Operation Moshtarak:Marines See Little Change

Firefights with militants are still a regular occurrence in Operation Moshtarak,the coalition effort to secure the Afghan town of Marjah which began in February.And roadside bombs continue to be a lethal threat.For the young leathernecks,life is still a primitive grind in this agricultural zone of mud huts and irrigated fields.
More than 20 U.S. Marines have died in the operation.It has displaced the militants;now the area must be held until the Afghan security forces can do it themselves.
The militants never give up.A hardened cadre,they are as pesky as the fleas which bite the Marines-but much more dangerous.Afghanistan is steeped in a drug-financed guerrilla culture,and the Marines must confront that fact daily.
So far this month,there have been 20 U.S. deaths in Helmand Province,where Marjah is located.There have been a total of 55 coalition deaths in the Afghan War this October.
Helmand Province is known for the poppy fields which support the drug trade that bankrolls the Taliban militants;42% of the world's opium comes from those fields.The province borders the militant heartland of Kandahar Province.

Afghan War Update:Marjah Still A Battleground

Although Operation Moshtarak,the move to take back the Marjah region of Afghanistan from Taliban militants,began back in February,the area remains unsettled.This was emphasized on Sunday,when militants launched a three-pronged ambush on U.S. Marines and Afghan forces in Marjah.A vigorous firefight ensued.
At one point,Cobra helicopter gunships were called in for air support.The Cobras pursued militants all the way across the border into Pakistan.The militants fought back with roadside bombs and more ambushes,but were eventually forced to retreat.No U.S. casualties were reported.
In February,Operation Moshtarak was launched by 15,000U.S.,British,Canadian,Danish,Estonian and Afghan troops.Marjah had long been a militant stronghold,a linchpin in the opium trade that funds the enemy.The militants had gone so far as to set up a shadow government there.Retaking Marjah was a formidable challenge;holding it is no less so.As U.S. special representative Richard Holbrooke observed,as a general rule in Afghanistan,things go slower than are expected.

Advisor Sees Afghan Progress

Erin M. Simpson,a member of an international counterinsurgency advisory and assistance team who teaches at the Marine Corps University in Quantico,Virginia,says it is too early to tell if President Obama's surge policy has worked in Afghanistan.Less than half the troops have arrived,she points out.Most of those who have are U.S. Marines in Helmand Province.After tough combat in Marjah,there are initial,fragile signs of progress.Marjah has shifted from being totally under Taliban control to an ever-increasing Afghan government presence.There are now 20 Afghan government officials working in Marjah on getting basic services to the people.
The Marines have also moved into the hold and build phase in other Helmand towns,such as Nawa and Garmsir.Many government and tribal leaders have returned to these places as the Marines pacify them.There is a change in momentum now in Helmand,and the challenge is to keep it going.The Afghan government must help farmers plant winter wheat instead of opium,which is used as a funding source by the Taliban militants.
The Taliban can't win militarily,Mr.Simpson maintains.It can only win by displacing the Kabul government.This early stage of the surge is about governance.That must be the focus,in Mr.Simpson's view.
Three U.S. Marines died in Helmand Province from Friday through Monday,10 May.The investigation into the casualties is still underway.

Marjah A Continuing Struggle

Although Marjah in Southern Afghanistan was successfully cleared of militants by U.S. Marines two months ago,political progress has been slow to non-existent.The Afghan government isn't winning the people over with sufficient aid.In consequence,the people haven't bonded with the Marines on patrol,who are seen as backing the government.Tips have not been forthcoming to the Marines.In general,NATO officials have expressed some disappointment with the atmospherics in the area of 80,000 inhabitants.
With the much larger Kandahar operation slated to commence in June,the Marjah situation is causing worries that President Barack Obama's goal of a quick end to the American presence in Afghanistan will not be met,to the consternation of a war-weary American public and U.S. Congress.Kandahar has about a million residents.U.S. special forces and their Afghan allies are already preparing the way for the June offensive,which has been widely telegraphed.Over 70 militants have been rounded up,and lawless areas in the outskirts are being secured.Some 11,200 NATO troops are expected to partner with Afghan forces in the battle for the Taliban militant heartland.
NATO Commander General Stanley McChrystal,U.S. Army,has been pulling forces out of remote areas of little importance to concentrate on the more populous centers,such as Marjah and Kandahar,that hold the key to Afghanistan's future.

Marines Pacify Marjah

U.S. Marines have successfully retaken the town of Marjah in southern Afghanistan,preceding the more important Kandahar mission.Now a Marine civil affairs unit is front and center in Marjah,as the holding phase of Operation Moshtarak moves along.They are busy disbursing money to the civilians for any number of needs,asking few questions as to whether compensation is warranted.In general,the Marines are being most accommodating,abandoning or adapting bases at the villagers' request for walking or driving space.
Meanwhile,the Kandahar operation is actually already underway,according to NATO Commander General Stanley McChrystal,U.S. Army.He said the campaign will steadily build in coming months.Right now,the focus is on securing key roads and outlying districts of Kandahar.The operation will last for a significant time period.Unmanned aircraft and other assets have been deployed to search for Improvised Explosive Devices.NATO forces have made some progress in securing the roads.There will be a lot pf political activities as well,shaping relationships in and around the city.
There is concern that the Kandahar leaders are corrupt,unlike the provincial governor in Marjah.Kandahar is the heartland of the Taliban militants in Afghanistan.

Navy Memorial Honors EOD

The U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington,D.C. will be honoring the Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal(EOD).EOD counters Weapons of Mass Destruction,Improvised Explosive Devices and other Unexploded Ordnance.They are currently playing a pivotal role in the Afghan War,just as they did in Iraq.An all-weather,all-terrain force,the EOD operates worldwide,and can parachute or dive to any location where they are needed.They are the tip of the combat operations spear.
Beginning in March,an exhibit at the Memorial will highlight the EOD's history,current operations,mission and training.Both a diving suit and high-tech bomb disposal suit will be on display,as well as numerous photographs.The exhibit will run for one year at the Memorial,which is located on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Operation Moshtarak,in which bomb disposal has been so prominent,is taking longer than had been hoped,U.S. officials admit.Islamic militants have broken into squad-size units and attacked U.S. Marines from bunkers and even roofs amid the houses of Marjah,using the town's residents as human shields.It could go on for at least another month,even though significant advances have been made.Concern for collateral damage has slowed the NATO campaign considerably.