory was celebrated by handing control back to the people of that province. The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit now hopes to repeat that victory in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.

Garmsir, Afghanistan

The scorching desert south of Kandahar was, until recently, under the complete control of the Taliban.

Life in the Garmsir district has changed little in the last 500 years. Most of its people have never seen a paved road, indoor plumbing or even electricity. They are subsistence farmers, living alongside canals that help transform the desert into a virtual oasis.

One part of Garmsir is perfect for growing the Taliban's favorite cash crop - Opium. And that's why when the Marines came in, the Taliban fought so hard to keep it. But they lost.

The area didn't have a single coalition base until this past April. When the Marines moved in, they found a desolate area suffering under years of Taliban brutality.

"What I'm hearing from the locals is that when the Taliban lost control over the country they came back here and forced the locals to grow poppies," said an Afghan interpreter who works with American forces.

"The Taliban come and buy the poppy for a very cheap price, and the people don't get to plant their wheat and corn for food," he explained, "and so the price of food has gone high."

When the fighting started, most of the locals moved out into the desert. But now that the Marines have stabilized the area, they are starting to move back in. There are still some villages that have yet to be reoccupied.

1st Lieutenant Chad Buckles is on his second deployment in two years. In 2007, he helped win the fight for Ramadi, Iraq.

He said, "The lessons we learned in Iraq definitely do apply - obviously with their own special twists - but the basic lessons absolutely do apply to this area: Clear out an area and hold it, allow it to economically and socially and politically develop, allow security forces to come in and take over that ground, and then you move on to the next piece of ground.

He continued, "Eventually, step by step, I think that we can kick the Taliban out of here and give the people something that they haven't seen in a very long time."

Trial by Fire

Living conditions here are horrible - summer temperatures routinely top 120 degrees.

Marines have endured for more than four months without fans, air conditioners or showers. The only thing there is plenty of is the enemy - and taking the fight to them keeps these warriors going.

Buckles said, "I think morale is built by hardship, because these guys get to go through something unique."

"They've moved in 130 degree temperatures carrying 120 pounds on their backs, and just through that common experience it brings them a lot closer together and they're basically family. Somebody gets injured, and he's chomping at the bit to get back," he said. "Very close ties."

Soon, the Marines of the 24th MEU will hand over this area to forces of the Afghan National Army and begin the process of coming home.

Until then, they continue to root out the enemy and bring hope to the people of Garmsir.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Afghanistan has seen 'spiral downwards': top US general

Mon Sep 29, 12:37 PM ET

Parts of Afghanistan have seen a "spiral downwards" of violence, the incoming US regional commander said Monday, adding the fight against Taliban forces would continue unabated through the winter.

General David Petraeus told reporters outside Downing Street after talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown that there had been "significant progress" in some areas of the country.

But he added: "There's no question but that the trends in terms of violence and so forth have been in the wrong direction.

"So in that case, you're either spiralling downward or upward and in certain areas in Afghanistan clearly there has been a spiral downward that all involved... want to arrest and then get going back up again".

Petraeus, who was in charge of US-led forces in Iraq until earlier this year, takes charge of US forces in southwest Asia and the Middle East next month.

He also said he expected to see NATO troops fighting in Afghanistan "through the winter, perhaps a bit more than we have seen in the past."

Petraeus added: "I think we are going to endeavour to continue a higher level of operational tempo throughout so that there's not a lull in the fighting season that we continue...to take the fight to the enemy."

Asked whether US airstrikes in Pakistani territory were an important part of the fight, Petraeus again stressed that the country faced an "existential threat."

But he added that key figures in Islamabad including new President Asif Ali Zardari increasingly recognised the importance of that.

"This is a threat to Pakistan's very existence and it is one with which they must deal," Petraeus said.

His comments came after Pakistani and US troops last week exchanged fire along the Pakistani-Afghan border last week, after Washington said two US military helicopters came under fire.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Q&A: S.C. Marines in Afghanistan

More than four dozen South Carolinians are serving with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. Recently a few of the S.C. Marines answered a questionaire e-mailed to them by The State. Here's a transcript of their answers:

Pfc. Jacob Turner, Abbeville

How long have you been in the Marine Corps?

1 year

Have you been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan before? If so, when?

No

What's your job in Afghanistan?

I am a Radio Operator

Have you had a chance to meet and work with the Afghan people? What's your impression of the Afghans? What do you think of the land and climate?

I have worked with them a little since I have been here; they are very simple people, with simple lives. It is different than South Carolina. I have seen a lot of sand and some trees but they are few and far between. The climate is hot but it is different kind of heat than what I am used to, like in the south where it is humid during the summer time, here it is dry heat.

What's the toughest thing you've had to do in Afghanistan?

Set up communications for the other Marines.

What's the biggest challenge that you've faced so far?

Being away from family and friends.

What do you think has been your most important achievement or contribution to the MEU's mission thus far?

Setting up communications for the Marines so we can support the infantry.

So far how are you and your fellow Marines holding up?

We are in high spirits but also ready to see our loved ones.

Capt. Joshua Brindel, Irmo | Back to top

How long have you been in the Marine Corps?

6 years

Have you been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan before? If so, when?

Yes. Iraq: Feb-Oct 2005 (Fallujah); Aug 2006-May 2007 (Ar Ramadi); Afghanistan: Feb-present 2008

What's your job in Afghanistan?

Officer in Charge of Intermediate Support Base (ISB) for 24 MEU, and Assistant Operations Officer for Combat Logistics Battalion 24.

Have you had a chance to meet and work with the Afghan people? What's your impression of the Afghans? What do you think of the land and climate?

