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.

An Afghan boy stands near Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, after his father asked them for aid in treating his son's fever Feb. 17 in Marjah, Afghanistan. Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark

NATO and Afghan forces have made early progress in an ongoing offensive on a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan, but have encountered some stiff resistance and may need another 25 to 30 days to secure the entire area, a top military official said.

Overall the multinational force has reached the “end of the beginning” of the operation in central Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, said British Maj. Gen. Nick Patrick Carter, commander of NATO forces in International Security Assistance Force’s Regional Command-South, during a briefing, Feb. 18.

“I guess it will take us another 25 to 30 days to be entirely sure that we have secured that which needs to be secured,” Carter told Pentagon reporters. “And we probably won’t know for about 120 days whether or not the population is entirely convinced by the degree of commitment that their government is showing to them.”

Despite dislocating the insurgency within 24 hours of landing in the region, Feb. 13, Carter said, fighting continues in Marja, which to date has claimed the lives of six allied troops, including four Americans. Some 15,000 NATO and Afghan forces are engaged in Operation Moshtarak, which in Pashto and Dari means “Operation Together,” including 8,000 to 10,000 ground troops.

“In Marja itself, there remains stiff resistance from the insurgence,” Carter said. “And U.S. Marines in partnership with Afghan security forces are still fighting [an] intense series of actions, in the process of clearing Marja as a whole.”

Pentagon Spokesman Geoff Morrell predicted that insurgents remaining in the area were intent on seeing the fight through.

“It is not very coordinated, but there still are holdouts who have remained in Marja and elsewhere in Helmand who have stayed to fight,” he told reporters today, “and they’re clearly going to fight to the bitter end.”

Morrell added that IEDs, the military shorthand for makeshift bombs known as “improvised explosive devices,” mines and other explosives left in the wake fleeing Taliban pose a larger threat than residual enemy fighters.

In spite of the pace of operations being slowed by enemy bombs and explosives, military officials have expressed satisfaction at the rate of progress in the central Helmand operations, which represents the first test of President Barack Obama’s plan to add 30,000 more troops in the fight against Afghanistan-based insurgents.

Carter said Operation Moshtarak would likely represent the first wave in a series of operations in a push against insurgents further east towards Kandahar.

“I think, as a result of Moshtarak, is a sense of momentum that will sweep eastwards towards Kandahar during the course of the next six months,” he said. “And my sense is that … you will see the insurgent pushed eastwards in a way that will roll him out during the course of the next 12 months or so.”

In a rare glimpse at their playbook, U.S. and NATO military officials for months have remarked publicly on the strategic importance of the southern Afghanistan region and the goal to clear the area of Taliban fighters. The rationale for such a declaration of intent was to allow low-level Taliban fighters the chance to flee, and to warn civilians of the impending attack, officials said.

Marja, like other areas of Helmand, is a source of income for Taliban fighters, who cultivate poppy to yield opium and heroin for the lucrative drug market, according to reports. The U.S. State Department cites Afghanistan as the world’s largest producer of opium, and money from the drug trade is said to help in bankrolling terrorism.

DVIDS
By John J. Kruzel

Marines carry their gear out to Army helicopters prior to an air assault into Marja, Afghanistan, Feb. 13, 2010. UH-60 Black Hawk CH-47F Chinook helicopters inserted nearly 300 Marines into the objective area. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Aubree Clute

When Operation Moshtarak kicked off here Feb. 13, Army helicopter crews from the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade inserted nearly 300 Marines and Afghan security forces into Marja, Afghanistan, under cover of darkness.

UH-60 Black Hawks, CH-47F Chinooks and AH-64 Apaches from Task Force Pegasus facilitated the air assault of Kilo Company, 3/6 Marines, in seizing their objective area.

“Protected by Apache air weapons teams, the Marines and their partnered Afghan security forces quickly began moving to their initial objective, seizing key terrain and preparing to link up with their parent headquarters scheduled to begin a ground assault into Marja,” said Army Col. Paul Bricker, 82nd CAB commander.

Shortly after the Marine insertion, additional Task Force Pegasus aviation assets assisted a coalition air assault into nearby objective areas in Nad Ali. Task Force Pegasus’s 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment — Task Force Wolfpack — was one of three helicopter units involved in the operation in support of the British Task Force Jaguar.

