Battle for Helmand

'I Carry Them With Me Everywhere I Go'

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:14:48 -0500

When Cpl. Darron Dale tucked a rosary inside his flak vest, he never imagined the close call that lay ahead. In a firefight with the Taliban in Afghanistan's Helmand province in late July, the M240B machine gunner on Dale's team was shot in the foot. "I'm hit! I'm hit!" the gunner called. Dale bounded forward to take over the gun, as other Marines pulled the wounded comrade to safety. But as Dale moved he was shot three times in his back armored plate. "It threw me to the ground," said Dale, of 3rd Platoon, Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. He felt liquid running down his back and assumed he was bleeding, but still took up the machine gun and fired back. In fact, the liquid was leaking water. The bullets had punctured holes in his camel back canteen and the cloth covering of his body armor.

Marine Finds Solace in Combat Baptism

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:46:10 -0500

MIANPOSHTEH, Afghanistan -- The bravado of Marines fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province is punctuated by quiet moments of questioning and introspection. A few Marines ask why they survived when their best friends did not. Others question how they will deal with the stress of combat. Many wonder what people back home know about their actions here. Spirituality is a source of solace. Lance Cpl. Zachary Ludwig, 20, of Marco Island, Florida, wanted to be baptized before he and thousands of other Marines pushed deep into Taliban-held territory beginning early this month. But it was not until this week that Chaplain Navy Lt.. Terry A. Roberts arrived at Ludwig's tiny outpost in the southern village of Mianposhteh to perform the ceremony.

For Marines, War is No Excuse for Looking Shaggy

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:34:14 -0500

Even in a war zone, certain customs must be upheld. So when Fox Company of 2nd Battlion, 8th Marine Regiment returned from a several-day mission, the non-commissioned officers were already berating young lance corporals for their shaggy looking hair. The next morning, Fox Company's 3rd Platoon was abuzz -- literally -- with the sound of electric razors. Marines, some quite expert, and others obviously novices, volunteered to execute regulation Marine Corps haircuts by the dozen. From black plastic boxes, the barbers pulled out razors, scissors, and green smocks to drape around their customers. Style-wise, the choices came down to "low", "medium", or "high and tight" -- meaning the level on the head of the distinctive line of the Marine Corps haircut. ("Low" being within regulation, but somewhat frowned upon.)

U.S. Deaths Reach A Record High In Afghanistan

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:45:00 -0500

By Ann Scott Tyson and Greg Jaffe Washington Post Staff Writers GARMSIR, Afghanistan, July 21 -- U.S. deaths in Afghanistan have surged to a record high this month and are likely to remain elevated as American and NATO forces settle into outposts in southern Afghan villages and cities where Taliban forces have traditionally been the strongest. The rising death toll comes as the country prepares for a presidential election next month, and could erode U.S. public support for a war that is already among the longest in U.S. history. "This is probably the new normal," said Seth G. Jones, an analyst for the Rand Corp. and author of a new book on the U.S. military's nearly eight-year-old war in Afghanistan. "I'd actually be shocked if casualties didn't continue to increase." continue reading this story »

Dutch Commander Says More Troops Needed in South

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:08:26 -0500

The top commander for 30,000 U.S. and international troops in southern Afghanistan said today that he still needs more coalition forces to provide security in the south, but that his priority is to gain more Afghan security forces. Royal Netherlands Army Maj. Gen. Mart de Kruif said that the next phase of the counterinsurgency campaign here will focus on extending security throughout Taliban areas of central Helmand province as well as the city of Kandahar. Those missions are labor intensive and require more "boots on the ground," he said in an interview. De Kruif said plans were underway to keep the Afghan forces that are currently in the south and bring in reinforcements of both Army and police in "a couple of months." He said he could not provide more details.

Marines' Mission: Destroying Poppy

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:13:50 -0500

Marines who raided a bazaar in a Taliban stronghold in southern Helmand last weekend were left with an unusual problem: What to do with the 4,000 bags of opium poppy and explosives material uncovered during the raid? First, they tried to burn it, but that failed. Next, they considered bombing it, but the Air Force declined. So the Marines hauled the sacks out to the desert and waged an all-out campaign destroy them with their own weaponry. They blasted the pile with fourteen shoulder-fired missiles, lobbed several mortars at it, and finally blew it up with C-4 explosives. It took a full day, and surely mystified Afghan herdsmen encamped in the area, where there has been no significant presence of Afghan or coalition forces. Perhaps it counts as target practice.

Ordnance Expert on Taliban IEDs

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:44:49 -0500

U.S. Marines in Helmand province and coalition forces in many parts of Afghanistan face a growing threat from improvised explosive devices laid by Taliban fighters. An ordnance expert explains why the bombs are so lethal.

