US sends 4,000 marines into the hell of Helmand

COMMITTING men, money and firepower, the United States opened a new chapter in the Afghan conflict yesterday, sending more than 4,000 of its best combat troops tearing into a stalemated patch of hell, the name of which the British know all too well: Helmand.

Nearly eight years since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and in the week when US combat troops finally pulled back from Iraq's urban centres ahead of their total withdrawal by 2011, Barack Obama's administration has begun to fight in earnest the war the president has always believed was the "right" one – but which critics say will be his Vietnam.

"You're going to change the world this summer, and it starts this morning," Lieutenant-Colonel Christian Cabaniss, commander of the 2nd battalion, 8th Marines, told his troops, before they clambered into helicopters to begin Operation Khanjar, or "Strike of the Sword", their assault on Afghanistan's most dangerous area.

"Where we go, we will stay and where we stay, we will hold, build and work toward transition of all security responsibilities to Afghan forces," said US marine corps general Larry Nicholson.

The operation came as the US announced one of its soldiers was missing, believed captured by insurgents in eastern Afghanistan. He was not involved in the Helmand operation.

The offensive in the south was launched shortly after 1am local time, as thousands of marines poured from helicopters and armoured vehicles into Taleban-controlled villages along 20 miles of the Helmand River in Helmand province, the world's largest opium poppy-producing area, which has claimed the lives of scores of British soldiers.

The US goal is to clear insurgents from the region before the Afghan presidential election on 20 August. The offensive involves nearly 4,000 marines plus 650 Afghan forces. Last week, British forces, led by the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, undertook similar, but smaller, missions to clear out insurgents in preparation for the US operation.

Early yesterday, transport helicopters carried hundreds of marines into the village of Nawa, 20 miles south of the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, a region where no Nato troops have operated in large numbers.

The troops took many insurgents by surprise, dropping behind Taleban lines, according to Captain Drew Schoenmaker. "We are forging new ground here. We are going to a place nobody has been before," he said.

Several hundred marines took positions in a freshly ploughed field at 3am. The soft, deep dirt proved challenging for troops weighed down with days' worth of water, food and gear.

At dawn, they walked along tree lines, and at 6:15am took their first incoming fire, from an AK-47. The next three hours brought repeated bursts of gunfire and volleys of rocket-propelled grenades, sending deep booms across the countryside – but there were no pitched battles, and the US marines suffered no serious casualties. "The enemy has chosen to withdraw, rather than engage for the most part," a US spokesman said.

Pakistan's army said it had moved troops from elsewhere on its side of the Afghan border to the stretch opposite Helmand to try to stop any militants from fleeing the offensive.

The US is sending 21,000 extra troops to Afghanistan in time for the elections and expects the total number of US forces there to reach 68,000 by the year's end. That is double the number of US troops in Afghanistan in 2008.

Last night, the people of Sorkhdoz in Helmand were out on the streets to get a good look at their new neighbours, a company of about 200 US marines.

Capt Junwei Sun, the marines' commander, walked the streets at sunset, introducing himself and his Afghan government ally, Lt-Col Gul Agha Almiri, from the border police. Villagers listened politely while Lt-Col Almiri told them he was there to help bring peace.

Capt Sun said he was not surprised the Taleban did not try to stop the advance into the valley, but doubted the insurgents, who held it firmly until yesterday morning, had simply vanished.

"They do not want to test us," he said. "But I expect, once we settle down, they will try something."

Analysis: Troops surge may see Nato finally achieve its objective

THIS is proof that the surge has started. The blitz into southern Helmand is Nato is flexing its newly arrived US muscles.

The American marines have the same mission Nato troops have had for years: the doctrine of "clear, hold, build" is nothing new. But until now, it has been impossible. Helmand is Afghanistan's most violent province and British troops have been stretched thin, from Garmsir in the south, to Musa Qala and Kajaki in the north.

Of the 8,300 British troops in Afghanistan, only half are based in Helmand, and even fewer are in the combat outposts, doing battle with the Taleban.

In the three years since they first arrived, they have launched countless "clear" operations to flush the Taleban out of so-called "strongholds". But, until very recently, they've always had to withdraw, to fight elsewhere.

The Taleban, who invariably melt away when there's an overwhelming assault, re-infiltrate once foreign troops have gone, and locals are left to rebuild their homes under the watchful gaze of the insurgents, who bill their return as a victory.

The "hold" was always short-lived. The "build," which is supposed to involve substantive reconstruction, has been risible. In Garmsir, Britain had a handful of soldiers spread across two small outposts. They struggled to control much beyond their bases.

The Taleban would plant improvised explosive devices in the tracks around their camps. Occasionally, they'd fire rockets at the British camps. The British would fire back.

"The British troops they come, they bomb an area, and capture it, then go and the Taleban come back," said Mohammed Sabir, a student who fled Garmsir to live in Lashkar Gah because schools in his village were destroyed. "The fighting begins again and in between the civilians die."

The Americans have promised to change that. More than 8,000 US marines have deployed in Helmand, and more are on their way. They will give Nato the ability for the first time since 2001 to try to control Helmand's border with Pakistan.

• Jerome Starkey has reported for The Scotsman from Afghanistan since October 2007.

Jerome Starkey in Kabul