“Their air assault was equally effective in seizing key terrain in the city of Nad Ali, located adjacent and northeast of Marja,” Bricker said. “Their operation was even more complex, as it included over 20 rotary-wing aircraft from the U.S., Britain and Canada.”

Task Force Pegasus continues to provide support to operation Moshtarak, but the focus has turned from aerial security to medical evacuation. Casualty evacuation teams are standing by to transport wounded coalition and Afghan forces to appropriate field hospitals as necessary.

“[The CH-47F Chinook] has been specially configured with helicopter cabin litter support systems and manned with TF Pegasus surgeons and medics to conduct critical patient transfers from less-capable combat surgical wards within Helmand province to southern Afghanistan’s largest and most advanced hospital on Kandahar Air Base,” Bricker said.

The 82nd CAB has completed more than 120 air-assault operations throughout southern Afghanistan over the last 10 months in support of operations by the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces.

DoD
By Army Staff Sgt. Aubree Clute
Special to American Forces Press Service

Lance Cpls. Keith B. Lawson and Spence G. Press, scout snipers attached to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, work together to identify targets as Taliban fighters approached from Marjeh toward their position at the 'Five Points' intersection Feb. 9. Marines of Charlie Company conducted a helicopter-borne assault earlier that morning to seize the key intersection of roads linking the northern area of the insurgent stronghold of Marjeh with the rest of Helmand province. Lawson, 25, is from Reedly, Calif., and Press, 20, is from Newbury Park, Calif. Photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill

1st Lt. Joseph Reney (US), Spokesperson / Public Affairs Officer, briefs the media on day four of Operation Moshtarak in the city of Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Operation Moshtarak

Video press release offered by Gov. Haji Zahir, elected district governor of Marjah. The governor addresses concerns regarding current operations in the city of Marjah and passes word directly from the president of Afghanistan that insurgents may lay down their weapons and join their government. Produced by Marine Cpl. Jennifer Calaway. Operation Moshtarak

Lindy Cameron, Head of Multi-National Provincial Reconstruction Team, talks with a CNN American Morning host about the plans to restore power to the Afghan government after the security operations are over. Operation Moshtarak. Video by Staff Sgt. Craig Rader

Soldiers from the Afghan national army relax after a patrol in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 14. The ANA soldiers and Marines from 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, have been conducting Operation Moshtarak to eliminate Taliban presence and intimidation from the city of Marjah. (USMC photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde)

NATO’s Operation Moshtarak site

ANA and Brits take Showal

The national flag of Afghanistan flew over the former Taleban “capital” of Showal yesterday, signaling the end to nearly two years of insurgent rule.

Shortly after dawn, a soldier of the Afghan National Army (ANA), climbed up a 60ft disused crane from which the white flag of the Taleban had flown – the colour is a symbol of their alleged Islamic purity.

Using a knife borrowed from a British soldier, Private Aziz Watandosd cut down the flag and threw it to the small gathering of troops below. He then raised the red, green and black national flag in its place to show that the government of Afghanistan now ruled Showal.

“When I took down the Taleban flag and raised our national flag, I knew it would be a proud and happy day for our people,” he said.

The Scotsman

The clearing phase of Operation Moshtarak in the center of Afghanistan’s Helmand province continued Feb. 14, with combined Afghan and international forces conducting a number of mounted and dismounted patrols, military officials reported.

Forces have been engaged in periodic small-arms firefights. A number of insurgents have been either killed or detained, officials said, and the combined force has suffered some injuries.

Three successful “shuras” were held with influential community members, and other meetings with Helmand residents also took place.

Afghan and International Security Assistance Force troops found improvised explosive devices and enemy weapons stockpiles. In Task Force Helmand, an engineer maneuver group is clearing mine fields and is building a bridge over the Nahr-e Baughra Canal.

The goal of Operation Moshtarak – a Dari word for “together” – is for combined forces and the Helmand provincial reconstruction team to support the Afghan government in asserting its authority in central Helmand and demonstrating its commitment to the people living there, officials said.

DoD

The clearing phase of operation Moshtarak continued yesterday. The combined force continues to face sporadic fire fights. The combined forces have incurred casualties.

