Marine assault force moves to board Magellan Star. Click for a larger image.

Just after dawn on September 9, 24 Marines in two boats approached the Merchant Vessel (M/V) Magellan Star. She had been dead in the water since being boarded by an unknown number of pirates the day before. The ship’s captain had been in contact with the Marines by cell phone until early that morning when the phone died on him.

The events of this raid were described to reporters by LtCol. Joseph R. Clearfield, unit commander. The pirated ship had been traveling in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC), patrolled by CTF-151.

First on scene had been the flagship of CTF-151, TCG Gökçeada, the anti-piracy taskforce supported by the United States. The Turkish frigate arrived about an hour after the distress call went out from the Magellan Star. The U.S. cruiser Princeton and amphibious landing ship Dubuque arrived by mid-afternoon on the 8th.

The ship’s captain told the military that he and his crew were safe, in a “citadel”. They were barricaded in an auxiliary control space and had food and water.

The pirates were contacted by both radio and loudspeaker. They brandished weapons and made threats. At one point they told the surrounding ships “Go away or we will burn you!”

Pirates seen on board MV Magellan Star before Marine assault. Click for a larger image.

Overnight, the commander of the Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, received the “go” order to attempt an assault. It was a mission that the Recon Marines had practiced over a dozen times in the last few months.

With helicopter circling overhead, and snipers in overwatch, the first wave of Marines took off for the captured vessel. There were no pirate boats tied to the ship, and one skiff had been found adrift by the Turks earlier.

1st Battalion 4th Marines Snipers in overwatch as fellow Marines assautl pirated vessel. Click for a larger image.

The first move was to the bridge. One pirate surrendered immediately upon seeing the Marines and called two other out to surrender.

The Marines then smashed in the bridge windows and the four pirates that remained surrendered.

As the Marines cleared the ship, they surprised another pirate and tackled him to the ground. The ninth and final pirate barricaded himself in a room. Breeching tools and a “flashbang” grenade were used to effect his capture.

The stairways and passageways of the superstructure were fouled with equipment and furniture by the pirates in an effort to delay the Marines. Below decks, the Marines found a more complex and thorough set of blockages, created by the ship’s crew. The pirates were all in custody in about an hour but it would take Marines nearly another two hours to reach the crew.

In the end, a hole was cut in a bulkhead and the ship’s captain was shown an American flag. At that point the crew left their safe haven. Marines discovered that the crew had prepared a series of three fallback positions, in the event the pirates had reached them.

Other than minor cuts and scrapes, neither the crew nor the pirates sustained any injuries. No Marines or Navy personnel were injured. No shots were fired and only a “flashbang” grenade was expended.

Naval personnel from the USS Dubuque assisted the ship’s crew with repairs. From the time the assault began until the Magellan Star was underway to her destination, only seven hours had passed.

Marines and freed crew of MV Magellan Star. Click for a larger image.

Nearly 80 Marines participated in successive waves of the assault. Once the pirates were captured, an agent of the NCIS and a criminal investigator worked with other American personnel to process the crime scene. The Marines involved have all given statements.

Five operable AK-47′s, automatic weapons, and nine magazines were seized. Bladed weapons and breeching equipment were also taken from the pirates. Several spent cartridges were discovers that indicated that the pirates had fired some shots while on board.

When asked to comment about the restraint shown by his Marines, raid commander Captain Alexander Martin pointed to their high level of training, discipline and their previous experience with multiple deployments in Iraq or Afghanistan. He told reporters “This is not their first rodeo”.

Marine unit that freed captive ship

Combined Maritime Task Force (CTF) 151 flagship, TCG Gökçeada, background, a Turkish frigate, and USS Dubuque (LPD 8), left, wait as U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force, embarked on Dubuque board and seize control of the Antigua-Barbuda-flagged, German-owned vessel M/V Magellan Star. early Sept. 9 after pirates attacked and boarded the vessel Sept. 8. Photo by Cryptologic Technician 2nd Class William Farmerie. Click for a larger image.

Marines versus pirates, a battle as old as the Marine Corps itself. In the Marine Hymn, the “shores of Tripoli” refers to Marine action against pirates at the dawn of our nation. The battle continues today off the coast of Somalia.

MV Magellan Star radioed a distress call on September 8, 2010. The flagship of the anti-piracy task force CTF-151, TCG Gökçeada, a Turkish frigate, was the first ship on scene. U.S.S. Dubuque and Princeton followed. The U.S.S. Dubuque carries a Maritime Raid Force from the 15th MEU.

At sunrise, the Marines boarded the captured vessel. When they were finished, nine Somali pirates were captured. No injuries to marines or ship’s crew were reported. The pirates will remain in custody.