I have had the chance to work with local national contractors that provide basic life support services to our camp. They do not have many resources to work with, but have a lot of ingenuity and make the most with what they have. The area we are in is very barren and in the middle of the desert. It is hot and arid with little relief. Finding shade or an area with air condition is at a premium.

What's the toughest thing you've had to do in Afghanistan?

Organizing a 200 man detachment consisting of aviation assets, heavy trucks, engineering support, and security forces to accomplish a single goal.

What's the biggest challenge that you've faced so far?

Working in a multi-national environment. Learning different militaries terminology and way of conducting business took a while, but once there was a mutual understanding we were able to mutually support one another. There are over four different nationalities and three different languages that are spoken. Though, English is the language used while conducting business on base.

What do you think has been your most important achievement or contribution to the MEU's mission thus far?

It is easy because we do it everyday. We provide intermediate logistical support to the infantry battalion. Everything from supply support (food, water, fuel, basic personal items, construction material, repair parts), motor transport support, engineering support, Material Handling Support (fork lifts and front end loaders), and aviation support. We are enablers of the fighting force in that we provide everything needed for the Marines on the front line to continue the fight. When the infantry succeed, we know that it is because of their hard work, but also because we enabled them to do their mission. We have no job if it was not for the infantry, and they could not do their job without our support.

So far how are you and your fellow Marines holding up?

These Marines here are highly motivated professionals. Although they can not wait to see friends, families, and some with new additions; they are focused on the mission at hand and are ready to see it through until the deployment is over.

Lance Cpl. Shanika Felder, Manning | Back to top

How long have you been in the Marine Corps?

I have been enlisted for 22 months

Have you been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan before? If so, when?

No, I have never deployed before, this is first and not my last deployment.

What's your job in Afghanistan?

Currently I am armor, I supply the pilots, crew chief and other Marines with ammunition and weapons.

Have you had a chance to meet and work with the Afghan people? What's your impression of the Afghans? What do you think of the land and climate?

I haven’t actually haven’t had the chance to directly work with the Afghan people. I think of Afghanistan as a beach without water. The climate is always hot and there is always sand and dirt. Afghanistan is actually a beautiful place, if there weren’t any sandstorms.

What's the toughest thing you've had to do in Afghanistan?

Adapting to the climate and schedules

What's the biggest challenge that you've faced so far?

The toughest thing for me is, keeping my composure when we are getting attacked. Staying calm, so other Marines don’t freak out.

What do you think has been your most important achievement or contribution to the MEU's mission thus far?

My most important achievement to the MEU mission is being able to distribute the protection we need to get home safely.

So far how are you and your fellow Marines holding up?

My fellow Marines and I are doing well. We treat each day like it’s our first day in Afghanistan.

Sgt Kristopher Fleming, Beaufort | Back to top

How long have you been in the Marine Corps?

12 years with a two and a half year break in service.

Have you been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan before? If so, when?

No, this is my first deployment in support of OEF/ OIF (Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom).

What's your job in Afghanistan?

I’m the SNCOIC (staff non-commissioned officer in charge) of the MWSS-274 Fuels and Expeditionary Air Field. I ensure that our aircraft receive fuel out at our Forward bases.

Have you had a chance to meet and work with the Afghan people?

Yes, on a few occasions.

What's your impression of the Afghans?

Very nice people, but they do want a lot. The culture is on the way, way other end of the spectrum compared to the American culture. I have worked with some contractors who are the nicest people. I have asked them what they thought of the US and NATO being here and if they thought it was a good thing. Every response I have gotten was yes we are glad you are here to help and you’re not trying to take over like every one else in our history.

What do you think of the land and climate?

Truthfully? It sucks. I’m not one for the dust and the dry heat and most of all the lack of trees.

What's the toughest thing you've had to do in Afghanistan?

Work some long hours in support of missions, and being a father to 3 little girls 8, 5 and now 3 you can see coming to Afghanistan was a tough thing to do. But I’m here for a reason and to help the people of Afghanistan and protect my family and country. So it’s worth it.

What's the biggest challenge that you've faced so far?

Dealing with the heat while working farther south in the country, wearing our protective gear when it’s 100+ most days gets hard.

What do you think has been your most important achievement or contribution to the MEU's mission thus far?

The installation of the AM2 matting, that MWSS-274 helped MWSS-271 install for the helicopters to park on. This was a joint effort and MWSS-271 did a great job. (Note from the PAO - AM2 matting is the tiles we lay down to create an expeditionary runway in an austere environment.)

So far how are you and your fellow Marines holding up?

We have our days, I know I have the “This sucks, can we go now?” days and just want it to get over with. I miss my family and am ready to see some green. My fellow Marines are doing well, I know they all feel the same way about wanting to get home but we all know if we take care of each other we will get this done and be home before we know it.

Sgt. Joshua Long, Hampton County | Back to top

How long have you been in the Marine Corps?

About 8 years

Have you been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan before? If so, when?

Afghanistan in ’04 and presently; Iraq in ’05 and ‘06/07

What's your job in Afghanistan?

I’m an infantryman. I conduct foot patrols and set in positions watching over other Marines and civilians to help ensure their safety.

Have you had a chance to meet and work with the Afghan people? What's your impression of the Afghans? What do you think of the land and climate?

Afghan people are hard working people with very strong family/tribe values. Along rivers the land is green and can be a beautiful sight. The weather is fairly hot during the summers.

What's the biggest challenge that you've faced so far?

Drinking enough water to stay hydrated.

What do you think has been your most important achievement or contribution to the MEU's mission thus far?

Providing safe areas and routes so that everyone can do their part, military and civilian alike.

So far how are you and your fellow Marines holding up?

Doing a lot of joking and laughing so, I would have to say we are fine.