A press conference held yesterday in Lashkar Gah included General Abdul Rahim Wardak, Minister of Defense; Mohammed Hanif Atmar, Minister of Interior; Mohammed Gulab Mangal, Governor of Helmand Province; Brigadier-General Sher Mohammad Zazai, ANA 205 Corps commander; and General Stanley McChrystal, ISAF commander.

Gen. Wardak said the objective of Operation Moshtarak is not to kill insurgents, but to provide security, governance and development for the people of Helmand. He called on insurgents to put down their weapons and join the reintegration process. He also said that sufficient security forces will remain following the clearing operation to provide an environment conducive to development.

During the press conference, Minister Atmar provided an update on the tragic incident that occurred Sunday. He indicated according to the initial report insurgents held civilians captive in a compound. The insurgents used this location to deliver accurate, direct fire at combined forces. Not knowing there were civilians present, the combined forces responded using a heavy weapon, resulting in a tragic loss of civilian lives. Minister Atmar said there was a meeting with people in the area and an apology has been made. The village elders voiced their support for the Afghan government.

Gov. Mangal said he appreciated the good coordination between the ANSF and ISAF troops during the operation. He said the government does not currently have control of three (Baghran, Washir and Deshow) out of the 13 districts in Helmand Province, indicating he was optimistic that the government soon would take charge in these areas. He also appealed to insurgents to join the peace process.

Indicating there is still resistance from insurgents in Marjah, Gen. Zazai expressed confidence they will soon be defeated. Local elders in Nad-e Ali have expressed their support for the Afghan government during shuras held in the area, he said.

Gen. McChrystal said the Afghan-led Operation Moshtarak has highlighted a special partnership of which he is very proud. He asked media to watch the bravery of the ANSF and coalition partners, stating he is himself exceptionally proud of how they have performed.

The goal of Moshtarak – Dari for “together” – is for the combined force (ANA, ANP, ISAF and the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team) to support the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in asserting its authority in central Helmand, thereby demonstrating the government’s commitment to the people living there.

The operation is being conducted at the request of the Afghan government and the governor of Helmand. The security forces involved are serving side-by-side, representing partnership in strength.

ISAF Joint Command – Afghanistan

Here is a summary of the action to date. Follow the links for more information.

Operation Moshtarak, the Afghan-led initiative to assert government authority in the center of Afghanistan’s Helmand province, completed its first day of clearing operations yesterday, military officials reported.

An early morning air insertion of Afghan and international forces before 6 a.m. included helicopters, A-10s, Tornadoes and C-130 aircraft. Afghan soldiers then had at least two meetings with local leaders, one in Nad-e Ali and one in Marja, to explain the operation and establish themselves on the ground. Discussions with local Afghans have been assessed as good, officials said, and more such meetings are anticipated in the coming days.

Early yesterday morning, Helmand Gov. Mangal and Afghan national army Brig. Gen. Zazai, 205th Atal Corps commander, addressed the media during a news conference in Lashkar Gah. In the evening, representatives of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the U.N. World Food Program, the World Health Organization and local nongovernmental organizations reported that no increase has been observed in Afghans leaving Nad-e Ali as a result of the operation.

Afghan and International Security Assistance Force troops in both Nad-e Ali and Marja found a number of stockpiles of bomb-making equipment and weapons .

Today, February 14 2010, a combined Afghan-ISAF patrol found more than 500 pounds of ammonium nitrate and other bomb-making materials while clearing a compound in Marja. Acting on a tip from a local resident, another Afghan-ISAF force found about 300 yards of detonation cord wrapped in plastic in a canal, also in Helmand’s Garm Ser district.

Also today, a combined Afghan-ISAF patrol found two 155 mm artillery rounds, four pressure plates, blasting caps and batteries in Helmand’s Nad-e Ali district.

DVIDS

Operation Moshtarak, the Afghan-led initiative to assert government authority in the centre of Helmand province has completed its first day of “clearing” operations Feb. 13 2010.

The Feb. 13 air insertion over Central Helmand included helicopters, A-10s, Tornadoes and C-130 Hercules aircraft. The waves of aircraft-borne troop insertions of Afghan national army, United States and United Kingdom soldiers were completed by 5:55 a.m. local time.

Since then, at least two shuras have been held with local Afghans – one in Nad-e Ali and one in Marjah. The ANA have been meeting with local Afghans and establishing themselves on the ground.