Helicopters from USS Dubuque provide aerial watch as U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force, embarked on Dubuque, right, boarded and seized control of Antigua and Barbuda-flagged, German-owned vessel M/V Magellan Star, left, early Sept. 9. Photo by Cryptologic Technician 2nd Class William Farmerie. Click for a larger image.

A 12-man team put in a place a 36-meter long bridge across a strategic stretch of the Nahr-e-Bughra canal near the town of Shaheed in northern Nad-e-Ali. The town and canal were both seized by British and Afghan forces as part of Operation Moshtarak. Commanders took the decision to order the bridge to be put in place because more routes across the canal were needed to ensure supplies got to infantry troops on the ground. (Photo by: Cpl. Sean Killen)

The first phase of a Marine offensive in a former Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan’s Helmand province is nearing completion, the Pentagon’s No. 2 official said, March 2.

As the military operations of the roughly 15,000 NATO and Afghan forces that have been engaged in Operation Moshtarak since Feb. 13 begin to wind down, the focus in the Marja section of central Helmand is shifting from clearing out the enemy to holding the gains the operation has brought about.

“Our strategy, however, recognizes that military action is only the first step in a successful transition,” Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said today. “The Afghan government and security forces must ultimately take responsibility for security and governance.”

Lynn said U.S. Marines are working alongside Afghan and U.S. civilians to help establish government services in Marja, where the raising of the Afghan government flag at a ceremony last week symbolized the end of Taliban dominion in the region.

Speaking to members of the American Legion, Lynn described continued resistance in Marja in the form of homemade bombs known as improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, which were littered across the area ahead of the operation, according to reports.

“Our soldiers are exposed to great risks daily,” he said, “from IEDs, snipers and suicide attacks.”

U.S. and NATO military officials remarked publicly for months before the offensive on the strategic importance of the southern Afghanistan region and the goal to clear the area of Taliban fighters. The rationale was to allow low-level Taliban fighters the chance to flee, and to warn civilians of the impending attack, officials said.

Marja has been characterized as representing the first test of President Barack Obama’s strategy to add 30,000 more troops in the fight against Afghanistan-based insurgents. As the initial phase of operations comes to a close, Lynn said, Marja has emerged as an area where hope is returning.

“Because of our new strategy, and President Obama’s deployment of additional troops, Marja is one of many cities in Afghanistan that has begun to have hope,” he said. “And with Pakistan’s capture of key Taliban leaders, the strategy of targeting adversaries on both sides of the border is paying off.”

The capture in Pakistan last month of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar — the Taliban’s second-in-command to Mohammad Omar and the top operational commander — had been described previously by the White House as a “significant win.” News of the apprehension came last month amid reports that NATO and Afghan forces had yielded early progress — and some stiff resistance — against Taliban fighters ostensibly under Baradar’s command in Marja and elsewhere in central Helmand.

“We still have a long road ahead,” Lynn said, “but we are working hard with the Afghan government and with our partners to shift the momentum in our favor.”

DVIDS
Story by John Kruzel

Package about civil affairs Marines on patrol in the city of Marjah as part of Operation Moshtarak. Produced by Sgt. Jenn Calaway.

Interviewees:
• 1st Lt. Aran Walsh (US)
• Gunnery Sgt. Larry Trimmer (US)

Package about the flag-raising ceremony over the war-torn city of Marjah, giving the city and newly established government center back to the people after Operation Moshtarak. Produced by Sgt. Jennifer Calaway.

British Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Carter (GB), Commander of ISAF Regional Command [RC] South and Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson (US), MEB-A Commanding General talk to a military reporter about returning Marjah back to the Afghans free of taliban influence and intimidation and the efforts of the Marines and Afghan forces during Operation Moshtarak. Video by 1st Lt. Joe Reney

The Afghan flag-raising ceremony in the Marjah District Center, Helmand province, Afghanistan, attended by the Helmand provincial governor, the Marjah district governor and numerous members of NATO-ISAF. Video by 1st Lt. Joe Reney

Col. Randall Newman talks to a military reporter about a flag raising over the city of Marjah and what it means for his Marines and the Afghanistan people in the region.

