U.S. soldiers establish their observation post as the sun begins to rise over the mountains near Combat Outpost Khilaguy, Afghanistan, Nov. 9, 2013. The soldiers are forward observers assigned to the 1st Infantry Division's 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Cory Titus
Lead Or Die -- E.B. Boyd, Fast Company
One Marine officer concluded that the U.S. way of advising the Afghan National Army was hurting more than helping. So he came up with his own solution and changed the course of the conflict.
One day in September 2012, about 80 Taliban fighters rolled up to a mosque outside of Marjah, one of the major hubs in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. Toting AK-47s and RPGs, the men announced they were there to take back the town, which U.S. forces ripped from insurgents' grip in 2010 during President Barack Obama's surge of troops into Afghanistan.
More recently, the Americans have lowered their profile, part of a wider effort to let the Afghans secure their own cities and towns. In Marjah that leaves local police in charge. They are more like a paramilitary force than a squad of beat cops, but they still lack the discipline, training, and firepower of U.S. troops. They can’t always be counted on to put up a fight. That's why the Taliban targets towns such as Marjah.
But two curious things happened on that day last year.
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My Comment: A fantastic article to read. Gives me hope that Afghanistan may eventually find it's way.
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