Discussions with local Afghans have been assessed as good, and more shuras are anticipated in the coming days. [snip]

A number of IED-making equipment and weapons caches have been found by ANSF and ISAF troops in both Nad-e Ali and Marjah.

DVIDS

Navy hospital corpsmen of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, replace the field dressings of Azerha, a 4-year-old Afghan girl injured by a piece of shrapnel from an explosion near her home Feb. 10. Azerha's brother, Quassiam, brought her for medical treatment to the Marine encampment at the Five Points intersection, a key junction of roads between Marjeh and Nawa. Azerha was flown to a medical trauma facility and is expected to make a full recovery. Photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill

Navy Corpsmen Save Injured Afghan Girl in Marjah

When a 4-year-old Afghan girl named Azerha was struck by shrapnel Feb. 10, her brother Quassiam did the only thing he could think of – approach a group of armed Marines miles away and ask for medical assistance.

He drove his sister east from near the city of Marjah toward an intersection known as “Five Points,” a key intersection of roads connecting northern Marjah with the eastern areas of Helmand province. Marines and Sailors of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, seized the Five Points area the day prior during a helicopter-borne assault.

Azerha had been struck in the chest by a fragment of metal from an improvised explosive device using 82 mm mortar rounds which detonated near her home. The wound had caused bleeding and breathing problems for Azerha by the time she arrived, Navy corpsman reported as they examined and began to stabilize her for a medical evacuation to a medical trauma facility.

“When the car came and I approached the vehicle, I saw the blood coming from her chest,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Eric E. Casasflores, 30, an independent duty corpsman assigned to Charlie Co., 1/3. “I could see there was a small wound where something had penetrated. Once we put the dressing on, she began having more trouble breathing and I determined we needed to medevac her.”

While waiting inside the walls of a farming compound for a helicopter to arrive, corpsmen treating Azerha found that her lung was beginning to collapse. Between the time her flight was scheduled to arrive and her worsening symptoms, Casasflores, the senior corpsman on scene, decided they had to act quickly to stabilize their patient.

“Her vitals began to drop while we were waiting for the medevac and we had to do a needle decompression,” said Casasflores, who was born in Lima, Peru, but calls Newark, N.J., home. “She wasn’t bleeding very badly, but with almost any trauma to the chest, you have to do a needle decompression [to allow the lung to expand again].”

“She took it extremely well for a small child,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Adam E. Neep, a field hospital corpsman with Weapons Company, 1/3. “For taking a big needle through her chest, she barely fussed.”

DVIDS

Cpl. Alton S. Floyd, a wrecker operator for Alpha Company, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, rests after working to build multiple makeshift bridges in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 11. During the construction of their last bridge, Alpha Company encountered an improvised explosive device, no Marines were injured. Floyd, 25, is from Atlanta, Ga. Photo by Lance Cpl. Walter Marino

Marine Engineers Survive Marjah Blast

Marines from Alpha Company, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, worked tirelessly from early morning to the mid-afternoon Feb. 11, building makeshift bridges over canals to provide a route for Marines and vehicles to enter the known Taliban stronghold of Marjah.

After completion of their last makeshift bridge, Marines had just boarded their vehicles, when suddenly a loud explosion erupted from behind one of their trucks.

Mud chunks fell from the sky like rain. But, no Marines were hurt. Fortunately, Alpha Company had boarded their vehicles moments before the blast.

“The blast made my heart jump. It was a reality check,” said Sgt. Jonathan J. Sanabria, a truck master for Alpha Company. “Everyone is real lucky.”

DVIDS

Lance Cpl. Brady Gustafson, a machine gunner with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, stands in from of the battalion at perfect parade rest, despite the amputation of his right leg below the knee. Gustafson received the Navy Cross and a meritorious promotion to corporal during a ceremony March 27 at Lance Cpl. Torrey Grey Field. Photo by Pfc. Michael T. Gams

Lance Cpl. Brady Gustafson’s parents describe him as “reserved, loyal, stubborn and determined.”
This was proven in action July 21, 2008.

His loyalty to his fellow Marines, his stubborn nature when he refused medical treatment and his determination under enemy fire as a machine gunner with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment earned him the Navy Cross, and a place among the ranks of such Marine Corps legends as Lewis ‘Chesty’ Puller, Daniel ‘Dan’ Daly and John Basilone.

