Sangin

Marine offensive in Afghanistan’s Kajaki region pushing out Taliban

By Dan Lamothe on October 21, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Kajaki, Sangin

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.…

Marine offensive near Afghanistan’s Kajaki Dam comes into focus

By Dan Lamothe on October 18, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Kajaki, Sangin

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…

General: Taliban commander in Sangin to assist Marines

By Dan Lamothe on October 7, 2011 Afghanistan, General officers, Infantry, Kajaki, Leadership, Sangin

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…

1/5 and 3/2 Marines replaced in Afghanistan by 3/7 and 2/4

By Dan Lamothe on October 5, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Sangin

Marine units in two of the more volatile districts in Afghanistan’s Helmand province have been replaced in the last few weeks, Marine spokesmen confirmed to Marine Corps Times today. First Battalion, 5th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., and 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., will return to the U.S. following deployments in Sangin and Musa Qala, respectively. Third Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., is now patrolling the Sangin area, while 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, out of Pendleton, mans Musa Qala. Marines with 3/5 and 3/2 both fought the insurgency in northern Helmand, the…

Corpsman embraces dark humor on patrol with Marines in Sangin

By Gina Cavallaro on September 15, 2011 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Sangin

There are 65 corpsmen assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, in Sangin, Afghanistan, the majority of whom are on their first deployments, and it’s the nature of the beast that many will have seen their first casualties on the battlefield on this rotation. The corpsmen in this picture, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Alberto Cisneros and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Richard Erfurth, are two of the more experienced corpsmen at the 1/5 Battalion Aid Station. They are treating Afghan soldiers wounded Sept. 8 in a bombing near FOB Jackson, the 1/5 headquarters in Sangin. I met them when I was…

3/7 and 2/4 Marines prepare for Afghanistan deployment

By Dan Lamothe on August 11, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Sangin

Last summer, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, shifted gears partway through its deployment to Afghanistan. After months in relatively quiet northeastern Nimroz province, the unit moved to Sangin, one of the country’s most violent districts. The differences were immediately apparent to Marines on the ground, as you can see in this video highlighting their deployment. They faced regular firefights as they pushed into Sangin’s Northern Green Zone, and terrain riddled with improvised explosive devices. Several Marines were killed in the first few weeks there, with Lima Company facing a sniper who drew blood numerous times. The unit, out of Twentynine Palms,…

3/4 Marines will be replaced in Afghanistan by British forces

By Dan Lamothe on August 4, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Sangin

It’s back to the future in northern Helmand province, Afghanistan. Nearly a year after Marine forces pushed into new, violent areas in and around Sangin district, Maj. Gen. John Toolan will deploy British forces later this year to Nahr-e-Saraj district and the upper Gereshk Valley, according to this report in the San Diego Union-Tribune. The British will take over for the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., which will be among the first U.S. units not replaced in Afghanistan as part of a gradual military drawdown there. The Brits, of course, had operational control of Sangin before…

1/6 Marines return to Marjah, take over for 2/8

By Dan Lamothe on August 4, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Marjah, Sangin

An infantry battalion with a major role in the 2010 assault on Marjah, Afghanistan, has returned to the war-torn district. First Battalion, 6th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., is taking over this month for 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, also out of Lejeune. It isn’t new ground for 1/6, which patroled central Marjah from the February assault through June last year, when the district was regularly marred by violence. Marines with 1/6 will be joined for the next few months in Marjah by 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines. It’s an arrangement with many similarities to spring 2010, when 3/6 patrolled the…

Behind the Cover: Big changes for Marine NCOs

By Dan Lamothe on July 19, 2011 Behind the Cover, Infantry, Leadership, Manpower, Sangin

This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story gets to the heart of the newspaper’s audience: It focuses on changes coming for non-commissioned officers, and the junior enlisted Marines they lead. The lengthy story outlines plans that are underway this summer to reconsider the NCO’s role in the Corps. Of course, they’ll still serve as the backbone of the service, but top leadership has moved to sharpen it. That could mean big changes for infantry NCOs, in particular, but changes to training and education could stretch well beyond that. Th new edition also includes an account from Sangin, Afghanistan, where senior…

Fallen Marine Lance Cpl. John Farias shares message with friends and family

By Dan Lamothe on July 12, 2011 Afghanistan, Infantry, Sangin

The Marine Corps released a combat correspondent story today with an immediate emotional punch: One of the Marines quoted in it died in combat two days after being interviewed. Lance Cpl. John Farias, of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, told combat correspondent Cpl. Benjamin Crilly on June 26 that 1/5’s new outpost in the Upper Sangin Valley, Patrol Base Faheem, was allowing them to push to the north more frequently, even as they took fire from insurgents regularly. He was buried last week in Texas. From the story: “We were too far south,” said Lance Cpl. John F. Farias, 20, an…

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