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TechnoratiAdvancing Marines Test New Afghan War Doctrine
BARCHA, Afghanistan - Winning ground is one thing. Convincing Afghan villagers you will not leave, abandoning them to a vengeful Taliban, is a bigger challenge for U.S. Marines advancing deep into southern Helmand province.
![[U.S. Marines use Hide's camera to scan the fingerprints and iris of an Afghani villager during a patrol to collect information on villagers close to Barcha village in Helmand province, October 11, 2009. Hide is an identification system using fingerprint and retinal scans. (REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/marines_retina.jpg "marines_retina.jpg")
The Marines, part of a 10,000-strong force sent to Afghanistan this
year, have pushed south into hostile terrain, winning ground and
pledging to build the long-term trust and security needed to prevent
insurgents from returning.
A day after taking over the former home of a local doctor which had been used as a post by the Taliban, the Marines were building it into a base and trying to win over local people.
"You have to make a decision, please. You want to work with us or you want to work with the Taliban?" the clean-shaven young Marine Captain Junwei Sun asked a wizened and bearded village elder at the first "shura" -- or meeting -- with local people.
The base is a sprawling, dry mud compound of rooms and a large courtyard, topped by a watch room which gives a panoramic view of the surrounding cornfields and villages.
"I'm good at fighting people like this (the Taliban). If you help me, I guarantee, over time we'll get security here," First Lieutenant Samuel Oliver said.
It took 200 men from the 2nd battalion 8th Marines two days to advance just 4km (2.5 miles) to Barcha in the face of insurgent attacks and a string of roadside explosive traps.
The eight-year-old war is at its most intense, with more than 400 NATO troops dead this year. U.S. Afghan commander Stanley McChrystal has told President Barack Obama he needs 40,000 troops to push back a resurgent Taliban and convince the population insurgents will not win.
The Marines in Helmand are field-testing McChrystal's counter-insurgency strategy of marching into populated areas and holding them so that government institutions can be set up.
Obama, under pressure from Democrats to pull back from the war and from Republicans to meet military requests, has said he will review overall strategy before deciding on reinforcements.
LOCAL COMPLAINTS
Villagers complained it was unsafe to walk to the local mosque, that there were no schools and that the Marines had detained an innocent man as a suspected Taliban member.
"If you tell me he is not Taliban, then I will let him go ... you promise me he is not Taliban?" Captain Sun asked.
The elders raised their hands and in unison said, "no he is not." The heavily armed Marines outside released the detainee.
But winning trust, while judging friend from foe, is not easy.
In nearby Darbishan village, Abdul Razak, 18, who lives in a simple mud brick hut in a cornfield, is having his eyeballs scanned by a U.S. Marine sergeant.
Razak is not an "individual of interest," or suspected insurgent, but Marines say keeping biometric data will enable them to track who lives nearby and build an informal census.
Razak knows the Marines outside his home and mosque, where he runs a small school, want information about the Taliban.
"The Taliban and the Americans come here and push us around ... I don't mind if they don't upset us, they can come here, but we are not the Taliban, they are not from here," said Razak.
The Marines, accompanied by a unit of nine Afghan soldiers,
machete their way through tall corn fields to other houses.
In the next compound Hajji Abdul Khaliq is squatting and counting his worry beads. Khaliq's son, a doctor, is the village's main landowner but is in Helmand's provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, buying medicine for his practice.
"The Taliban were last here four days ago." Khaliq said. "I don't know them, they are not from the area, they are always from Pakistan or Iran."
Three women from the village sit in the corner of Khaliq's compound cleaning vegetables. "When there is war, we are very unhappy, when it's peaceful it's good, but we don't have Taliban here," 60-year old Hadiyeh said.
Editing by Sean Maguire
10 Comments so far
Show AllTroops in every village, there will never be enough troops.
And how long, exactly, is it, until we all start having our eyeballs scanned and our fingerprints taken every where we go? Already the Massive Federal Government illegally reads all our mail, cellphone and computer info. THAT is a direct violation of the fourth Amendment of the Constitution and all judges, politicians and CEO's who share that private information are TRAITORS to the Constitution. How long is it before these ten thousand troops come home looking for law enforcement jobs in our MASSIVE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? Or in our Massive State or Local Governments?
How Long?
Yes we let this go on in a War Zone. But these young men are now used to kicking down doors and serving as judge, jury and executioner. Police now hold down and swab for DNA all arrestees of protests, I've heard. How long before it's done without your consent walking along the sidewalk? Apparently, your eyeballs and your body fluids are not part of your person or "personal effects" protected from unreasonable search and seizure. Employers have no right to collect urine or blood of citizens and drug test and share you genetics with insurance companies. But these are the Dark Ages we are living in and it is being done. Each day you loose just a little more freedom. You are but a Frog in a slowly warming pot of water.
Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
TJ
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." - Thomas Jefferson
"'You have to make a decision, please. You want to work with us or you want to work with the Taliban?' the clean-shaven young Marine Captain Junwei Sun asked a village elder."
This discussion should be the other way around. The elder should be saying to Captain Sun, "You have to make a decision, please. You want to work for us Afghans, or you want to work for Washington?"
Offering 'salvation' the My Lai way?
"I'm good at fighting people like this (the Taliban). If you help me, I guarantee, over time we'll get security here," First Lieutenant Samuel Oliver said.
The US is losing here. Either Lieutenant Samuel Oliver is either lying through his teeth, or he is deluded.
In nearby Darbishan village, Abdul Razak, 18, who lives in a simple mud brick hut in a cornfield, is having his eyeballs scanned by a U.S. Marine sergeant.
Razak is not an "individual of interest," or suspected insurgent, but Marines say keeping biometric data will enable them to track who lives nearby and build an informal census
COMING SOON TO A US CITY NEAR YOU
"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts." - John Keats
So some steroided up over-armored punk backed by aerial bombardment whose stooges are fingerprinting & taking iris scans is going to issues ultimatums to the elders?
We don't need even need the horrific pictures that the Democratic congres is workign to keep from public view -- just one look at this disgusting photo turns my stomach . . .
Yes, and "macheteing thru tall cornfields" will win lots of hearts and minds too.
Forcing all villagers to have eye scans and finger prints, and then demanding that they be on the side of the American and NATO invading force will FOREVER win the hearts and minds of the people of Afghanistan and all over the Mideast and the world.... NOT.
This is terrorism... knowing that if they don't surrender their free will, their homes will be invaded and taken over or blown up with their families.
But if we left them alone instead of promising we will be there indefinitely, any foreign fighters from Pakistan, Iran, or wherever would not be welcome by the people and tribes after a night and a pot of tea.
This used to be common sense like the Golden Rule. Now the opposite of that is the formula: War=Terrorism or now euphemistically called the "New Afghan War Doctrine".
This Friday is National Boss Day... Obama is the new Boss of this crime.
We need to send him a card.
So, Talibanish US, instead for real American Hands Off the Middle East (HOME) land SECURITY! After all, Iraqiranistan the Muslim Homeland; LEAVE IT to them, NOW!