Marines meet with Afghans to explain offensive, seek support

On the outskirts of Marja, Afghanistan — Hundreds of Afghan men walked for miles over dusty roads Saturday morning to get to an open-air meeting to hear the Marines explain those angry sounds of war coming from the Taliban stronghold of Marja.

Nearly 400 elders, farmers and tradesmen attended a meeting called by their tribal leaders -- twice as many as have attended any such community meeting in the past. In the distance, the sounds of artillery and Cobra attack helicopters and Hellfire missiles could be heard as the Marine-led assault on Marja entered its first full day.

For the U.S., the meeting, called a shurra by Afghan custom, was part of a strategy to create a seamless transition between the coordinated attack to rid the community of Taliban fighters and the establishment of at least the beginnings of a branch of the national government from Kabul.

Marine Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson has ordered each of his commanders to hold a public meeting as soon as possible to explain the mission and ask the residents of Marja and surrounding communities what they want from a government. The meeting held outside an abandoned school and attended by Marine Lt. Col. Matt Baker, commander of the 1st battalion, 3rd regiment, was the first.

When Baker’s convoy was delayed by the discovery of a roadside bomb in its path, the audience members, sitting cross-legged on rugs under a warm morning sky, waited patiently for an hour. When he arrived, they stood and applauded, cheered on by government leaders from Helmand Province, who have long seen Marja as a threat.

“I hope the fighting goes quickly and the people in Marja take a page from Nawa (a nearby community) and begin to enjoy peace and prosperity,” Baker told the group.

Reaction was mixed. Some applauded. Others seemed to scowl and at least three men in their 20s stomped out in protest.

But a man asserting he had been a Taliban sympathizer stood up and renounced his former allegiance and said he hopes the Afghan government can help him find a job.

Baker told the group that he had no doubt that other Taliban were also in the crowd.

“There may be insurgents in the crowd and I welcome them,” he said. “Now is the time to start talking about projects, like rebuilding this school. Let’s stop fighting.”

In July, battalions of Marines landed in the middle of Helmand Province, a Taliban stronghold, and after weeks of fighting forced Taliban fighters to flee, mostly to Marja. But until recently, the Marines lacked a sufficient partner in the Afghan army to push into Marja.

That ended in the predawn hours Saturday, when U.S., British and Afghan troops mounted a coordinated assault on the sprawling city cross-crossed with canals. By midday, U.S. officials were reporting the offensive was going as planned and had met only nominal opposition from small-arms fire.

Marine Capt. Tom Grace, whose Bravo Company had seized a key roadway leading out of Marja to prevent Taliban from fleeing, said the fighting “sends a message to the insurgents that we are not afraid of them.”

While the assault on Marja had the look of classic warfare, it was still war in the context of counterinsurgency where the goal is less to kill the enemy than to win the hearts and minds of the populace.

Grace told the group that if the Marines damage property or offend local customs, the elders should immediately report the incident.

“We are here for you,” he said. “I realize we sometimes make mistakes and do things that may offend your culture. Please talk to us and we will make things better.”

Part of the NATO-Afghan government strategy is to have government officials ready to assume control of Marja within days and to quickly begin construction and cleanup projects to provide jobs.

Haji Abdul Manaf, the district governor of Nawa, applauded the Marine-Afghan army effort. Insurgents have used Marja as a sanctuary from which to launch strikes in Nawa, firebombing a mosque, assassinating three members of the Nawa council, and attempting to disrupt construction projects.

“We just want the Marines to clean up Marja in a few days,” said Manaf, who fought beside the CIA to oust the Russians from Afghanistan.

Haji Hayjihayatullah, who will assume responsibility for security in Marja, said he was not bothered by the pounding sound of artillery, at least for the time being.

“For 30 years we have heard that sound, we just want it to stop,” he said.