Marine air in Afghanistan has continued to see high operational tempo this year even during the normally peaceful winter months, said the Marine in charge of all air assets in NATO’s Regional Command Southwest. Taliban fighters usually take the winter off by shelving their arms until Spring or seeking refuge in Pakistan. But Marines have taken the fight to them this winter, forcing their way up through northern Helmand province to Kajaki during months that in years past have been relatively quite, said Maj. Gen. Glenn M. Walters, commanding general of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), in a U.S. Central…
Browsing: Kajaki
Swift, Silent, Deadly, the Marines of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion are back in Afghanistan. The unit, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., has taken over for 3rd Recon, out of Okinawa, Japan, in the Upper Sangin Valley. They’ll patrol land that remains some of the most treacherous in Helmand province. Insurgents in the area should remember 1st Recon well. The unit deployed to Helmand in summer 2010, initially taking on the Taliban on the fringes of Marjah district when it was still a violent and unforgiving place. They shifted their operations that fall to the Sangin area, and hammered away on the…
There’s no sugar-coating this one: the Marine Corps just shared video footage of an ugly day in Kajaki, the district in northern Helmand province that has been the site of some of the Corps’ most violent fighting recently. The following five-minute video was posted to YouTube, showing Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., taking fire at Patro Base Georgetown. They’re shown engaging insurgent fighters armed with AK47s, sniper rifles and 30mm indirect fire. At least one Marine is hurt by an artillery shell exploding. [HTML1] The base is on the far edge of the Corps’…
Commandant Gen. Jim Amos’ trip to Afghanistan through the Thanksgiving holiday has brought a little reported Marine Corps mission to the forefront: village stability operations. Associated Press reporter Bob Burns was along for the trip, and outlined in some detail what operators with Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command are doing in Puzeh, a dusty village in Helmand province about 10 miles south of the Kajaki Dam. In September, I discussed the MARSOC village stability operations mission with Maj. Gen. John Toolan, the top U.S. commander in southwestern Afghanistan. Instead of being involved in raids or other high-profile spec-ops missions,…
Marines in at least two more units downrange this summer may be home in time for turkey. Second Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., has been replaced in Afghanistan by 1st LAR, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., Marine officials in Afghanistan said. They’ll likely continue the mission LAR units have manned for years, patrolling the deserts of southern and central Helmand province to prevent insurgent movement and activity. Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines, out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, also is heading home, officials said. The artillery unit will be replaced by Pendleton’s Echo Battery, 2nd…
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…
So, how’s your day going? Struggling with an infestation of gremlins in your life? Echo Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marines, is. The artillery unit has been based at Forward Operating Base Zeebrugge in Afghanistan since May, providing protection to the Kajaki Dam, a major hydroelectric facility in northern Helmand province. One of Zeebrugge’s more unpleasant quirks is its pests, which include oriental hornets and subterranean termites, according to a new Marine Corps news release. Insect problems are nothing new on deployment, but this one was apparently serious enough to merit attention from sailors serving in preventative medicine with II Marine…
Quietly, the Marines of Alpha Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, have joined the fight in Helmand province, Marine officials said. The unit replaced Delta Company, 1st Tanks, which became the first U.S. forces to operate tanks in the Afghanistan war earlier this year. Delta Company returned home to Twentynine Palms, Calif., late last month, but the mission rolls on. To date, not much has been shared publicly about 2nd Tanks’ mission. It is clear that they’re in northern Helmand province and attached to Regimental Combat Team 8, which oversees operations in Sangin, Musa Qala, Kajaki, Now Zad and other districts. In…
