Afghan Attack Gives Marines a Taste of War

The New York Times ^ | February 13, 2010 | C. J. CHIVERS

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

MARJA, Afghanistan — The helicopters landed before dawn Saturday in a poppy field beside a row of mud-walled compounds. The Marines ran into the darkness and crouched through the rotor-whipped dust as their aircraft lifted away.

For the Marines of Company K, Third Battalion, Sixth Marines, the assault into the last large Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province was beginning. For almost all of them, this was to be their first taste of war. And an afternoon of small-arms combat was ahead.

But at first, these Marines, the vanguard for 6,000 NATO and Afghan troops streaming in to loosen the Taliban’s grip here permanently, met no resistance.

On the last miles of the ride in, the Marines were silent as the aircraft flew 200 feet above freshly sprouting fields. Irrigation canals glittered beneath the portholes, rolling past fast.

They did not know what to expect, beyond the fact that at least hundreds of insurgents were waiting for them, and that many would fight to keep their hold on this opium-poppy production center.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi

[tet68]

Oh lord, for that which we are about to receive,
make us grateful. Amen.

[dubie]

This was actually a good read. I enjoyed this article... Well written. Painted a great picture in my mind’s eye.

[Recon Dad]

That was my son’s first unit, 3/6 after SOI.

[Stonewall Jackson]

My brother-in-law and his buddies were saying that yesterday. Their MRAP was hit by an IED outside Mosul, but it performed exactly as designed and they were able to drive back to base.

[r9etb]

The Taliban firing subsided. “We’re moving!” the corporal shouted. The patrol stood and sprinted toward the withdrawing Taliban....

And there, folks, is the difference.

[tet68]

May God bless and keep them safe in harms way.
t.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This one is good too:

******

The Battle for Marjah

*********************************EXCERPT****************************

Operation Moshtarak, the assault on the Marjah District in the Helmand Province started today.  The press has been looking at it for months from various angles with stories stressing that secrecy has been lost, or that civilians will be killed, or with speculation on why the military is publicizing Operation Moshtarak in the first place. These stories all contain grains of truth but none of them is even close to telling the real story.  Here it is: when the Marines crossed the line of departure today, the battle for Marjah had already been won.

[erman]

If your not firing, you better be moving.... Or reloading..... And moving.

God bless these fine warriors, bring them home safe and sound. .......and good hunting.

[Da Coyote]

The NYT metroboys are talking about marines “...Getting a Taste of War?”

I dream of my Marines giving the metroboys a taste of lead.

[John-Irish]

Oorah! get some! Keep them safe O Lord. Keep them safe.

[Marine_Uncle]

The NYSlimes actually did a great job this time around. I guess since zero is in, they feel obligated to only show a positive aspect of the operation. This is the article I sent to element92 late last night. I wonder if he read it. He had questions regarding air support. The title is a bit misleading. All Marines who ship out to Iraq or Afghanistan go through specialized SASO training before they ship over. They kick down plenty of doors and blow a lot of goons away before they set foot on foreign soil. At least that was the way it was during my nephew's two tours.
Main thing is we are seeing goons get filled with holes and blown up. Hopefully within a few weeks this city shall be literally free of 90% plus of the Taliban forces. And just disgruntled locals that don't like seeing goons blown up will remain mostly quiet. Perhaps even give the reconstruction teams a chance to help them out in the long run.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Ernest.

[SkyPilot]

Minutes later, gunfire erupted to the south, where another unit, First Battalion, Sixth Marines, had also inserted Marines.....At 12:40, fighting broke out for Third Platoon. For almost three hours, Second and Third Platoons took sporadic fire from insurgents in several directions. At times the fighting was intense, and the gunfire rose and roared and snapped overhead. The fight briefly quieted after a B-1 bomber dropped a 500-pound bomb on a compound near the landing zone, leveling most of the house there. For a short while after the airstrike, the village was quiet. But by late afternoon, the company, which had established a crude outpost in a compound, was taking fire again. Between exchanges of fire, a squad-sized patrol led by Cpl. Thomas D. Drake pushed out across the fields to search the building that had been hit by the airstrike. The Taliban let the Marines walk into an open field and approach a tall stand of dried grass. Then they opened fire in a hasty ambush. The Marines dropped. They fired back, exposed. Gunfire rose to a crescendo.

This is an excellent piece, and I am surprised the NY Slimes allowed it to be published.

I guess now that John Murtha is dead, he won't be calling up to scream at the NY Slimes that these Marines are really war criminals.

Not to worry, I am sure some Democrat will pick up the slack for this:

36 Mins ago - Marine Misfire Kills 12 Civilians

That is war. These Afghani villages are housing, supplying, and protecting the Taliban. This is bound to happen. If you don't want that happening, don't harbor them. We killed plenty of German woemn and children in WW II whose only crime was being born in Germany.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Some detail on Civilian deaths from LWJ:

Use of HIMARs suspended after 12 civilians killed in Marja

*****************************EXCERPT******************************

By Bill RoggioFebruary 14, 2010 8:01 PM

Two days into the offensive to clear the city of Marja in Helmand province, the Coalition suffered its first public relations setback after two guided rockets went off target and accidentally killed 12 Afghan civilians. From the ISAF press release:

Two rockets from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launched at insurgents firing upon Afghan and ISAF forces impacted approximately 300 meters off their intended target, killing 12 civilians in Nad Ali district, Helmand Province today. ISAF Commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal conveyed his apologies to President Hamid Karzai for this unfortunate incident. "We deeply regret this tragic loss of life," said McChrystal. "The current operation in Central Helmand is aimed at restoring security and stability to this vital area of Afghanistan. It's regrettable that in the course of our joint efforts, innocent lives were lost. We extend our heartfelt sympathies and will ensure we do all we can to avoid future incidents."

The original target of the two rockets was a compound where insurgents were delivering accurate, direct fire on an Afghan-ISAF joint team. An Afghan National Army soldier and ISAF service member had been injured by the insurgent fire.

[KeyLargo]