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| Afghanistan |
| Morale dips for American Marines in Afghanistan |
| 2009-10-25 |
| In a remote part of Helmand troops are dismayed by the ambivalence of locals and a sense that the Taliban can outlast them. A mile from South Station, an outpost of US marines in Helmand province, the tribal chief was openly hostile. “The Americans threaten our economy and take our land for bases. They promise much and deliver nothing,” he said. “People here regard the American troops as occupiers,” said Haji Khan, a leader of the Baluch tribe, who rules like a medieval baron. “Young people are turning against them and in time will fight them.” Inside South Station, soldiers are proud of the progress they have made. Until they arrived, this remote part of Helmand had not had a government presence for years. But many are pessimistic about where the conflict is heading. “I’m not much for this war. I’m not sure it’s worth all those lives lost,” said Sergeant Christian Richardson as we walked across corn fields that will soon be ploughed up to plant a spring crop of opium poppy. A New Yorker who joined the marines after 9/11 and served two tours in Iraq, Richardson, 24, said his men had achieved much. “You can see we are making progress, slowly. But when we leave, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda will surely return.” With enough effort, resources and time, the marines are confident the population can be won over. But, with the platoon’s influence limited to a small area around their base, many soldiers wonder if the Taliban and Al-Qaeda may simply outlast them, or if the US and Afghan governments have the resolve to send enough troops to win. Third Platoon, Charlie Company of the 2nd Light Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion, came last July to Khan Neshin, as far south as Nato soldiers have reached in Afghanistan. It was part of a summer offensive by more than 4,500 troops of the Marine Expeditionary Brigade, which has joined British and other forces trying to turn the war in Helmand. Although they have read the manuals on counterinsurgency and heard generals speak about how to defeat the Taliban, the reality has been bloody, painful and frustrating. The platoon knows there are at least 20 booby-trapped bombs on the high ground around the base. More than half the men have already been caught in blasts. One marine explosive expert was killed; others suffered broken legs and amputated feet. Three have survived two explosions and come back to fight again. General Stanley McChrystal, the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, says the mission is to protect the population and isolate them from the Taliban, but the marines are finding it no easier to defeat the Taliban than it has been for the British, who have fought in the province for three years. Villagers are rarely willing to express a simple opinion, let alone inform soldiers where the enemy is hiding. One marine described the way the Taliban blended with the population as “unbelievably frustrating”. In terrain crisscrossed by canals with weak and narrow bridges, the platoon has to approach villages on foot. Even when they have surrounded the Taliban, the marines have found the enemy has an uncanny ability to slip away in the ditches. All this adds to the strain of facing improvised explosive devices, which are the main threat. “We are all brothers here,” said Lance-Corporal Corey Hopkins, 22, from Georgia. “And it hurts to see your brother hurt or put him in a bag for the last time. It pisses you off. It makes you mad. You know people out here know what’s going on, but they won’t tell you.” Corporal Gregory Williams, 22, from North Carolina, said: “It’s going to take a lot of proving out here to make them talk to us. It’s working so slowly.” The marines are trying to implement a strategy dictated from Washington that bids them separate the population from the insurgents. But attempting that means a battle not only against the Taliban but against a feudal system that places real power in the hands of landowners such as Haji Khan. When we talked to the grey-bearded men in the village, in the shade of one-room mosques, most appeared friendly. Asked if they wanted a school or more doctors, all said such questions were a matter for those who own the fields. The marines hope to open a school and provide medical facilities. They are also offering to pay Khan and others to provide jobs to improve the canal system. At a shura, or village meeting, at South Station last Friday, Khan showed up with 40 elders and heard Captain Chris Conner, commander of Charlie Company, promise development. “From the bottom of my heart, I want to say that we are here to help you,” he said. The villagers welcomed the canal scheme and the idea of making use of a doctor at the base. But Khan and another landowner rejected the idea of a school. “Security is still too bad. We’ve seen how they are burnt down [by the Taliban] elsewhere.” Some marines were unconvinced about paying money for the canal to a tribal leader and drug baron who gave them almost no help and would probably keep the cash. Later, a marine intelligence officer said the drug economy and the feudal system made the strategy of winning hearts and minds extremely complex. As drug producers, men such as Khan had a “working relationship with the Taliban”. Nobody knew of the announcement last week in Kabul of a new round of national elections. Nobody voted in the first round. “We never even heard of elections. If we had, I suppose we might have voted,” said one villager. |
| Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |
| #11 no commander's intent, final result desired or end state - Obama is epic failure as a wartime pres. Sat on McChrystal's report for 7 weeks. What a loser. Typical politics above patriotism. I hope the 52% of douchebags that voted for this sack of shit are happy. Oh, but he gives a good speech and says pretty things...we are Rome 400 AD. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2009-10-25 21:31 |
| #10 We are all Rhodesians now. |
| Posted by: rhodesiafever 2009-10-25 21:15 |
| #9 You will have no military in few years time. Yup that's Obama's plan. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-10-25 19:00 |
| #8 I think the equation is even simpler than 'moose's list. How can troops have good morale if their mission objective isn't victory and they aren't given the means to be victorious even if it was? |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2009-10-25 17:13 |
| #7 you have to be smarter than the equipment I would not guarantee you that Obama's advisors are smarter than a sack of hair. |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2009-10-25 13:18 |
| #6 'Moose got it right. Sending an internet via USPS, don't abuse it. |
| Posted by: .5MT 2009-10-25 12:47 |
| #5 It's a simple equation. Military personnel only function well when the following questions are answered: 1) What are we doing here? (strategic) 2) Who are the friendly and enemy forces (including "known unknowns")? 3) What is the plan of execution and its timetable? (tactical) 4) Do we have the means to execute the plan? (logistics, fire support and ROE) 5) What are the metrics for success and failure? 6) Who is in charge and how do they lead? (command and communications) 7) What are the rules of replacement, rotation and retirement? (during and the end of mission) |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2009-10-25 12:02 |
| #4 Note to Obama: like we say in the military: you have to be smarter than the equipment (or in this case personnel) you're using. Or they (it) doesn't work. Many I served with bitterly headed for the exits, fed up with feeling ineffective. |
| Posted by: GirlThursday 2009-10-25 10:51 |
| #3 Baluchi clan chief, hah? War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. I had no idea that there was a Baluchi minority in Helmand until today. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2009-10-25 10:40 |
| #2 You will have no military in few years time. They will all get out and fight for America at home where the real enemies have taken over. |
| Posted by: newc 2009-10-25 07:31 |
| #1 Here in Bangkok, I was talking to a very impressive Marine NCO last week - he was here on R&R, before heading back to Afghanistan. He was a picture-book Marine - tall, muscular, rugged-looking. He told me that he has been in for 14 years - and he surprised me by stating that he is looking forward to getting out as soon as his present enlistment is up. He told me that he and his mates were all fed up with fighting a pointless war, for clueless political leaders. I know that re-enlistments have been booming in recent years. If this NCO's comments were at all representative of the current state of mind of the troops, then the military may be about to see a sudden reversal of those trends - and a mass stampede for the exits. |
| Posted by: Lone Ranger 2009-10-25 06:09 |