Marines Strike Taliban-Controlled City

Force Of Several Hundred Launches Operation In Southern Afghanistan

(AP)  U.S. Marines in helicopters and Humvees flooded into a Taliban-held town in southern Afghanistan's most violent province early Tuesday in the first major American operation in the region in years.

Several hundred Marines, many of them veterans of the conflict in Iraq, pushed into the town of Garmser in predawn light in an operation to drive out militants, stretching NATO's presence into an area littered with poppy fields and classified as Taliban territory.

U.S. commanders say Taliban fighters have been expecting an assault and have been setting up improvised explosive devices in response. It wasn't known how much resistance the Marines would face in Garmser, where the British have a small base on the town's edge but whose main marketplace is closed because of the Taliban threat.

The assault in Helmand province - backed by U.S. artillery in the desert and fighter aircraft in the sky - is the first major task undertaken by the 2,300 Marines in the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which arrived last month from Camp Lejuene, North Carolina for a seven-month deployment. Another 1,200 Marines arrived to train Afghan police.

Maj. Tom Clinton, the American commander at Forward Operating Base Dwyer, a British outpost 10 miles west of Garmser, said the Taliban had undoubtedly seen the Marines moving into the area in recent days.

But he said the fact that the Marines were assaulting the town by helicopter and were moving through by foot was likely a surprise.

"There's all kinds of reports of (Taliban) commanders telling their guys to grab their stuff and get out there" to fight, said Clinton, 36, of Swampscott, Massachusetts. "It's no secret they know we're here. It's just a question of when and where" an assault would happen.

The Marines' mission is the first carried out by U.S. forces this far south in Helmand province in years. An operation late last year to take back the Taliban-held town of Musa Qala on the north end of Helmand involved U.S., British and Afghan forces.

Helmand province is the world's largest opium poppy-growing region and has been a flashpoint of the increasingly violent insurgency the last two years. British troops - who are responsible for Helmand - have faced fierce battles on the north end of Helmand.

Most U.S. troops operate in the east, along the border with Pakistan, but Britain - with 7,500 troops - and Canada - with 2,500 troops in neighboring Kandahar province - have not had enough manpower to tame the south.

More than 8,000 people died in insurgency related violence last year. Militants set off more than 140 suicide bombs. Taliban fighters have been increasingly relying on roadside bombs and suicide attacks after being routed in force-on-force battles in the past.

"I think if it was me I'd be laying a ton of IEDs down and leaving some guys behind to shoot and run. I don't expect a lot of leaders to stay around," Clinton said of the number of fighters the Marines might face.

Marines had prepared on Monday by cleaning weapons and handing out grenades. The leader of one of three companies involved - Charlie Company commander Capt. John Moder - said his men were ready.

"The feeling in general is optimistic, excited," said Moder, 34, of North Kingstown, Rhode Island. "They've been training for this deployment the last nine months. We've got veteran leaders."

Many of the men in the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit served in 2006 and 2007 in Ramadi, the capital of the Anbar province in western Iraq. The vast region was once al Qaeda in Iraq's stronghold before the militants were pushed out in early 2007.

Moder said that experience would inform how his men fight in Afghanistan. "These guys saw a lot of progress in Ramadi, so they understand it's not just kinetic (war fighting) but it's reconstruction and economic development."

But on the initial assault, Moder said his men were prepared to face mines and improvised explosive devices and "anybody that wants to fight us."

One Marine in Charlie Company, Corp. Matt Gregorio, a 26-year-old from Boston, alluded to the fact the Marines have been in Afghanistan for six weeks without carrying out any missions. He said the mood was "anxious, excited."

"We've been waiting a while to get this going," he said.

[j-whitman]

guadalcanal3,,, Another black stain our our country is surfacing now ---- GITMO prosecurtor was told, "No aquitals, the President needs convictions for election"

Bush should be thrown in prison

[j-whitman]

guadalcanal3,,,, I had a step father in Guadalcanal --- You want to win a war or what ??? McCain is no doubt about it, More of the Same failures

[j-whitman]

guadalcanal3,,, In the meantime, in Iraq --- KBR, Dyncorp are stealing equipment, ammo, sholder fired missiles etc from our Marines

Not to mention over charging on government contracts up to 80% & the lives of our contract workers & our militay is put in peril --- Republicans & this Administration refuse to prosecute them.

[j-whitman]

libagenda--singinrick ---- Still haven''t figured out who gave the 10 Commandments to Moses ????