Cpl. Chris Mallett, Levelland | Back to top

How long have you been in the Marine Corps?

I hit my three year mark in nine days.

Have you been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan before? If so, when?

My first deployment was to Iraq doing provisional military police work from August 2006 - March 2007.

What's your job in Afghanistan?

This is going to be a little hectic. My job is a fire direction control man, but at the beginning of this deployment I was pulled to work with the commanding officer of the artillery battery to work in the fire support coordination center and be part of his personal security detachment.

Have you had a chance to meet and work with the Afghan people? What's your impression of the Afghans? What do you think of the land and climate?

Yes, I see them going back and forth at the civil military operations center (CMOC). Most of them seem content with what they are doing. They just work around us. It does get hot here. It’s like having a blow dryer in your face and throwing sand in front of the blow dryer. We do have moon dust here, powder sand… it’s nasty. (A lot of where we drive) there are no real roads, just driving through the desert. Not a whole lot of foliage, just one river.

Challenge:

Getting out of the Iraq mindset, always looking for IEDs or someone taking pop-shots at you. Most of these people are content to watch us drive by and send their children out to beg for food, water or candy.

What's the biggest challenge that you've faced so far?

Holding security at the Afghan National Police station. If there was a perfect plan to get two US humvees blown up, that was it. The ANP weren’t searching guys; finally I had to get a linguist to tell them they needed to check every person and vehicle coming into that place.

Our higher ups were meeting with an Afghan minister.

What do you think has been your most important achievement or contribution to the MEU's mission thus far?

Being pulled out to work in the FSCC (fire support coordination center) and work on the PSD (personal security detachment for Maj. McCarroll. They brought me up here so I could work in the FSCC, he grabbed three people who are all good at their job to fill the role of eight people in a combat environment.

So far how are you and your fellow Marines holding up?

I’m good, just another deployment. It was going slow for a couple of weeks, but things started to go a lot quicker. The transition from kinetic to non-kinetic operations was the slowest part of this deployment. The end is in sight.

Cpl. James Smith, Darlington | Back to top

How long have you been in the Marine Corps?

Almost 4 years

Have you been on previous deployments? If so when and where?

No, I was in Security Forces so this is my first deployment

Describe your job

I’m a radio operator for 2nd squad, 2nd platoon, Charlie Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment (BLT 1/6)

Have you met/worked with any Afghans? If so what was your impression of them?

I’ve met a lot on patrols; I haven’t worked with them yet. Some are alright, they’re happy that we are here and are glad for the help. Some seem like they don’t care. It seems like their culture needs to modernize.

What are the land/climate like?

It’s a lot of farm land, it’s hot, and there is a lot of barren land, a lot of fields.

What is the toughest thing you’ve had to deal with since being out here?

Being away from my wife and daughter, my daughter was born three weeks before the deployment started.

What has been the biggest challenge while being out here?

Staying focused, dealing with the heat, and not getting complacent.

What has been the biggest accomplishment/contribution to the 24th MEU you’ve had?

Completing the missions passed on to us and getting rid of the Taliban in the area.

How are you holding up?

Fine, I’m taking it day by day, I miss my wife and daughter but every day done is another day closer to getting out of here.

Lance Cpl. Corey P. Bryant, Rock Hill | Back to top

How long have you been in the Marine Corps?

Joined in 2005

Have you been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan before? If so, when?

Been to Iraq and Afghanistan, as a rifleman in Ramadi, we couldn’t use mortars because of collateral damage. First go there it sucked, by the time we left we knew people’s names we walked down the streets and see people out. We turned the city around.

What's your job in Afghanistan?

Mortar man.

On being a mortar man doing rifleman work:

At the school of infantry you are taught how to do infantrymen stuff, we found out a month before we left we would be doing mortars, so we got put into platoons and started working with them. It wasn’t too much of a change; we still knew how to do all that stuff. Like they say every Marine is a rifleman.

Best memory of Iraq:

The thing I remember the most about Iraq was the friends we made and the friends we lost.

How long were you there?

9 months.

What do you do in Afghanistan?

When we were kinetic, we were actually doing our job - dropping mortars. Now that it’s calmed down and there’s no fighting going on, we are doing the 3rd block of the 3 block war. Shaking hands and kissing babies. We are actually running the entry control point, and we check people to make sure they aren’t transporting weapons or planning on harming anyone - suicide bombers, that type of stuff. In the mortar section, I’m the “A-gunner” (assistant gunner) the person who actually drops the round on the gun. If something happens to the actual gunner, it’s my job to step up. Our main responsibility is to check on the gunner and drop the actual rounds.

What's your impression of local Afghans?

They are happy to see us here. We got rid of the Taliban; they are not under their control. They can move about freely. They do occasionally get irritated when we make them stop so we can search them. They may come through an ECP (entry control point) three or four times a day, and every time they come through we have to search them. Just for our safety and their safety. But they do like us here, and they really appreciate it.

On the climate and land:

It’s not home. It’s hotter than Iraq and you get used to it after a while but it still bites. You are not used to the heat, you are out there every day in the sun, 4 hours plus the heat gets to you.

Toughest thing:

The toughest thing I had to do was when we first landed (in Garmsir) doing the 4 km plus movement to where we finally ended up now, with the combined weight of a days worth of supplies, water, chow plus our mortar system - carrying it all on our backs. I thought about when I’m back home I’ll be able to see my wife, not thinking about the pain that was going through my body.

Biggest challenge:

Being able to control my temper. The heat and other things, a lot of people’s tempers are up, so trying to keep it at an acceptable level.

On helping the 24th MEU’s mission:

Our contribution to the mission, we are helping these people out. Letting them know there is something else out there than being controlled by the Taliban. We do what ISAF instructs us to do. Their mission is higher than what we can comprehend. So we just do what they tell us and we are here for these people.

