Zamindawar

Last U.S. Marine tank unit heading home from Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on September 5, 2013 Afghanistan, Infantry, Kajaki, Musa Qala, Sangin

The Marine Corps made national headlines in fall 2010 when it sent tanks to northern Helmand province to bolster firepower there. It was a first for the U.S. in the war, which was nine years old at the time. Nearly three years later, the tanks are coming home. Delta Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., will redeploy to the U.S. soon, and will not be replaced by a similar unit, said 1st Lt. Philip Kulczewski, a Marine spokesman in Afghanistan. It’s one of the most tangible indications recently that that the U.S. drawdown in forces in Afghanistan…

Marine tanks, special operators raid northern Helmand

By Dan Lamothe on November 7, 2012 Afghanistan, Infantry, Kajaki, Musa Qala, Trek Nawa, Vehicles, Weapons

The Marine Corps may have drawn down its forces in Afghanistan to less than 7,000 personnel this year, but they continue to run daring operations with the elite troops they have left. One of the latest examples is Operation Helmand Viper, a muscular effort to strike Taliban fighters in Zamindawar, a violent region between Musa Qala and Kajaki districts that we’ve covered several times on Battle Rattle this year. As this new Marine Corps news release points out, tanks with Bravo Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., rolled in support of special operators Oct. 19 to 27,…

Marines attack insurgents in Zamindawar area of Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on June 13, 2012 Afghanistan, Infantry, Kajaki, Weapons

It was a matter of time. Marines in Afghanistan recently launched Operation Jaws, an effort to root out the Taliban in Zamindawar, an area of northern Helmand province that has been a hotbed for insurgent activity. The operation was headed by 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., and ran from May 25 to June 9, according to this new Marine Corps news release. They targeted an area of Kajaki district that I wrote about several times while embedded there in April. As outlined in this previous story, Marines had been observing insurgents in Zamindawar for quite some…

Marines make sense of Taliban flags in Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on May 4, 2012 Afghanistan, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines, Sangin

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Good morning, friends. Photographer James Lee and I are currently holding it down at this massive forward operating base and waiting on a few interviews. Over the next week or so, we’ll continue to offer up images and thoughts here on Battle Rattle from our time in Kajaki and Sangin districts with Marine infantry units. Up for discussion today: Taliban flags. Several times outside the wire, we observed that Marines pay attention to flags flown over compound buildings. They come in several colors, but the ones that draw the most attention are black or white. In…

Marines push raids, surveillance as Afghanistan drawdown begins

By Dan Lamothe on April 30, 2012 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marines

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHAMSHER, Afghanistan — Good morning, friends. I’m back at the computer now after a foot patrol in Sangin’s Green Zone this morning with Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. We pushed through fields, canals and trails for several hours, and it was relatively uneventful. One thing I would like to point out today: Marine Corps Times has posted online another of my long-form features out of Kajaki district. It highlights the increasing prominence of surveillance and raids for Marines in Afghanistan, particularly in light of the planned drawdown of forces there. Conducting raids successfully requires massive amounts…

Canine kisses in Kajaki

By James J. Lee on April 13, 2012 Afghanistan, Animals, Battle Rattle, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki

Lance Cpl. Richard Bissett gets some love from Camo, an improvised explosive detection dog at Observation Post Shrine in Kajaki, Afghanistan, on Friday. (James J. Lee / Staff) OBSERVATION POST SHRINE, Afghanistan – I miss my dog, but I didn’t realize how much until I met Camo, an improvised explosive detection dog. This little position on a hill overlooking the Taliban-held area of Zamindawar is referred to as a “static ambush position,” so Camo doesn’t get much of a chance to do her thing up here. After sitting for hours at the feet of handler Lance Cpl. Richard Bissett as…

Marines defend Kajaki at “The Shrine”

By Dan Lamothe on April 12, 2012 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki

OBSERVATION POST SHRINE, Afghanistan – Somewhere on the edge of Taliban country, we’ll be spending the night amidst the sound of coyotes, crickets and Afghan music. Photographer James Lee and I reached this small outpost in Kajaki district today, and will be staying with members of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. An element from 1/8’s 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, calls “The Shrine” home. They are tasked with partnering with soldiers from the Afghan National Army to keep insurgent fighters in the countryside from coming closer to the landmark Kajaki Dam and civilians in the nearby area.…

Marines in Afghanistan push through Kajaki’s tunnel systems

By Dan Lamothe on March 7, 2012 Afghanistan, General officers, Infantry, Kajaki

Marine Corps Times just posted a long-form story I filed analyzing what Marines in Afghanistan can expect to see in coming months. It relies mainly on a long phone conversation with Maj. Gen. John Toolan, the outgoing commander of coalition forces in Helmand and Nimroz provinces. Among the more interesting things to emerge from the interview: Toolan said Marine forces in northern Helmand province have focused recently on clearing Zamindawar, a region of volatile Kajaki district. The area is northwest of the landmark Kajaki Dam, and zig-zagged by a maze of underground irrigation tunnels. From the story: A significant target…

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