Military News
02-16-2010, 10:42 AM
02-16-2010 10:24 AM
MARJAH, Afghanistan — U.S. and Afghan forces traded gunfire with insurgents shooting from haystacks in poppy fields in the Taliban stronghold of Marjah as they pressed ahead in NATO’s assault on the militants’ heartland in southern Afghanistan.
Hoping to avoid prolonged gun battles, Marines called for long-range artillery support to disperse sniper squads harassing their advance into the town. For the first time since the offensive started Saturday, U.S. forces fired the non-lethal artillery “smoke shells” in a bid to intimidate enemy fighters who also lobbed rockets and mortars at them.
“We are trying not to be decisively engaged so we can progress, but we’re having some difficulty right now,” said Lima Company commander Capt. Joshua Winfrey.
Despite the continued firefights, Marine officials said the resistance was more disorganized than in previous days.
“We’re not seeing coordinated attacks like we did originally. We’re still getting small-arms fire but it’s sporadic, and hit-and-run tactics,” said spokesman Capt. Abraham Sipe. “As a whole, while there is still resistance, it is of a disorganized nature.”
Three more Afghan civilians were killed in the assault, NATO forces said, highlighting the toll on the population from an offensive aimed at making them safer.
The deaths — in three separate incidents — come after two errant U.S. missiles struck a house on the outskirts of Marjah on Sunday, killing 12 people, half of them children. Afghan officials said three Taliban fighters were in the house at the time of the attack.
About 15,000 NATO and Afghan troops are taking part in the massive offensive around Marjah — the linchpin of the Taliban logistical and opium poppy smuggling network in the militant-influenced south.
As the assault aimed at breaking the Taliban stranglehold over the south continued, the extremist group received a blow with the news that its top military commander had been arrested in Pakistan.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group’s No. 2 leader behind Afghan Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar and a close associate of Osama bin Laden, was captured in the port city of Karachi, U.S. and Pakistani officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. The arrest appeared to have occurred as many as 10 days ago, and it was unclear if it had any effect on the Marjah battle.
The offensive is the biggest joint operation since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, and a major test of a retooled NATO strategy to focus on protecting civilians, rather than killing insurgents.
But in two incidents confirmed Tuesday, Afghan men came toward NATO forces and ignored shouts and hand signals to stop, NATO said. Troops opened fire and killed them. In the third incident, two Afghan men were caught in the crossfire between insurgents and NATO forces. Both were wounded and one died of his injuries despite being given medical care, NATO said.
NATO has confirmed 15 civilian deaths, but an Afghan human rights group said Tuesday that they have counted 19 civilians killed since the beginning of the operation. Four of those were people who were caught in the crossfire when they left their homes.
“Their neighbors tell us that the bodies are outside and they want someone to pick them up. They say they’re scared if they go outside they will also be shot dead,” said Ajmal Samadi, the director of Afghanistan Rights Monitor. It was unclear whether NATO or insurgent forces were to blame for the deaths, he said.
Elsewhere in Helmand province, NATO and Afghan forces killed more than 10 militants as they chased a group of three vehicles in pursuit of a Taliban commander in Washir district, west of the area where the offensive is going on.
Firefights broke out as the troops chased the cars and they killed those inside the cars. The forces also came under fire from a nearby village, but NATO said it broke off the fight because it was worried about civilian casualties in the village.
In Marjah, Marine and Afghan squads skirted the booby-trapped streets of the town, pushing through more rural sections where fields of chest-high poppies grew amid irrigation canals.
But there they found insurgent snipers firing from haystacks built over small canals. It appeared that lone snipers were seeking to draw the Marine squads into areas where they could be targeted by larger Taliban units firing from nearby rooftops.
Squads with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines fanned out in columns alongside an armored-vehicle convoy as they moved carefully through poppy fields. A mine-roller leading the way detonated planted bombs as it advanced.
The Marines’ goal has been to link up with other companies that were airdropped into the city Saturday, but progress has been slow.
Residents said they were scared to be seen with NATO forces. One man, Wali Mohammad, warned an AP reporter, “Don’t take pictures or the Taliban will come back to kill me,” as Marines searched his compound.
Mohammad said he strongly suspected insurgents would return to the area as soon as the Marines moved on. He said Taliban fighters had targeted U.S. and Afghan troops, firing from his neighbors’ houses.
“When they come, we try to tell them not to use our house, but they have guns so they do what they want,” the poppy farmer said.
Afghan commanders spoke optimistically about the progress in Marjah, a town of about 80,000 people.
“It is very weak resistance, sporadic resistance by the enemy in some villages in the Marjah area,” Chief of Army Staff Bismullah Mohammadi said. Other officials have said Taliban fighters were fleeing across the border and the town should soon be cleared of insurgents.
In a separate incident unrelated to the Marjah offensive, a NATO airstrike in neighboring Kandahar province killed five civilians and wounded two. NATO said they were mistakenly believed to have been planting roadside bombs.
NATO officials have reported only two coalition deaths so far — one American and one Briton killed Saturday.
———
Associated Press writers Heidi Vogt in Kabul and Rahim Faiez in Helmand province contributed to this report.
Related reading:
Family says Marine dies in Afghanistan (http://militarywoman.org/forums/news/2010/02/ap_marine_afghanistan_kia_021510/)
Afghans to Taliban: Help us rebuild country (http://militarywoman.org/forums/news/2010/02/gns_afghanistan_marjah_taliban_021510/)
Taliban steps up attacks on troops in Marjah (http://militarywoman.org/forums/news/2010/02/ap_afghanistan_marjah_021510/)
More... (http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/02/ap_marines_afghanistan_marjah_021610/)
[Clicking on more will open up a popup box with the complete news story from the news source. MilitaryWoman.org is not responsible for content.]