How are you holding up?

I’m doing good. We have three months left, I’ll be even better when we get home. I'm holding up as well as you can expect here.

Lance Cpl. Matthew Brock, Spartanburg | Back to top

How long have you been in the Marines?

2 years

Previous deployments?

This is my first one, but I’m looking forward to Iraq next year.

Job description:

I’m a radio operator. It may sound like a “skate” job, but my platoon is solely responsible for communication for an entire battalion of Marines. Being able to talk can be, and the majority of the time is, the depending factor on whether that wounded Marines dies or makes it back home to his family. There’s three things Marines must be able to do to be successful here or anywhere else -- shoot, move and communicate. Though every Marine is a rifleman, communication is what my guys bring to the fight.

What do I think of Afghanistan?

I’ll say this, if I get back to the states and it’s 90 degrees, you’ll probably see me in a sweat shirt. Seriously though, 120-130 degrees sounds miserable, and believe me it is, but after a while you just adapt and overcome (and get wicked tan lines). As far as the country itself, it’s hard to believe people still live this way. It’s weird being in a place where the main mode of transportation is a triple hump camel, but it definitely gives you a whole new appreciation for the US and those who fought before.

The toughest thing

The toughest thing I’ve done was saying bye to those who had to make the ultimate sacrifice. It blows my mind how you can say, “see you in a few hours,” to someone and the very same day be standing over that same person with an American Flag draped over them.

My biggest challenge

My biggest challenge has been knowing that at any given moment the life of another man, someone’s father, son, husband, could be saved or lost depending on how I do my job.

My biggest contribution

Being a Marine is all about the team. Everyone plays their part and it’s all vital to the defeat of the enemy, but since you asked...My superiors, 1st Lt. Mee and Master Sgt. Braxton, had enough confidence in the proficiency of myself and another lance corporal to conduct communication operations unsupervised for an entire battalion movement into a Taliban infested district. As two junior Marines, myself and Lance Cpl. Steve Lambert, were responsible for several casevacs (casualty evacuations), coordinating reinforcements and many other things that are usually done by a non-commissioned officer or staff NCO. I was also privileged to be my battalion’s executive officer’s, Maj. Clinton, radio operator. He is the second highest office in my chain of command, so to have him pick me, as a lance corporal, was quite an honor.

How are you holding up?

Time actually moves by rather quickly out here. Even with the news of us being extended for a month, it’s really going by fast. Of course, like everyone, I miss home, but it’s a job that you volunteer for so I can’t really complain. I do miss my family and my girl, Liz, but right now my focus is on my brothers and the job that has to be done.

Sgt. James A Ramsey, Chesnee | Back to top

How long have you been in the Marine Corps?

4 years and 4 months

Have you been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan before? If so, when?

I was deployed to Iraq in 2005 (Al Asad)

What's your job in Afghanistan?

I do weapons maintenance on for the entire MEU

Have you had a chance to meet and work with the Afghan people? What's your impression of the Afghans? What do you think of the land and climate?

I haven’t had a chance to work directly with the Afghan people. As for the climate it is much like Iraq hot, very dry, and sandy.

What's the toughest thing you've had to do in Afghanistan?

The hardest physical task that I have done is picking up pallets and parachutes from the air drops here.

What's the biggest challenge that you've faced so far?

The biggest challenge was dealing with the loss of our battalion 1stSgt, 1stSgt Luke Mercardante. (Note from PAO: 1stSgt Luke Mercardante was killed in an IED explosion April 15. He was traveling in our first ground convoy from Kandahar to Helmand to put troops and equipment in position for the launch of the operation in Southern Helmand.)

What do you think has been your most important achievement or contribution to the MEU's mission thus far?

Lending a hand whereever I can within the maintenance section here at CLB 24.

So far how are you and your fellow Marines holding up?

My Marines and I stay in good spirits here knowing that we are able to do good things here and soon go home to our loving families.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

S.C. Marines helping secure ‘desert of death’
Bleak region of Afghanistan is Taliban stronghold
By CHUCK CRUMBO
ccrumbo@thestate.com

The troops call it a “beach without water,” a blistering hot, dusty patch of southern Afghanistan that natives know as the “desert of death.”

“It’s like having a blow dryer in your face and (someone) throwing sand in front of the blow dryer,” said Cpl. Chris Mallett of Level Land in Abbeville County.

Mallett is among about four dozen South Carolinians who are members of a Camp LeJeune, N.C.-based 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to the Garmsir District of Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

The area, the crossroads of ancient trading routes, leads the world in opium production.

It’s also a stronghold of the Taliban, who are battling to regain control of Afghanistan seven years after being ousted from power by U.S. and allied forces.

The 2,400-strong Marine unit began arriving in Afghanistan in late March, just as the S.C. National Guard’s 218th Brigade Combat Team was wrapping up its yearlong tour of duty.

Several S.C. Guard soldiers were stationed in Helmand. Some operated in Garmsir, mentoring Afghan police.

The Marines, supporting NATO-led forces, are in the area to drive out the Taliban and help Afghan forces establish security.

In e-mails to The State, the South Carolinians said they think they are making headway in making the area more secure for Afghans.

“They are happy to see us here,” said Lance Cpl. Corey Bryant of Rock Hill. “We got rid of the Taliban.”

The Marines spent most of April and May battling the Taliban in 120-degree heat. They drove the insurgents out and managed to secure a key road from Garmsir to the Pakistani border.

Most of June and July was quiet with the Marines conducting patrols and getting to know local leaders, including police chiefs and mullahs.

“We are doing the third block in a three-block war,” Bryant said. “Shaking hands and kissing babies.”

