Monday, December 7, 2009

Marines launch their first post-surge operation


Operation Cobra's Rage aims to take back the city of Nawzad from the Taliban

By Kim Sengupta
Picture by Sgt Rob Knight, RLC, British Army

The attack came just 12 minutes after leaving the base – short, staccato bursts of Kalashnikov fire hitting the open-top, seven-ton truck. A shot went through the driver's windscreen, others flew over our heads, forcing us to huddle down as more bullets smacked against the side. The Taliban were hitting back as military convoys rolled towards one of their main strongholds in Helmand.

This was the first big offensive since the announcement that 30,000 more US troops were to be dispatched to what is now very much Barack Obama's war. The mission had been postponed while intense political debate on the reinforcements took place in Washington. What happens here, and in other operations which will unfold in the coming months, will determine whether the surge, the strategy which curbed the ferocious violence in Iraq, has a chance of success in Afghanistan.

The Independent accompanied a force of around 1,500 – two-thirds US marines, the rest British, Danish and Afghan – as it launched Operation Khareh Cobra, "Cobra's Rage" in Pashto. Their target was Nawzad, once the second largest town in the province, which passed into Taliban hands two years ago. Since then, the town had become an important arms and opium storing centre for the insurgency, as well as a "blooding ground" where young jihadists cut their teeth. One strip of land, known as "Pakistani Alley", has been a transit point for foreign fighters, mainly, as the name suggests, Pakistanis, to other parts of Helmand.

The doctrine presented by General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander of Nato forces in the country, calls for places like Nawzad to be recaptured and protected. British forces had been involved in fierce combat with the Taliban here. But there were never enough troops to hold the ground. The massive American influx into southern Afghanistan, with 9,000 more marines due to join 11,000 already here, is designed to change that.

The sheer size of the operation for Nawzad made it impossible to disguise the build up of forces. Interception of Taliban radio traffic showed commanders speculating about whether the attack would be towards the south or the east; in the end, it came from all sides, with an air assault preceding an armoured thrust. British troops formed a screen to prevent militant fighters escaping towards Musa Qala.

Camp Cafaretto, the US forward operating base, has a number of British connections. One of those who planned the operation, Captain Andrew Terrell, had spent two years on attachment with the Royal Marines in England. There is also a resident Brit, a lieutenant, John (who did not want his surname published) from south London, who was an archaeologist before joining the marine corps. "I had an American girlfriend who was in the Navy, and then 9/11 happened and I decided to join. I don't have any problems being here. The people want security. That is what we are trying to provide," he said.

The doctrine presented by General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander of Nato forces in the country, calls for places like Nawzad to be recaptured and protected. British forces had been involved in fierce combat with the Taliban here. But there were never enough troops to hold the ground. The massive American influx into southern Afghanistan, with 9,000 more marines due to join 11,000 already here, is designed to change that.

The sheer size of the operation for Nawzad made it impossible to disguise the build up of forces. Interception of Taliban radio traffic showed commanders speculating about whether the attack would be towards the south or the east; in the end, it came from all sides, with an air assault preceding an armoured thrust. British troops formed a screen to prevent militant fighters escaping towards Musa Qala.

Camp Cafaretto, the US forward operating base, has a number of British connections. One of those who planned the operation, Captain Andrew Terrell, had spent two years on attachment with the Royal Marines in England. There is also a resident Brit, a lieutenant, John (who did not want his surname published) from south London, who was an archaeologist before joining the marine corps. "I had an American girlfriend who was in the Navy, and then 9/11 happened and I decided to join. I don't have any problems being here. The people want security. That is what we are trying to provide," he said.

1 comment:

  1. we can hope that, this push can come to some good.glad the marines have link up with the British forces.but i fear the taliban well go to ground.stay safe all.

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