Marines muscle in on Taliban stronghold

[unhappycamper]

Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit patrol through a poppy field May 1 near the town of Garmser, Afghanistan. Marines are not eradicating any poppies, which produce a resin that can be turned into heroin, but they have established a checkpoint near where Afghan farmers walk out to their fields. As about 10 men moved through, the troops belatedly identified two who they thought could be Taliban scouts. “It’s the world’s greatest guessing game,” said Staff Sgt. Tyree Adams.


Marines muscle in on Taliban stronghold
Wire reports
Posted : Friday May 2, 2008 15:15:43 EDT

GARMSER, Afghanistan — Airstrikes and artillery thundered through this southern Afghan town Thursday as Marines moved through the area’s bountiful poppy fields in an effort to clear the region of its Taliban stranglehold.

Cobra helicopters concentrated rounds of fire on a mud house hideout at daybreak before a Harrier jet dropped two bombs. Artillery rattled the countryside at nightfall after militants fired mortars on U.S. positions.

Capt. Charles O’Neill, a company commander, hunkered down in a barnyard and turned a small, mud-brick house into his headquarters. His unit called in artillery in darkness Thursday after enemy forces fired mortars at his troops.

“We’d been receiving indirect fire in this area since we got here about three days ago,” said O’Neill, 33, of Euclid, Ohio. “We receive it sometimes in the afternoon and sometimes in the early evening, and it seemed like they were gradually what we call bracketing, getting it closer to the target.”

O’Neill said he didn’t expect any more mortar attacks after a U.S. artillery team stationed outside town sent shock waves through the countryside during a 15-minute barrage. The Marines have been taking sporadic gunfire since their daybreak assault into Garmser on Tuesday.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/gns_afghanmarines_050208/

[gateley]

1. Very powerful photo.

Go with God.