The unit’s commanders say the area is more stable now, but not secure.

But Afghanistan remains a battlefield where a U.S. unit can be surrounded by insurgent forces, as evidenced by this summer’s attack on a base that resulted in nine U.S. fatalities.

“The toughest thing for me is keeping my composure when we are getting attacked,” said Lance Cpl. Shanika Felder of Manning, “(and) staying calm, so other Marines don’t freak out.”

The Marines have suffered casualties, losses that are personal in the tight-knit unit.

Sgt. James Ramsey of Chesnee recalled the death of his battalion’s senior enlisted leader, 1st Sgt. Luke Mercardante, 35, killed just days after the unit reached Afghanistan.

Mercardante, of Athens, Ga., and another Marine died April 15 when their vehicle was hit by a bomb hidden in a culvert beneath the road.

Mercardante was the “glue” that held the unit together. “The biggest challenge was dealing with the loss of our battalion’s first sergeant,” Ramsey said.

Because they operate among the local population, the Marines have lots of contact with Afghans.

In the rural, southern parts of the country, there’s little difference in how most Afghans live today compared with biblical times.

Roads are dusty trails. Water is hauled in buckets from a nearby stream. Electrical power is nonexistent.

“It’s hard to believe people still live this way,” said Lance Cpl. Matthew Brock of Spartanburg. “It’s weird being in a place where the main mode of transportation is a triple-hump camel.”

In his job as assistant operations officer, Capt. Joshua Brindel of Irmo works with Afghan contractors who work on U.S. bases.

“They do not have many resources to work with, but (they) have a lot of ingenuity and make the most of what they have,” Brindel said of the Afghans.

The Marines said, while they are hanging tough, they also are looking forward to returning home.

However, their return date has been pushed back 30 days. Now, the unit, which usually is deployed for seven months, won’t be home until November.

“Time actually moves by rather quickly out here,” Brock said. “Even with the news of us being extended for a month, it’s really going by fast.”

“I’m taking it day by day,” said Cpl. James Smith of Darlington. “I miss my wife and daughter, but every day done is another day closer to getting out of here.”

Reach Crumbo at (803) 771-8503.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

In Afghanistan, waging battles of attrition

By Drew Brown, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, October 3, 2008

ZHARI DISTRICT, Afghanistan — The first firefight erupted to the south, hitting a Canadian patrol somewhere along the Arghandab River.

Then a few scattered shots hit a group of Canadian and U.S. soldiers on patrol with Afghan police about 300 meters away.

The third attack occurred when Taliban gunmen opened fire on two dozen Afghans and Canadian soldiers with Operational Mentor Liaison Team 73 Alpha.

As far as security incidents go in Afghanistan, the firefights were fairly unremarkable. No coalition soldiers or Afghan troops were killed or wounded, and it was unclear how many, if any, Taliban fighters were hit.

But the three engagements were typical of the daily skirmishes that Canadian troops, along with a handful of Americans, are fighting alongside Afghan troops here in Zhari district, about 25 kilometers west of Kandahar city.

Taking place in the heartland of the fundamentalist Taliban movement, they are short, sharp, chaotic affairs and often inconclusive.

Yet the gunbattles illustrate the kind of grinding attrition that the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and the Taliban are waging against each other in southern Afghanistan, where frequent combat appears to be less about taking and holding territory than it is about weakening the other side’s will to fight.

"What the Taliban is trying to achieve is for us to leave the outposts," said Maj. Rob McBride, commander of November Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. "It would be a victory for them if we were to close them down. On the flip side of that, the message from us is that we’re here to stay, and we’re not going to leave just because you’re shooting at us every day."

Canada was one of the first countries to send troops to Afghanistan after the 2001 terrorist attacks, and its forces have been responsible for security in Kandahar province since 2005. Canada has about 2,500 soldiers serving in Afghanistan. The soldiers serving in Zhari district are spread between a firebase and a number of smaller outposts.

The outposts are manned by teams of Canadian troops who serve as advisers and mentors to Afghan army and police units. They receive fire almost daily.

The fighting that occurred near Pashmul was among a number of incidents in Zhari district that day, enough, that "I lost count," McBride said.

Canada has lost 97 soldiers since the war began nearly seven years ago. Twenty-three of its soldiers have been killed so far this year.

Insurgent attacks across Afghanistan have risen sharply in the last three years, as the Taliban and other groups have become more organized and sophisticated in their tactics. At least 236 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this year, the highest annual number since the war began seven years ago.

Kandahar province has suffered some of the more recent high-profile incidents. A prison break outside the provincial capital in June freed hundreds of jailed Taliban fighters. In early September, two suicide bombers struck inside a police headquarters, killing two people and wounding nearly 40. And Taliban gunmen assassinated the city’s top female police officer just last week.

"Certainly, this is one of the most violent summers we’ve encountered," Col. Jamie Cade, deputy commander for the Canada-led Task Force Kandahar, said in a recent interview. "But again, part of that is because we are imposing ourselves on the insurgents, going into areas and taking control of areas that they want."

In August, soldiers with the U.S. 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment moved into Maiwand district, an area that ISAF has identified as an important logistics hub for Taliban fighters moving between Kandahar province and neighboring Helmand, where some of the worst fighting has occurred.

Coalition strategy in southern Afghanistan is based on building up the Afghan army and police and slowly expanding their presence into areas held by the Taliban. For now, the strategy means that coalition and Afghan government forces control the roads. But out in the countryside, the Taliban still hold sway.

In Zhari district, the fear the Taliban inspire among locals was evident when a platoon of November Company soldiers patrolled last Sunday through the village of Haji Makhadem, just a few hundred meters off the main highway.

