Ten years after the war in Afghanistan began, thousands of Marines pushed northeast from Sangin district up Route 611 in Helmand province in 2011 during Operation Eastern Storm. They tangled with the Taliban in a variety of areas of volatile Kajaki district that had rarely been touched by coalition forces, and engaged in a number of ugly fights along the way. That operation marked one of the last major offensives for the Marines in Afghanistan. As we reported while embedded last spring here, here and here, Marine officers transition within months of that operation to turning Kajaki over to Afghan…
Browsing: Kajaki Dam
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Good morning, friends. Photographer James Lee and I made it back early this morning to this forward operating base, the main hub of Marine operations in southern Afghanistan. That means we’re finished with patrols on this trip. I’d like to thank the personnel with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.; and 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. They hosted us along the way in Kajaki and Sangin districts, respectively, sharing their worlds in some of the most dangerous areas Marines patrol. For those who have been following along on this…
OBSERVATION POST SHRINE, Afghanistan – Somewhere on the edge of Taliban country, we’ll be spending the night amidst the sound of coyotes, crickets and Afghan music. Photographer James Lee and I reached this small outpost in Kajaki district today, and will be staying with members of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. An element from 1/8’s 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, calls “The Shrine” home. They are tasked with partnering with soldiers from the Afghan National Army to keep insurgent fighters in the countryside from coming closer to the landmark Kajaki Dam and civilians in the nearby area.…
Odds are, they never knew what hit them. That’s the likely scenario for insurgents who dug in against Marines in northern Helmand province, Afghanistan, during Operation Eastern Storm. The Marine-led offensive is pushing northern from volatile Sangin district into Kajaki, one of the last areas in Helmand where the Taliban is entrenched. The operation began Oct. 14, said Maj. Bradley Gordon, a Marine spokesman in Afghanistan. First Battalion, 6th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., comprises the main effort, with support from combat engineers; Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines; Third Reconnaissance Battalion; and First Battalion, 12th Marines. The operation…
The Marine Corps released more information about an ongoing offensive in northern Helmand province today, identifying it as Operation Tofan Sharq, or Eastern Storm. The offensive began with Marines pushing north from volatile Sangin district for five days along Route 611, the main highway in northern Helmand province, Marine officials said in a news release. “We are assisting the Afghan National Army’s 215th Corps to secure the main road between Sangin and Kajaki,” said Brig. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, commanding general of Marine ground forces in Afghanistan. “Senior Taliban commanders have been killed or forced into the northern portion of Helmand.…
The Marine Corps’ next significant push in Afghanistan is well underway, and starting to get attention in the mainstream media. Marine forces are pushing into the hills of northeastern Helmand province as part of an assault on the area surrounding the Kajaki Dam, a significant hydroelectric facility that provides power in the region. More than 2,000 coalition forces are involved, USA Today reports, making it substantially smaller than the 2010 assault on Marjah, but still a significant operation. From USA Today: The Kajaki Dam offensive “closes the lid on central Helmand,” [Maj. Gen. John] Toolan said. “It will be one…
Maj. Gen. John Toolan spoke from Afghanistan with reporters at the Pentagon yesterday, sharing some positive news from the volatile Sangin district. I wasn’t able to attend the briefing due to another interview at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., but the transcript shows that Toolan gave the brief after sitting down with a Taliban commander earlier in the day. The commander agreed to reintegrate 30 of his fighters within a few days, and up to 300 by the end of October, Toolan said. “Now he did this because he understands that at this stage in Helmand province, he sees the writing…
Much of the recent media attention in Afghanistan’s Helmand province has focused on the announced turnover of units in and around volatile Sangin district. That’s certainly newsworthy, but there are certainly other units in northern Helmand still in the fight. One that deserves to be spotlighted is 1st Battalion, 10th Marines, an artillery unit out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. The Marine Corps has released several reports from the unit in the last few days, focusing on their operations in Kajaki district. Noteworthy for its hydroelectric dam that provides power in southern Afghanistan, it received attention on this blog in October…