He received this medal, the highest awarded by the Navy, for his deployment to Afghanistan is support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Navy Cross was pinned on his chest by Lt. Col. John M. Reed, the commanding officer of 2/7, and meritorious corporal chevrons to his collar by Maj. Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser and Sgt. Maj. Randall Carter, the commanding general and sergeant major of 1st Marine Division, at a ceremony held March 27 at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Grey Field. The ceremony included speeches from his former and current commanding officers.

Gustafson accepted his medal at a perfect position of attention, despite missing his right leg below the knee. His entire battalion was in attendance as well as Marines from across the nation, former service members, family and friends.

According to eyewitness accounts, Gustafson’s actions that fateful day in July 2008 met and exceeded the requirements for a Navy Cross.

On July 21 Gustafson was manning the turret of the lead vehicle, a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle, or MRAP, during a four-vehicle mounted patrol riding through the streets of Shewan, Afghanistan.

That’s when things got ugly.

The patrol came under heavy fire from machine guns as well as rocket-propelled grenades from hidden insurgent positions.

One of the RPGs hit Gustafson’s MRAP, piercing its armor, rendering the driver unconscious and partially amputating Gustafson’s right leg.

Despite his injuries, Gustafson remained vigilant on his M240B machine gun, locating and accurately firing on several insurgent positions, some as close as 20 meters from the vehicle.

He remained in the turret, reloading twice and firing over 600 rounds, while Lance Cpl. Cody Comstock, an Anderson, Ind. native, applied a tourniquet to his leg.

After regaining consciousness, the driver, Cpl. Geoffrey Kamp, an Indianapolis native, put the vehicle in reverse and pushed the disabled vehicle behind them out of the kill zone.

Not until both vehicles were safe from the heavy insurgent fire and all the Marines had evacuated the burning vehicle did he allow himself to be removed from the turret for medical treatment.

“I knew I was hit,” he said. “I guess the adrenaline kept me going.”

Gustafson humbly stressed that he was only doing his job, nothing more.

“Anyone I served with would have done the same,” said the Eagan, IL native. “Heck, if it wasn’t for everyone else out there, I wouldn’t have made it.”

After being treated by corpsmen at the scene, he was transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and then to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Upon regaining consciousness after surgery, Gustafson called his parents to tell them what happened, said the 21 year-old.

“We were worried about him,” said his mother, Kim Gustafson. “But we knew everything would work out, God does have a plan after all.”

During 2/7’s deployment to Afghanistan, “the extraordinary became ordinary,” said Lt. Col Richard Hall, 2/7’s commanding officer during the deployment. “I underestimated my Marines and I’m in awe of what they accomplished.”

Known as the hardest hit battalion in the Marine Corps during 2008, 2/7 lost over 20 Marines and sailors and sent over 80 home with serious injuries during their eight month deployment to Afghanistan.

Lance Cpl. Brady Gustafson received the Navy Cross and a meritorious promotion to corporal during a ceremony March 27 at Lance Cpl. Torrey Grey Field.

Gustafson is now looking to the future and says he is looking forward to a bright future outside of the Marine Corps.

“I took a lot of photos in Afghanistan,” said Gustafson. “I’m going to go to college in the fall and try and make a career out of it.”

Cpl. Brady Gustafson never faltered during the ambush and his heroism helped save the lives of all the Marines involved.

The valor and courage displayed on the streets of Shewan that July day embodied the core values of the Marine Corps and sets an example for all to emulate and be proud of.

“I’m proud of all the Marines,” said Kim. “There are so many heroes, I’m so lucky to count my son among one of them.”

United States Marines
By Pfc. Michael T. Gams,
Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command 29 Palms

For additional information about the actions of these extraordinary Marines:
Marines Stop Enemy Attack – Heroic Last Stand

Marines Duty Valor

Marines render honors while the national anthem is played during a Navy Cross ceremony in honor of two fallen Camp Lejeune Marines, Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, from Sag Harbor, N.Y., and Cpl. Jonathan Yale, from Burkeville, Va. Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter, presented the awards at a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Haerter and Yale posthumously received the Navy Cross for actions in April 2008. They are credited with saving the lives of many Marines and Iraqi police.

Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter, presents Joann Lyles, mother of Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, the Navy Cross, at a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Haerter, from Sag Harbor, N.Y., and Cpl. Jonathan Yale, from Burkeville, Va., both were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for their heroic actions in Iraq in April 2008.

Marines stand at parade rest during a Navy Cross ceremony in honor of two fallen Camp Lejeune Marines, Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, from Sag Harbor, N.Y., and Cpl. Jonathan Yale, from Burkeville, Va., Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter, presented the awards at a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

Photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin O’Brien

Navy Cross – posthumous (2)

Those three words belong together. In the two hundred plus years that the United States Marines have served their country, the young men who served have lived up to every challenge and met every foe.

Jordan Haerter and Jon Yale went out for guard duty in the morning of April 22, 2008. Before nightfall, their actions would become the stuff of Marine legend. A hundred years from now, drill sergeants will use their names to inspire future generations of Marines.

Manning a small guard post as they had dozens of times in the past, the two Marines saw a truck speeding towards them through the string of barriers on the road. It was obvious that something was wrong, that the truck was probably a suicide bomber driving a load of explosives.

Both Marines held their ground and began shooting. The truck detonated, well short of its goal, killing the two and leveling the guard post.

But 50 Marines and Iraqi policemen in the targeted building survived.

San Diego Union-Tribune

Two of the Marines, Cpl. Jonathan Yale, 21, and Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, 19, earned the Navy Cross, the service’s second-highest award for valor. On guard together at the front gate of a base in Ramadi, the two men stood their ground and opened fire as a truck loaded with 2,000 pounds of explosives weaved around concrete barricades toward them.

Their gunfire slowed the truck, which exploded close to where they stood. Yale and Haerter died, and three Marines were wounded along with eight Iraqi policemen and more than 20 civilians. But their actions are credited with saving the lives of at least 50 U.S. and Iraqi troops on the base.

“I will never forget blessing Lance Cpl. Haerter’s body,” said Lt. Cmdr. William Muhm, a chaplain who spoke at the service. “I will always be grateful that I was there to do it.”

Jonathan T. Yale

Marine Cpl Jonathan T Yale, Navy Cross for valor in Iraq

Jonathan Yale was close to his mother, a single parent who gave birth to him when she was only 17. And he was the kind of guy who liked to make people happy, she said.

“He was the class clown, even when he wasn’t at school,” his mother, Rebecca Yale, said yesterday. “But he also didn’t mind sitting home with his momma to watch a chick flick with a box of Kleenex between us. He was the best boy you could ask for.” [snip]

Yale grew up in rural Meherrin, one of those “teeny tiny little Virginia towns where if you sneeze, you miss it,” Rebecca Yale said.

When he was little, Yale loved to hang out with his granddad “in the bush and the thicket,” his grandfather, William Sydnor Sr., said. “I used to call him ‘Wild Man.’ No matter how much he would get scratched up in the woods, he always wanted to go again next time . . . and he was only 5 or 6 then.”

Sydnor said his son, Yale’s father, lived with the boy off and on while he was growing up.

Yale became an “awesome skateboarder” and “one of the top paintball players” in the area, according to his mother. She said he was setting up a Web site for a paintball team he had founded.

Jordan Haerter

Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, Navy Cross for valor in Iraq

Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, 19, was from a comfortably middle-class suburb on Long Island. As a boy, he had worn military garb, and he had felt the pull of adventure and patriotism. He had just arrived in Iraq.

On April 22, the two were assigned to guard the main gate to Joint Security Station Nasser in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, once an insurgent stronghold and still a dangerous region. Dozens of Marines and Iraqi police lived at the compound, and some were still sleeping after all-night patrols when Yale and Haerter reported for duty that warm, sultry morning.

Yale, respected for his quiet, efficient manner, was assigned to show Haerter how to take over his duties.

Haerter had volunteered to watch the main gate, even though it was considered the most hazardous of the compound’s three guard stations because it could be approached from a busy thoroughfare.

The sun had barely risen when the two sentries spotted a 20-foot-long truck headed toward the gate, weaving with increasing speed through the concrete barriers. Two Iraqi police officers assigned to the gate ran for their lives. So did several Iraqi police on the adjacent street.