The purpose was to ask village elders why they were not attending weekly meetings with other local leaders at the district center.

Troops encountered the village chieftain walking along an irrigation ditch. The old man expressed concern about Taliban spies in the village, but he still agreed to talk for a while with Lt. Jeff Lloyd, the officer in charge.

The old man said he’d been to the district center, but was noncommittal about attending any of the councils there. He also expressed worry about the presence of foreign troops in the village.

"Now it is safe," he said.""But if you come here too many times, then the Taliban will come and they will make war in this village. They will put [bombs] here, and then you will fire your artillery."

Lloyd said that the intent of Canadian forces was to help the village.

"If you guys help us, then the Taliban will come," the old man said.

After 20 minutes of seesawing discussion, the old man said he was grateful that foreign troops had come to Afghanistan, but it was still evident that he wanted little to do with them. He ended with a plea for the soldiers not to bomb the village.

"Hopefully, we can keep the Taliban out, and we won’t have to do that," Lloyd said. "Hopefully, one day the Afghan government will be strong and we won’t have to patrol here anymore."

Things went only marginally better in the nearby village of Feyzollahkhan. The elder there told Lloyd they were all refugees from a place further south that had been destroyed by fighting. Since they were only refugees, it was not their place to attend the weekly meetings on the village’s behalf, he said. It was unclear where the other inhabitants had gone.

Still, the old man said he was glad for the soldiers’ visit and welcomed them back again.

"We want your help," he said. "But secretly, because we are afraid to be seen by [the Taliban]."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Afghanistan Diary: Seven to 10 Days, My Ass!
By Nathan Hodge October 13, 2008 |

In late August, I paid a visit to a combat outpost in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where the Marines of Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment had spent the previous four months clearing the Taliban stronghold of Garmsir. Bravo Company occupied a crumbling mud-brick compound next to a recently harvested opium field. In the punishing heat of southern Afghanistan, most of the Marines had dropped fifteen or twenty pounds.

The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit launched Operation Azada Wosa ("stay free") in late April. The operation was originally supposed to last seven to 10 days; when they launched the assault, Marines packed food, water and ammunition, and perhaps an extra pair of skivvies. The insurgents did not give ground easily, and fought for over a month. So much for the week-and-a-half-long mission.

After the Marines captured the district center of Garmsir, the commander of ISAF decided to park them there, as part of a "clear-hold-build" campaign. Staying in Garmsir was a classic counterinsurgency move, but it was not exactly a morale booster. "When you write your story," said Lance Corporal Rylan McCollum, "Make sure you emphasize the 'seven to 10 days' part."

Southern Helmand has none of the infrastructure Marines might expect at one of the jumbo U.S. bases, like Camp Fallujah or Al Asad: No recreation rooms with PlayStation and Xbox, no KBR dining facilities, no gym, no air-conditioning. Just packaged rations, lukewarm water, camp showers – and lots of dust, fine as talc. And of course, sh*t burning field sanitation detail.

Counterinsurgency is sometimes described as a patient fight. Colonel Peter Petronzio, commander of the 24 MEU, said as much in a recent Marine Corps news item.

"We are not going to solve all the problems with 2,500 Marines for seven or eight months, but what we can do is eat this elephant one bite at a time, and we took a big bite and we did some great things in Garmsir, and for the people there it will be a lasting, lasting success," he said.

Last month, the Marines handed control of the area to a combined force of British and Afghan National Army troops. According to a note I received from the public affairs officer, lots of "skinny, clean and happy" Marines are now hanging around Kandahar airfield. The MEU is scheduled to return home next month, but the Marine Corps commandant has made clear he wants Afghanistan to be the next big job for the USMC.

Over the next few days, I’m going to post some photos and diary entries from my trip. The war in Afghanistan is starting to recapture attention in Washington, and this slice-of-life stuff will show just how difficult the mission in Afghanistan will be.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

24th MEU begins leaving Afghanistan
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Oct 15, 2008 12:37:35 EDT

The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit has begun to cycle out of Afghanistan, eight months after entering the country to fight the Taliban and provide security in the country’s volatile southern section.

The move was confirmed by Maj. Kelly Frushour, a spokesman for the MEU. The 2,200-plus member unit has been involved in some of the bloodiest battles the Corps has seen this year, as it moved through volatile Helmand province pushing insurgents out of areas that coalition forces hadn’t seen in years.

Based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the MEU deployed in March for what was expected to be a “one-time, seven-month” assignment, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said in mid-January as news of the unit’s deployment was released.

But as Marines found themselves facing fierce opposition in the country’s poppy-rich Garmser district, officials announced that the MEU’s deployment would be extended for an additional month, leaving it with an anticipated return date early in November.

Top officials in the Corps and other sectors of the Defense Department have widely praised the MEU for its tenacity, with Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen telling reporters the Marines “had an enormously positive effect, very rapidly.”

Marine officials did not indicate who might take on duties the MEU handled, but they have indicated for months a desire to shift their focus from increasingly peaceful Iraq to Afghanistan.

“That’s our kind of fight, because it’s expeditionary,” said Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent in a September interview. “We’re definitely looking at getting to the fight.”

The first wave of 24th MEU Marines arrived at Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan on Monday.

In November, a Marine Air-Ground Task Force comprising troops from across the Corps will supplant those from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif., who remain in Afghanistan.

Lejeune’s 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, will form the MAGTF’s ground element, while the headquarters will come from 3rd Marines, out of Kanehoe Bay, Hawaii, officials have said.

Ellie

We will be picking up a few friends on Saturday evening...