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Jesse Underwood engages enemy forces during Operation Moshtarak in Badula Qulp, Afghanistan, Feb. 19, 2010. The International Security Assistance Force operation is an offensive mission being conducted in areas of Afghanistan prevalent in drug-trafficking and Taliban insurgency. Underwood is from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez, U.S. Air Force)

Lance Cpl. Ryan Hogan, a rifleman with 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, leaps over an irrigation canal while on a patrol in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 21, 2010. The Marines and soldiers from the Afghan National Army patrolled through a residential area of the city as part of Operation Moshtarak, a push to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and intimidation. Photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde

A Marine with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, walks through the bazaar in Marjeh, Afghanistan, Feb. 19. Marines with Bravo Company, 1/6, have set about securing the key community centers in the city in order to allow locals to return to their homes. Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark

Marines with Alpha Company, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion build a makeshift bridge over a canal in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 11. Alpha Company built numerous makeshift bridges, in order for Marines and vehicles to have a clear route to the Taliban stronghold Marjah. Photo by Lance Cpl. Walter Marino

Lance Cpl. Michael Murray, a fireteam leader with 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, gives candy to Afghan children in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 19. The Marines and soldiers from the Afghan National Army patrolled through a residential section of the city to carry out counter-insurgency operations as part of Operation Moshtarak, a push to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and intimidation. Photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde

Follow the links for the complete story.

Marines Near Marjah Hold First Meeting With Elders, Kill Taliban Attackers

A patrol of Marines and Sailors of Combined Anti-Armor Team 1 and Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, held their first impromptu meeting with village elders in the “Five Points” area Feb. 14, and only moments later came under hostile fire from Taliban attackers.

Five Points is a small farming community between the cities of Nawa and Marjah where a junction of major roads connects northern Marjah with eastern Helmand Province. Charlie Co. Marines and Afghan national army soldiers conducted a helicopter-borne assault to seize the area Feb. 9, ahead of the start of Operation Moshtarak in Marjah.

Marines had not yet had an opportunity to meet with village elders here due to daily engagements with Taliban forces during patrols in the area.

During the meeting, three elder Afghan men sat down to talk with Marines and said they were glad Marines and Afghan national security forces had come to the area.

“We are happy you’re here for our security,” said one of the men. “The Taliban come in our homes and make us feed them. We have barely enough food for our own families. We just want to live in peace.”

Marines with Alpha Company, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion and 1st battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, take a moment to observe their surroundings after convoying construction material for their upcoming mission in Marjah. The large plastic tubing will be used by Alpha Co. to build makeshift bridges over small canals. Photo by Lance Cpl. Walter Marino

Marine Engineers Pave Historic Path Into Marjeh

Equipped with plastic hollow tubes and water from local canals, the Marines of 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion created a path for 1st Battalion 6th Marine Regiment, into the Taliban stronghold Marjeh.

It was up to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion to build a clear route to Marjeh, and they succeeded.

The 2nd CEB brought out all their assets, including route clearance platoons, assault breacher vehicles and Alpha Company.

Alpha Co. Marines filled the canals with large, hollow, plastic tubing, providing a platform for Marines and vehicles to cross. Hallow tubes were used to allow the canal water to flow and prevent any damage to Afghan irrigation systems.

With their work done, the battalion had created a path toward the city but had not yet cleared the route of possible roadside bombs.

Marines from India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment patrol during a sandstorm in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 8. The India Company Marines and soldiers of the Afghan national army have been battling inclement weather while living in the elements of the Helmand desert for the past two weeks. Photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde

Marines, Afghan Soldiers Take on Harsh Weather Conditions in Helmand Province

The troops awoke from their tarp-covered fighting holes, Feb. 10, to find a blanket of frost, covering everything around them. Their boots, flak jackets, helmets and anything else exposed to the elements served as a frozen consequence of sleeping outside in the harsh desert of Helmand, province Afghanistan during the wintertime.

Frost was only one of the many challenges to the Marines and Sailors of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, and soldiers of the Afghan national army, living outside without the protection of permanent structures.

Earlier in the week, a brutal hailstorm, without warning, pelted the Marines with large chunks of ice.

“I was standing on top of a hill and the hail started sprinkling a little bit,” recalled Cpl. Charles Hickey, a mortarman with India Co. “Then the wind picked up and it started hurting more. All of a sudden, instantly, marble-sized hail started coming at us at like 100 miles an hour!”

When the coalition troops entered a residential area of Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, the locals cautiously came out of their homes to get a closer look. Slowly, men trickled out of their dwellings to speak to the soldiers from the Afghan National Army. When they realized that the troops meant no harm, children came outside as well.

The ANA soldiers and Marines from 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, patrolled this area of Marjah, Feb. 19, to conduct counterinsurgency operations in support of Operation Moshtarak.

The troops went through the neighborhood to search for members of the Taliban, weapons caches, improvised explosive devices and anything else that could potentially be used by insurgents to harm civilians or coalition forces.

Weary of the Taliban’s oppression, the locals were relieved that the troops showed up to their neighborhood. The locals quickly warmed up to the troops when the Marines gave the children candy and the on-scene corpsman provided medical care to all the residents who were feeling sick or injured.

The locals showed their gratitude by feeding the troops.