Spotlight on Afghanistan’s Marjah offensive

Flopping Aces ^ | 02-14-10 | Mataharley

[Starman417]

While the US media has been diddling around with political barbs and infighting, teleprompters vs palm'prompters, and spinning the stage show that's the health care bipartisan summit, my mind has been on our US military and NATO troops... including one of our FA own, Old Trooper. The US, NATO and Afghan military have amassed around the village of Marjah to implement Operation Mushtarak, or "Together," ...one leg of the strategy to again seize three key areas of Afghanistan, and beat back the resurgence of the Taliban since NATO took over security in 2006. The overview of the Afghan strategy includes not only the military strategy, discussed here, but "...political development, economic development, counter narcotics, and the Afghanistan police and justice system."

The McChrystal plan is a short term (12-18 months) "surge" changes the prior activities of going after the bad guys, and institutes an aggressive offense to provide security to the Afghans, whom the Taliban have intimidated and brow beaten into submission. As the LongWarJoural article states:

For the short term, the US does not consider it necessary to control the entire country but rather to secure a few key areas and population centers. The goal is for the people of Afghanistan to first see an opportunity for a normal, better future, and then to start to experience it.

The key areas that General McChrystal has identified are:

• Helmand province, particularly the Helmand River valley • Kandahar City and the areas surrounding the city • The provinces of Paktika, Paktia, and Khost

The second part of the strategy is to develop the Afghan National Security Force into a force that is capable of providing security for the country. Although ANSF development will not be completed in 18 months, it needs to demonstrate both substantial progress and that the long term goal of the ANSF providing for security for the entire country is achievable. A major review will be held in December 2010 to assess progress.

The Helmand Province is key, being a fertile agricultural area of Afghanistan serving not to supply much needed food for the nation, but poppies for opium for terrorist funding, it's refinement and storage. With an unused hydroelectric dam Kajak at the northern end of the river valley, the area offers strategic import for a nation's food belt.

Marjah is also a key point for the Taliban in communications, and transfer of fighting forces, weapons and equipment to and from Pakistan. To seize and control Majah is to put a huge dent in terrorist financing, and thwart an integral supply line.

With civilian population safety being the top concern, the offensive has been telegraphed in advance to...

Read more at floppingaces.net...

[Bulldawg Fan]

“While the US media has been diddling around with political barbs and infighting, teleprompters vs palm’prompters, and spinning the stage show that’s the health care bipartisan summit,”

They have? I thought I have been reading about this offensive for weeks, giving away every element of surprise a key principle of war. Which General came up with this plan, alert the enemy weeks ahead of time? Must be an Obama appointee or one of those PC fools that inhabit the upper reaches of the military now.

[MataHarley]

The General that came up with the plan would be McChrystal. Yes, he is an Obama appointee. However since the largest offensive in Marjah has been launched, the media still concerns itself with other subjects. Compare that to when the Iraq surge commenced, and the media was daily searching for body counts to report on.

If you read my complete post, which gives links to more about the plan that focuses on civilian security and not alienating the population (which also detests the Taliban), you’d know why they broadcast the offensive. They did so in order to allow the population to get out of harm’s ways... when the Taliban would let them out, that is. They were very reluctant to let their human shields leave, and most had to sneak out.

It’s a bit difficult to hide 7500 troops, and 7500 approx support troops... plus a convoy of 70 ton ABVs and their “tow truck” tanks.... when they’re headed your way. You want stealth? It’d have to be suprise air raids which kept them busy while ground troops and equipment began their travel to Marjah. From Kabul, that’s over 350 miles as a crow flies... not accommodating for roads with IEDs and sandstorms. Even from Kandahar, it’s about 125 miles, on a direct path. There is no “direct” path in roads. Indeed, it’s hard pressed to say Afghanistan maintains a road more than hours with IED mine fields along every route. The road to Marjah had a $3.5 mil make over several years ago... think it’s still intact? Road building is a constant there.

To go with your suggested “surprise” attack, air raids wouldn’t give the population any time to escape, would it? This defeats the strategy of population and village security, and enlisting their assault and policing against the Taliban.

So yes, the Taliban knew about the coming of the offensive. What they did not know is the moment of it beginning. The strategy is to clean out the opium den, rebuild infrastructure, train locals and Afghan police to hold the fertile farmland in Afghanistan, and sever the Taliban’s main communications and weaponry supply line. That a bunch of cockroaches escape because they had warning will not affect that end goal.