[thedrifter]

Afghanistan Diary: Mapping the Human Terrain in Helmand, Part II
By Nathan Hodge

After the heavy fighting ended around Garmsir, Helmand Province, Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit began doling out cash compensation to Afghans for buildings damaged in the fighting. Back at headquarters in Kandahar, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rene Cote, a Marine civil affairs specialist, told me the Marines handed out over $784,000 in battle damage aid at the Civil Military Operations Center in Garmsir. They also took biometric data – fingerprints, photos and retina scans. “We logged everybody who came in, took their pictures, thumbprints, all that kind of stuff,” he said.

“Which goes to intelligence collection?” I asked.

Cote raised a finger. “That wasn’t the primary purpose!” he said emphatically. “Its primary purpose is to validate that people are who they say they are and that kind of thing. And if we get multiple hits on the same person for different names, it might be an issue.”

“Human terrain mapping” is all the rage inside the Pentagon these days, part of a larger push to increase the cultural sophistication of the military. The Army has even funded a high-profile – and controversial -- effort to create Human Terrain Teams, anthropologists and social scientists embedded within brigades. One of the many criticisms of the program is that, in the end, it isn't an attempt to understand the locals -- it's a way of collecting intelligence on 'em. Intelligence which can later be used for targeting.

The Marines in Helmand did not have an HTT at their disposal. They did, however, create map overlays that would plot social relations and tribal affiliations in their area, along with photos of key local leaders. When I asked Colonel Peter Petronzio, the commander of the 24 MEU, about his approach to human terrain mapping, he offered a few thoughts on how he would refine the concept. Rather than hiring Ph.D.'s, Petronzio said he would recommend recruiting a cadre of native-borne advisers: “a native adviser, not an academic or a sociologist, but someone who is from the region. And who can sit in shuras and whisper in the battalion commander’s ear.”

By Petronzio’s reasoning, a local – as opposed to someone with academic training -- can read the nuances of custom, gesture or dialect. They can tell when someone says one thing and means another, and so on.

Language is another issue. “Some of the interpreters aren’t very good,” Petronzio said. “What I am proposing is to identify half a dozen senior interpreters and link them with company commanders.” What about Marines learning Pashto or Dari, the main languages of Afghanistan, rather than relying on contract linguists? “You’d have a hard time doing that. Every year one third of the United States Marine Corps turns over. How are you going to generate a Dari or a Pashto capability? We focus more on the culture than the language.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Afghanistan Diary: MRAPs Suck!
By Nathan Hodge October 16, 2008

Many months and many billion dollars after they were declared a top priority, the the Mine Resistant Ambushed Protected vehicle, or MRAPs, are starting to hit the road in serious numbers.

In places with a reasonably developed highway system and decent ports – Iraq, for instance -- the MRAP is a decent proposition. It’s tough, survivable and reasonably agile. Problem is, MRAPs are poorly suited for Afghanistan, where the roads are narrow, primitive and poorly maintained. That is, when there are roads.

During my recent embed with Marines in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, the number one gear complaint was the MRAP: it was too wide for most roads, and the top-heavy vehicles were prone to rollover.



As Captain Charles O'Neill, commander of B Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, told me, a few of the MRAPs had “gone into the wadi” – i.e., rolled over – during operations in Helmand. “The MRAP is an outstanding vehicle for force protection,” he said. “It would do great on paved roads. However, here in southern Helmand province, the roads don't facilitate the MRAP necessarily that well.”

With that experience in mind, the Marines are now re-assessing the requirements for MRAPs in Afghanistan, and they have asked the defense industry to come up with options for an “MRAP light.” Some of the fixes might include better off-road mobility, a more robust suspension and a lower center of gravity. Several MRAP manufacturers are getting set to unveil their versions of a lighter-weight MRAP.

Which begs the question: What will happen to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle? The JLTV is supposed to be the Next Big Thing, a vehicle that will combine the light weight and mobility of the Humvee and the survivability of the MRAP. But with the Pentagon spending gazillions on MRAP, there’s always been a question of whether the services can afford JLTV.

Bloomberg is reporting one possible outcome: Pentagon officials are going out to allied nations to get them to pony up research and development funds on JLTV. Stayed tuned on this one: it’s bound to get expensive.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Afghanistan Diary: Culture Clash
By Nathan Hodge October 17, 2008 |

In late August, a contingent of Afghan National Army soldiers – with a team of British advisors in tow – arrived at the mud-brick compound occupied by Marines of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment in southern Helmand Province. The arrival of the ANA would mean relief for the Marine riflemen who had spent a long summer in this dusty, primitive outpost.

As the Afghans moved into their quarters, a few Marines looked on with astonishment. The Afghans had a somewhat more casual approach to soldiering. One ANA soldier was toting a boom box along with his newly issued M16; another had slung a teapot from the barrel of his rifle. Muzzle discipline – in a few alarming cases – seemed a bit lax. And whatever lip service their leaders may pay to the concept, cultural sensitivity was not a strong suit for the Marines.

“Did you see that? They’re f*ckin’ holding hands.”

A young lance corporal marked a pathway in the dirt with some flat rope so the Afghans would stay out of their way.

“Ski, what the f*ck is that?” asked the company executive officer.

“Sir, I had an RPG pointed at me twice today!”

A staff sergeant chimed in, laughing: “It’s f*cking racist!”

Ski: “It’s just a suggestion …”

The rope was removed. Nearby, a lanky British NCO began dressing down an ANA soldier who has parked his PKM machine gun next to the Marines’ shade tent. The NCO barked at an interpreter: “Tell him to unload it. You’re not supposed to have loaded weapons inside the base. Tell him to unload it NOW! Pull the slide back … .”

Despite the initial culture clash, the ANA and the Marines quickly settled into a routine. The ANA was supposed to take over security in the area, so the Marines spent the next two weeks going out with them on familiarization patrols and giving them some basic instruction. The idea was to create a more or less seamless transition.

