As The U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan Continues, Dangers Increase For U.S. Troops

Afghanistan At A Crossroads, In No-Man's Land -- L.A. Times

With fewer U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Marines in a desolate patch of Helmand province find themselves vulnerable to Taliban attack. They seek help from locals, who distrust them and the militants.

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — The sun pounds down on the U.S. Marine sergeant and the tribal elder in this faceless, bone-colored plain.

"We haven't seen any Taliban," the silk-bearded Afghan says, with a grin too large. The sergeant, broiling in his bulletproof vest, anticipates crackling gunfire at any minute. He knows the man is lying and he expects him to lie.

This barren, anonymous-feeling landscape matters because it sits outside the biggest U.S. military and coalition base in Helmand province, known as Camp Leatherneck, a miniature city built in the middle of nowhere. The camp has served as the restive province's command center for American forces during their two-year troop buildup aimed at disrupting the Islamist militants.

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My Comment: After 11 years of war .... billions spent .... lives lost and ruined .... this article does not paint a positive picture of what we are leaving.