NAVO offensief in Marjah: Aanval begonnen

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De internationale troepenmacht in Afghanistan heeft een groot offensief aangekondigd in de provincie Helmand. Volgens de NAVO is het doel van de operatie de burgers er te beschermen en wederopbouw van de regio mogelijk te maken.

In het doelwitgebied rond de stad Marjah wonen zo'n 100.000 mensen. Er werd al lange tijd gezinspeeld op een offensief in het district, maar door de actie aan te kondigen, hoopt de NAVO dat zo veel mogelijk burgers het gebied verlaten voor het grote offensief begint.


Ligging van Marjah op grotere kaart weergevenHet ziet er namelijk naar uit dat de operatie zal uitdraaien in een grote veldslag. Het offensief is bedoeld om de macht van de Taliban in Helmand te breken. Het district wordt gezien als het laatste grote bolwerk van de Taliban in Afghanistan, van naar schatting 1000 manschappen.

Door de acties van de Taliban is de wederopbouw in de zuidelijk provincie niet van de grond gekomen. De Taliban hebben ook een bolwerk in het aangrenzende Kandahar.

Bij het offensief wordt samengewerkt met het Afghaanse leger.

Onbekend is wanneer de acties precies beginnen en hoeveel militairen erbij betrokken zijn.

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. Explaining Operation Moshtarak. Tim Marshall
February 05, 2010 9:48 AM

Recommend post (3) UK, US, Afghan and Taliban forces are now engaged in what may be the biggest battle in Afghanistan since 2001.

Whatever the outcome of 'Operation Moshtarak' in Helmand province, it could mark the end of the middle phase
of NATO's involvement in the country.

Moshtarak means 'Together' in Dari. The name is designed to signal that the Afghan Army is now playing an equal role in fighting the Taliban. The current assault on the town of Marjah is the biggest test so far for the Afghan forces, but however they perform, the move is underway for them to 'step up' and NATO to 'draw down'.

Marjah is going to be difficult. If, as expected the area around the town has been surrounded, that means the Taliban have to fight, which in turn means they will probably fight to the death. The Talibs prefer not to engage in this manner, but may be forced to.

The town holds about 80,000 people, of whom up to 2,000 are thought to be Taliban, it is their last urban stronghold
and said to contain the Quetta Shura Council and bomb making factories..

The terrain favours the defending forces but they are outnumbered and outgunned. The town will almost certainly be taken. The British forces include the Grenadier Guards, the Royal Welsh Battle Group, the SAS and the SBS. In total the offensvive involves 15,000 troops.

To get into the centre the attacking forces will have to traverse open ground, then cross irrigation channels and canals, and then go into the urban areas. The US Marines have brought in their Assault Breaching Vehicles to get through the defences, there is likely to be some sort of air drop. The attacking forces will have full control of the skies using helicopter gunships, fighter jets and unmanned drones. The Taliban will have laid IED's, booby trapped houses and have assault rifles, RPG's and machine guns.

The importance of this battle is underlined by the fact that the British, who still command the southern sector, are moving their HQ from Khandahar to Lashkar Gar for the operation.

Success will provide a platform to keep the Taliban on the run. General McChrystal has already said 'the situation is no longer deteriorating' and his counter insurgency strategy is having an effect. This is turn will allow the Americans to say the surge and change in tactics is working, meaning President Obama can begin drawing down troops in time for his re-election campaign.

Conversely, if Moshtarak and its aftermath is unsuccessful, the draw down will probably still take place but under a cloud. President Obama will say he's given his Generals the chance. Both he and Gordon Brown have signalled clearly in the past few months that they expect the burden of fighting to be placed upon the Afghans. The middle phase of Nato involvement has been the hard grind of the last 5 years. This may now have only another year to go before the end phase begins - the Afghan Army fighting, the Americans and British switching to counter terrorism and reaction roles, and NATO beginning to pull out.

It's not all about Marjah, but Marjah is all about how to get to the end game.

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Op zaterdag 6 februari 2010 12:45 schreef El_Matador het volgende:
Wat mij betreft verlaten we die slangenkuil zo snel mogelijk. Geen enkele toekomst of verbetering in die woestijnzooi daar. Het is nooit wat geweest en zal nooit wat worden. Maar de maakbaarheidsidealisten begrijpen dat maar niet.

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Coalition

Afghan National Army
2,500 troops

United States Marine Corps
8,500 troops

British Army
4,000 troops

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Afghanistan: US forces close in on Taliban town before Operation Moshtarak
US and Afghan soldiers launched a preliminary assault against the Taliban near the Afghan town of Marjah ahead of the imminent Operation Moshtarak.

Published: 4:06PM GMT 09 Feb 2010

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French, Afghan and British troops preparing together for Operation Moshtarak. Photo: JULIAN SIMMONDS Governor of the Afghan province of Helmand Mohammad Ghulam Mangal (R) is watched by NATO's Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan Mark Sedwill as he addresses a press conference in Kabul on February 9 Photo: AFP/GETTY
Nato and Afghan officials, meanwhile, urged militants holding Marjah to lay down their arms and warned civilians to "keep your heads down".

About 400 US troops from the 5th Stryker Brigade as well as 250 Afghan soldiers and their 30 Canadian trainers moved into positions north-east of the town, which is in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.


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Taliban releases video of captured US soldierLarge plumes of smoke were witnessed in the area, along with the rattle of 50-caliber machine gun fire and detonations from MK-19s, machine guns which fire 40 mm grenades from Stryker vehicles.

The assault was part of the preliminary "shaping operation" ahead of the full-blown Operation Moshtarak. No casualties were reported.

US and British officials have not said when the main attack on the town of some 80,000 people will take place but have nonetheless heavily publicised plans to attack, causing hundreds of people to flee the opium-producing centre in advance of the fighting.

On Tuesday, however, Taliban militants prevented townspeople from leaving Marjah, as families huddled inside their homes, witnesses said.

The offensive will be the first major one since President Barack Obama announced he was sending 30,000 reinforcements to Afghanistan

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Op dinsdag 9 februari 2010 21:53 schreef IntercityAPT het volgende:
Ah, op dit precieze moment is Amerika in verweggistan de cowboy aan het uithangen. Leuk he

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Taliban-bolwerk Marjah omsingeld
Update: vrijdag 12 feb 2010, 19:59

Duizenden buitenlandse en Afghaanse militairen hebben als voorbereiding op een groot offensief tegen de Taliban de stad Marjah in de zuidelijke provincie Helmand omsingeld. Marjah is het laatste grote bolwerk van de Taliban in Helmand en een centrum van de opiumteelt.

In de stad van 80.000 inwoners zouden 400 tot 1000 Talibanstrijders zijn. De inwoners zijn over de radio en met pamfletten gewaarschuwd geen onderdak te bieden aan Talibanstrijders.

Veel mensen zijn de stad al ontvlucht. Het offensief moet een van de grootste worden sinds de Amerikaanse invasie van Afghanistan in 2001.

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Update: U.S. officials say main attack on Taliban-held town of Marjah in Afghanistan has now begun - AP

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With a promise to attack with speed and power, nearly 8,000 U.S. and Afghan forces launched a well telegraphed offensive today to take back control of the central Helmand city of Marja.


U.S. Marines quickly moved to the outskirts of the city in the opening moments of the assault where heavy machine gun fire could be heard. Helicopters flew overhead and several missiles were seen launched towards the city, including one that targeted a group of people who were apparently planting a roadside bomb.