Departure of the Marines from Garmsir, however, would clearly leave a void. The ANA unit that replaced the Marines had none of the logistics support or air power that the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit brought to Helmand Province. Their heaviest weapon was an SPG-9 recoilless rifle.

I spent some time with a group of ANA soldiers in their compound. With some coaxing from Dave, a British army captain who was part of the mentoring team, the Afghans aired a few complaints. Their food, they said, was inadequate. And several ANA soldiers said they were not fond of their new M16s, which required constant cleaning.

Dave said the plan to shift the ANA to more NATO-standard equipment was perhaps the wrong priority. “This equipment issue has now outstripped their training,” he said. “They are literally dumping this equipment on them and we are having to backtrack. It would be better if we could concentrate on the basics.” Another issue for the Afghans was their vehicles; they had no up-armored vehicles, only Ford Ranger pickup trucks that would be shredded if they hit a mine or a roadside bomb.

Said Sergeant Mohammad Nazir: “The US and the British have good vehicles. When they hit an IED, the American trucks will not be destroyed. When our vehicles hit an IED, they will be destroyed completely.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Afghanistan Diary: Unleash the Puppies of War!
By Nathan Hodge

During their deployment to Helmand Province, Marines of B Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment had few options for killing time between pulling guard shifts or walking patrol. They worked out on a ramshackle bench press; jumped rope in the dust; or played spades.

But the main focus of social life -- if you could call it that -- was a small pack of stray dogs (and a kitten or two) that shared the mud-brick compound.

Marines adopted the dogs after they started following them on foot patrols. According to several of the Marines, some of the mutts even took to walking point, sniffing out ahead for any signs of danger. The Marines rewarded the animals for loyalty by sharing their MREs and water. The thin, rangy dogs quickly fattened up on a diet of packaged spaghetti and meatballs or Szechuan chicken.

Everyone had their favorites. Kilo (pictured here), a, pampered, overfed puppy. Gross, who looked like a skinny lab or retriever. And there was my personal favorite, Shins. "You'll recognize him," said one Marine. "He's the ugliest dog in the world."

The good-natured Shins looked like he had been raised to be a fighting dog; his ears were brutally cropped. And sure enough, he was ugly: his fur was a mottled brown and his forelegs seemed to be bowed from rickets. Shins lolled happily in the dirt, enjoying his three squares a day.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not really much of a dog person. And this is DANGER ROOM, not Modern Dog Magazine. But the adopted animals were one of the things that made life bearable in an otherwise tedious -- and often dangerous -- place. And hell, one of the puppies even has a MySpace page.

http://www.myspace.com/operation_rescue_chunk

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Inside Afghanistan's Implosion
By Nathan Hodge

Last week, I posted a series of vignettes from my recent embed with the Marines in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, the classic ‘soda straw’ view. But it’s important to return to the bigger picture -- and to Noah’s earlier question – exactly how screwed are we in Afghanistan?

Take a look at the recent headlines. Just over the past few days, the Taliban stopped civilian buses in Kandahar province and executed over two dozen riders. In Kabul, aid worker Gayle Williams was killed in a drive-by; Humayun Shah Asifi, a former presidential candidate and relative of the late king, was abducted in the center of town.

The most unsettling news, for me at least, was the report of a suicide attack that killed two German soldiers and five children in Kunduz province, once the most quiet and secure corner of Afghanistan. What the hell happened? Four years ago, I felt comfortable enough hiring a pickup truck to drive from Kabul to Kunduz. Today, I don’t think I would chance it.

In the fall and early winter of 2004, I traveled pretty widely outside the capital, usually by road. And Kabul felt, well, reasonably safe. You could walk everywhere, and with knowledge of a little Dari, flag down a taxi or visit a chaikhana. Not today: the foreigners are hunkered down inside their guesthouses.

Outside Kabul, the situation looks even more bleak. You hear regular reports of illegal roadblocks on the highways; attacks on police checkpoints; and constant ambushes. As the Financial Times reported this summer, supplies at some bases became dangerously low because of insurgent attacks on fuel convoys.

So, is the Taliban about to encircle Kabul? Joanna Nathan of the International Crisis Group recently published a perceptive article that suggests that, whether or not they control territory, the Taliban is winning the war of perceptions:

An insurgency is at its heart a battle of wills and staying power, not of military might. Insurgents in Afghanistan appreciate this and have created a sophisticated propaganda operation that both targets what is seen as weakening support back in foreign capitals and seeks to mold perceptions among the Afghan population.


Coalition forces have provoked a fair amount of public outrage in Afghanistan for their reliance on airstrikes. In parallel, Taliban have targeted journalists to control their message, Nathan argues:

All in all, the Taliban are successfully driving the news agenda and creating a perception of a movement far stronger and more omnipresent than it really is... And their methods to control the message go beyond those of your typical press office: Community leaders and journalists who might speak up are cowed with threats or worse.

While the Taliban use their media operation to highlight civilian casualties caused by foreign forces, they also deliberately target civilians -- as with the recent murder of three Western women aid workers and their Afghan colleague just an hour from Kabul.

As Nathan points out, many of the Taliban attacks are against “soft” (i.e., non-military) targets: aid workers, local officials, civilians who work for the coalition. These attacks have fewer consequences than attacking military patrols, and pay dividends in terms of headlines.

Still, the pessimism in Kabul was genuine. An Afghan acquaintance described to me how his family was scaling back their modest business plans. They rode out the Taliban years in Iran, but returned to start over after the collapse of the regime. "We aren’t investing in Afghanistan anymore," he said with resignation. "It’s too much uncertainty."

Ellie