Yale and Haerter tried to wave off the truck, but it kept coming. They opened fire, Yale with a machine gun, Haerter with an M-16. Their bullets peppered the radiator and windshield. The truck slowed but kept rolling.

A few dozen feet from the gate, the truck exploded. Investigators found that it was loaded with 2,000 pounds of explosives and that its driver, his hand on a “dead-man switch,” was determined to commit suicide and slaughter Marines and Iraqi police.

The thunderous explosion rocked much of Ramadi, interrupting the morning call to prayers from the many mosques. A nearby mosque and a home were flattened. The blast ripped a crater 5 feet deep and 20 feet across into the street.

Shards of concrete scattered everywhere, and choking dust filled the air.

Haerter was dead; Yale was dying.

Three Marines about 300 feet away were injured. So were eight Iraqi police and two dozen civilians.

But several dozen other nearby Marines and Iraqi police, while shaken, were unhurt. A Black Hawk helicopter was summoned in a futile attempt to get Yale to a field hospital in time. A sheet was placed over Haerter.

When I interview heroes, or read their stories, two things stand out. They all say that they were not heroes, that they were just doing their duty. And they all say that they acted to save their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen or Marines. I do not know what Jordan and Jon would answer to the question “Why?” but I am willing to wager that they would tell us that they did it because they were Marines and it was their duty.

Photos at Newsday

Jordan Haerter Memorial Site

It looks like a nice place to visit. For that, you can thank the United States Marines.

A truck loaded with goods drives onto the infamous “Blackwater” bridge. The bridge once the sight where insurgents hanged the bodies of mutilated American contractors, now acts as a gateway into a thriving marketplace.

Shopkeepers in the Andaloos market district of Fallujah sell their wares. These same streets that once saw bitter fighting between Marines and insurgents, now boast a thriving marketplace.

Just mentioning of the city of Fallujah conjures up images of a devastated city ripped apart by the horrors of war. It was November 2004, there were an estimated 2,000 insurgents infesting the city prepared to fight to the death and it was the Marine Corps’ job to facilitate this. After bitter house-to-house fighting the Marines took the city. In the battle’s wake, laid a city in ruin. Numerous buildings turned to rubble, the streets littered with debris, any form or city infrastructure such as water and power eliminated. It was total devastation.

The Fallujah of today still holds the scars of war. Bullet holes pockmark numerous buildings throughout the city. Yet, out of the ashes of fiery combat a city of hope has begun to arise.

A local resident shops for goods at the Andaloos market. The market has begun to thrive as the city of Fallujah becomes more peaceful.

Fallujah is far from perfect if you look at it in terms of American standards, but considering where it was a few years ago, the city is thriving. “The city has heart and soul; it’s headed in the right direction.” Said Lt. Col. Christopher Dowling, battalion commander, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1.

One of the largest contributors to the turn around is the will of the people. According to Dowling, the people of Fallujah are key in setting the conditions for change. “They need to be willing participants, and the people of Fallujah are willing participants.”

Another indicator to the success of a city is its economic development. Now years later on the same streets that saw the most violent combat, vendors sell their goods. Fishmongers haggle over the price of the day’s catch, a child sells ice-cream, old men sit around and drink tea, and trucks loaded with produce pass under the same bridge where the mutilated bodies of American contractors once hanged. In the very streets that Marines and insurgents once clashed, caravans of cars, trucks, and even horse and tractor drawn wagons move the residents of the city about their daily business.

According to Dowling it has been a slow and methodical process and the success in the city today is due not only to the current Marines and Iraqi security forces who protect the city but also the numerous soldiers, sailors, Marines and Iraqi forces that have come before paving the way for the cities revival.

The fight for the city and the events leading up to today have been costly, expressed Dowling. “The streets of Fallujah are filled with the blood of sailors, solders, and Marines.” And according to Dowling the success of the city today is a “tribute to those young men.”

Fallujah is a city at the brink, the potential for it to erupt into chaos is still present. Yet thanks to the valiant efforts of the soldiers, sailors, Marines and Iraqi forces who have served here with distinction that potential becomes less and less every day. Moreover, the willingness of the people of this once war-torn city to rise up from the fiery ashes of combat and make this city work shows that this city’s future remains bright.

Marine Corps News