Taliban Fighters Resist Marines' Advance

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:40:44 -0500

By Ann Scott Tyson Washington Post Staff Writer GARMSIR, Afghanistan, July 19 -- Marines pushing deep into a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province battled insurgents in a day of firefights around a key bazaar Sunday, as an operation designed as a U.S. show of force confronted resistance from Taliban fighters as well as constraints on supplies and manpower. Insurgents at times showed unexpected boldness as they used machine guns, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades to fight the advancing Marine forces. Although the Marines overpowered the Taliban with more sophisticated weapons, including attack helicopters, the clashes also indicated that the drive by about 4,500 Marines to dislodge the Taliban from its heartland in Helmand is running up against logistical hurdles. The firefights erupted a day after the Marines raided Lakari Bazaar in Garmsir district, a market that the Taliban has long used to store and make weapons and drugs, as

Marines Raid Bazaar

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:42:25 -0500

U.S. Marines raided a bazaar in a major Taliban stronghold in Helmand province, Afghanistan, this weekend, turning up thousands of bags of opium poppy and explosive materials. On Sunday the Marines came under repeated attack from Taliban fighters firing machine guns, mortars, and grenades.

U.S. Commander Sees Progress, Challenges

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:55:05 -0500

The commanding general of the U.S. Marine advance into Helmand Province said today he expects the operation to shift to a new phase following a few more days of “very tough work” in rooting out Taliban fighters. Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, said the Marine units would soon shift their focus from flushing out the Taliban from villages along the Helmand River valley and turn to the work of improving the lives of local people. “We’re just trying to clean up a couple areas that we think the Taliban have been pushed into,” said Nicholson during a visit to Garmsir District in southern Helmand. “We have about three or four more days of very tough work, then I think we will move into what we will consider framework operations,” he said, referring to counterinsurgency missions aimed at increasing security, governance, and economic well

Injured Afghans Cautiously Trust Marine Doctors

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:12:24 -0500

The young Afghan boy cried silently, his hand bound loosely in bandages. Underneath the wrappings, four of his fingers were severed at the knuckles by a mine he picked up in a field on Wednesday as he gathered grass for his cow. “Are you doing ok?” asked Navy hospital corpsman 2nd class Russell Vinson through an interpreter. Vinson applied a dressing to shrapnel wounds that speckled the boy’s legs. Ibrahim, 15, nodded, wiping away his tears. Afghan civilians with trauma injuries are turning up at least once a week at the U.S. Marine base in Garmsir District seeking care for wounds suffered in criminal attacks, local disputes and past and present wars. The visits reflect both the violence of this volatile town perched on the Helmand River and a cautious trust Afghan civilians place in Marines encamped nearby.

Audio: Tyson Reports From Helmand Province

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:50:09 -0500

Ann Scott Tyson talks to Multimedia Editor Francine Uenuma about her experiences in the volatile Helmand River valley.

Marine Martial Arts, Desert-Style

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:37:57 -0500

Over several years of covering the U.S. military, I have sometimes encountered a particular breed of exercise enthusiast I have come to call “the scorchers.” These individuals can be spotted performing strenuous workouts at the most sweltering times of day at military bases in garden spots from Baghdad and Kandahar to Djibouti. Some jog swiftly around remote perimeters of the base, others do calisthenics in the dust and sand. This week at Camp Leatherneck, a stretch of barbed wire, tents, concrete walls and sand-filled barriers carved out of the Desert of Death in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand Province, I came across a new variant.

Marines Waiting on Basic Supplies

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:30:15 -0500

U.S. Marines pushing deeper into Taliban territory in Afghanistan’s Helmand River Valley are short of basic equipment and supplies ranging from radios and vehicles to uniforms. Here in Garmsir District, critical supplies of food, water and ammunition are being dropped to troops by helicopters ferrying sling-loads to bypass roads implanted with bombs, leaving little room to carry other gear. Several Marines from one company, for example, ripped their pants during an arduous foot march and are still waiting for replacements — some in boxer shorts, officers said. “We’re short vehicles, we’re short frog-suits [uniforms] ... radios are trickling in,” said Gunnery Sgt. Robert Larosa of 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. Larosa said that the lack of basic gear is unprecedented in his experience, which includes seven other deployments. “This is a first,” he said.

Taliban Insurgents Reemerge

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0500

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan -- Taliban fighters who evaded a major Marine Corps thrust into insurgent-held towns along the Helmand River valley this month are now probing Marine positions and using roadside bombs to impede U.S. troop movements, according to senior Marine officers. Several hundred Taliban had been occupying the populated agricultural lands, known as the “green zone,” where the Marines are now setting up positions. Many of the Taliban fighters laid low during the offensive, the officers said. In recent days, however, insurgents throughout the area have reemerged to mount fresh attacks, said Col. George S. Amland, deputy commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, which has some 4,000 troops operating in central and southern Helmand. The Taliban, Amland said, is looking “for weak points or points that he thinks he can exploit and come back and reclaim the territory that he has left.” While usually unwilling to attack