Guess What ??? ----- It wasn''t Jesus like you said

[j-whitman]

guadalcanal3,,, It''s a tough job, & the kenitic battle is extremely short handed in Afhaganistan -- We won''t be able to field enough combat troops untill late in 2009 at the earliest

There is no money going to them for the biggest fight, nation building reconstruction & economics. McCain & his Tax Cuts are a disaster to any warfare

[sharonlynnga]

Thanks, guadalcanal3. My son is a fine Marine - strong, solid as a rock, and proud to serve America! I pray he and his Marine brothers stay safe and that they make progress freeing those who are oppressed in Afghanistan. My youngest is also a fine Marine who deploys to Habbaniyah this summer.

Very Proud Marine Mom

[inventagod2]

Learn from history, Dubya!

Previous Afghan invasions which failed:

Persia - Darius the Great. Failed.

Greece - Alexander the Great. Failed.

Scythians, the Sassanians, the Hephthalites (or White Huns), and the Turks (or Gvkt|rks) Failed.

Mongols - Ghengis Khan. Failed.

The British. Failed.

Soviet Union. Failed.

Has Bu$h not been partying so hard in college, he may have learned this. Going AWOL in the reserves didn''t help either...
So here we are. Failing...

[guadalcanal3]

sharonlynnga...Complete respect for your son and all armed forces fighting to bring freedom to Afghanistan...deep respect to you!

[tbweb]

Tell that the the Army and the Air Force,...

Posted by FloydZepp at 09:02 AM : Apr 29, 2008,,,

Only Marines guard the U.S. President and U.S. Embassies, I''m not going to knock the Army, however Secretary Gates did just that to the Air Force recently! I know for a fact Marines are being held back from fighting the way they are capable of in Iraq for political reasons.

[pollroller1]

I would like to thank all of the men and women that serve in the military for the great job they are doing.
Without you guys, there wouldn''t be any USA.

[grim56z]

Taliban and Al Qada are running away like women to hide in their closets. They are supposed to be fighters in a war, not prom dates.

[sharonlynnga]

My son and his friends are there fighting for their lives and the lives of Afghans. Please do not show disrespect/disregard for their lives.

Marine Mom

[dobbershome]

We need to back our troops way out of the area and turn that $hithole into a glass factory. Stay safe troops.

[tbweb]

The United States Marine Corps are the heart and soul of the nation. No matter what else is going on, whether it be Christmas, New Years, Holidays, Political events, bad weather, none of it matters, none of it affects the Marines, the Marines stay focused, business like, professional and make us proud. If you want to know the true state of the nation, examine the true state of the Marines, as the Marines go, so goes the nation, the point of the nations sword!

Posted by tbweb at 03:31 AM : Apr 29, 2008
-----------

That''''s not true. The population distribution in the Nation varies significantly different from the small subset of personalities joining the Marine Corps so by definition the National Trend does not follow the Marine Corps way of thinking.


Posted by FloydZepp at 05:12 AM : Apr 29, 2008,,,

What I said had nothing to do with thinking, obviously you didn''t get it! lol But your answer is funny just the same. Translated: Without the Marines the U.S. would probably not exist! Sooooo, as the Marines goes, so goes the U.S.! Get it now?

[nonayabiness]

cb_brooklyn

Did you not see the videos? What about the manifests, and those who lost family on those planes? A conspiracy across the entire country? And now hundreds of people are gone from the very planes that hit WTC? Where did all of them go? Into hiding? I don''t think so.

[drinuk]

Can someone please explain why our boys are fighting for F--ing Poppies ? Instead of shafting our farmers would it not be a good idea to send Monsanto out there, they are the experts on crops, they are the experts on infiltrating crops and ruining the life of the farmers. Surely they would be better placed to genetically render Poppies useless for making Opium.
The only reason this tactic as not been used must be because there are those in Washington who treasure the Poppy more than they do our young men.

Get rid of the Poppy and you get rid of the Taliban and the funds for Osama.

[pensacola88]

Godspeed to my sons and their buddies out there!! Semper Fi!!

[tbweb]

The United States Marine Corps are the heart and soul of the nation. No matter what else is going on, whether it be Christmas, New Years, Holidays, Political events, bad weather, none of it matters, none of it affects the Marines, the Marines stay focused, business like, professional and make us proud. If you want to know the true state of the nation, examine the true state of the Marines, as the Marines go, so goes the nation, the point of the nations sword!

[edward1975-2009]

We are at our best when carrying the fight to the enemy. About time.

[edward1975-2009]

OORAH Devildogs, give them hell.