On Thursday 31 October,about 15 US Marines from First Battalion,9th Marine Regiment conducted an interdiction operation in Helmand Province,Afghanistan and sent back photos to document some of the mission.They departed Camp Bastion in a CH53E Super Stallion helicopter.Before they left on the daylight mission,however,they and their military working dog practiced entering and exiting the chopper,supervised by a corporal.
British and Afghan forces have jointly conducted a similar interdiction operation-also with a military working dog-and recorded it in a YouTube video.
Even while on the ground before they left,the Marines were guarded by an aerial observer with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 82,who manned a .50 caliber machine gun in the open tail of the chopper.Security is a passion in Afghanistan.A tail gunner was posted during the flight as well.
These helicopters typically churn up a lot of dust when they land on the barren Afghan terrain.There's an element of chaos in the situation.
An interdiction operation is intended to delay,disrupt or destroy any enemy forces or supplies en route to a battleground.
At 10pm on 14 September,2012,Camp Bastion was infiltrated by 15 Taliban militants who slipped through a hole in a perimeter fence,killing two Marines and wounding nine others.Six irreplacable AV-8B Harrier jump jets were also blown up.These critical aircraft are no longer in production,so lasting damage was done to the Marine Corps by the incursion.
Security sweeps through the area are more crucial than ever in light of the devastating nighttime militant raid.
Two Marine Corps generals were recently forced to retire because of their failure to properly secure the base.
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