They’re Back…..Marines Return To Afghanistan. Taliban And Other Assorted Dirtbags Hit Hardest.

Since our NATO “allies” refused to pony up enough troops to deal with increased terrorist activities in Afghanistan, someone had to step up and fill the void.

That someone turned out to be the US Marine Corps. And it didn't take long for them to get in the fight.

The first US Marines of a new expeditionary force were deployed in Afghanistan’s troubled Helmand province yesterday, promising new and more aggressive tactics in an implicit criticism of the British operation there.

General Dan McNeill, the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, said that the Marine expeditionary force of about 3,500 troops would “stir things up” in remote southern districts of Helmand, where few if any Nato troops have operated in the past seven years.

“We want to establish and maintain a force here and take the pressure off the forces in the north,” he said.

As well as getting added firepower, the British will also come under pressure to adopt American counter-insurgency tactics as the US tries to lead a “mini-surge” to fill the gaps in the Nato alliance’s ranks. The deployment is being regarded as a tacit admission that, after two years in Helmand, British troops have failed to dim the insurgency or to have an impact on opium production, currently the highest in Afghanistan.

Marine leaders sensing that things are winding up in Iraq, especially in Anbar Province where most Marines were stationed, have been trying to get into the fight in Afghanistan for awhile. When NATO nations didn’t provide enough troops to meet the need, the Marines saw their chance and took it.

Is it just me or do you think the Taiban and al Qaeda scumbags would have kicked in a few bucks to help offset the costs of additional NATO troops? I mean who would you rather be up against? Some Euro-coalition troops or US Marines?

posted by DrewM. at 10:40 AM

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