MARJAH, Afghanistan — U.S. and Afghan forces traded gunfire with insurgents shooting from haystacks in poppy fields in the Taliban stronghold of Marjah as they pressed ahead in NATO’s assault on the militants’ heartland in southern Afghanistan.
Hoping to avoid prolonged gun battles, Marines called for long-range artillery support to disperse sniper squads harassing their advance into the town. For the first time since the offensive started Saturday, U.S. forces fired the non-lethal artillery “smoke shells” in a bid to intimidate enemy fighters who also lobbed rockets and mortars at them.
“We are trying not to be decisively engaged so we can progress, but we’re having some difficulty right now,” said Lima Company commander Capt. Joshua Winfrey.
Despite the continued firefights, Marine officials said the resistance was more disorganized than in previous days.
“We’re not seeing coordinated attacks like we did originally. We’re still getting small-arms fire but it’s sporadic, and hit-and-run tactics,” said spokesman Capt. Abraham Sipe. “As a whole, while there is still resistance, it is of a disorganized nature.”
Three more Afghan civilians were killed in the assault, NATO forces said, highlighting the toll on the population from an offensive aimed at making them safer.
The deaths — in three separate incidents — come after two errant U.S. missiles struck a house on the outskirts of Marjah on Sunday, killing 12 people, half of them children. Afghan officials said three Taliban fighters were in the house at the time of the attack.
About 15,000 NATO and Afghan troops are taking part in the massive offensive around Marjah — the linchpin of the Taliban logistical and opium poppy smuggling network in the militant-influenced south.
As the assault aimed at breaking the Taliban stranglehold over the south continued, the extremist group received a blow with the news that its top military commander had been arrested in Pakistan.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group’s No. 2 leader behind Afghan Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar and a close associate of Osama bin Laden, was captured in the port city of Karachi, U.S. and Pakistani officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. The arrest appeared to have occurred as many as 10 days ago, and it was unclear if it had any effect on the Marjah battle.
The offensive is the biggest joint operation since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, and a major test of a retooled NATO strategy to focus on protecting civilians, rather than killing insurgents.
But in two incidents confirmed Tuesday, Afghan men came toward NATO forces and ignored shouts and hand signals to stop, NATO said. Troops opened fire and killed them. In the third incident, two Afghan men were caught in the crossfire between insurgents and NATO forces. Both were wounded and one died of his injuries despite being given medical care, NATO said.
NATO has confirmed 15 civilian deaths, but an Afghan human rights group said Tuesday that they have counted 19 civilians killed since the beginning of the operation. Four of those were people who were caught in the crossfire when they left their homes.
“Their neighbors tell us that the bodies are outside and they want someone to pick them up. They say they’re scared if they go outside they will also be shot dead,” said Ajmal Samadi, the director of Afghanistan Rights Monitor. It was unclear whether NATO or insurgent forces were to blame for the deaths, he said.
Elsewhere in Helmand province, NATO and Afghan forces killed more than 10 militants as they chased a group of three vehicles in pursuit of a Taliban commander in Washir district, west of the area where the offensive is going on.
Firefights broke out as the troops chased the cars and they killed those inside the cars. The forces also came under fire from a nearby village, but NATO said it broke off the fight because it was worried about civilian casualties in the village.
In Marjah, Marine and Afghan squads skirted the booby-trapped streets of the town, pushing through more rural sections where fields of chest-high poppies grew amid irrigation canals.
But there they found insurgent snipers firing from haystacks built over small canals. It appeared that lone snipers were seeking to draw the Marine squads into areas where they could be targeted by larger Taliban units firing from nearby rooftops.
Squads with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines fanned out in columns alongside an armored-vehicle convoy as they moved carefully through poppy fields. A mine-roller leading the way detonated planted bombs as it advanced.
The Marines’ goal has been to link up with other companies that were airdropped into the city Saturday, but progress has been slow.
Residents said they were scared to be seen with NATO forces. One man, Wali Mohammad, warned an AP reporter, “Don’t take pictures or the Taliban will come back to kill me,” as Marines searched his compound.
Mohammad said he strongly suspected insurgents would return to the area as soon as the Marines moved on. He said Taliban fighters had targeted U.S. and Afghan troops, firing from his neighbors’ houses.
“When they come, we try to tell them not to use our house, but they have guns so they do what they want,” the poppy farmer said.
Afghan commanders spoke optimistically about the progress in Marjah, a town of about 80,000 people.
“It is very weak resistance, sporadic resistance by the enemy in some villages in the Marjah area,” Chief of Army Staff Bismullah Mohammadi said. Other officials have said Taliban fighters were fleeing across the border and the town should soon be cleared of insurgents.
In a separate incident unrelated to the Marjah offensive, a NATO airstrike in neighboring Kandahar province killed five civilians and wounded two. NATO said they were mistakenly believed to have been planting roadside bombs.
NATO officials have reported only two coalition deaths so far — one American and one Briton killed Saturday.
———
Associated Press writers Heidi Vogt in Kabul and Rahim Faiez in Helmand province contributed to this report.
Related reading:
Family says Marine dies in Afghanistan (http://militarywoman.org/forums/news/2010/02/ap_marine_afghanistan_kia_021510/)
Afghans to Taliban: Help us rebuild country (http://militarywoman.org/forums/news/2010/02/gns_afghanistan_marjah_taliban_021510/)
Taliban steps up attacks on troops in Marjah (http://militarywoman.org/forums/news/2010/02/ap_afghanistan_marjah_021510/)
More... (http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/02/ap_marines_afghanistan_marjah_021610/)
[Clicking on more will open up a popup box with the complete news story from the news source. MilitaryWoman.org is not responsible for content.]