LANCE CPL. JOHN P. HITESMAN
HELMAND PROVINCE, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – For more than three years Taliban forces have controlled the city and the pass of Dehana in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
They have taxed the local citizens and used their lands as a means to fund and commit terrorist acts within the surrounding cities of Now Zad, Bar Now Zad, and Changolock, among others.
That all began to change in the early morning hours of Aug. 12, 2009, when Marines and sailors of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan along with soldiers from the Afghan National Army, commenced operation ‘Eastern Resolve II’ to take back the city of Dehana and its surrounding areas for the Afghan population.
Although the Marines’ ground assault was met with virtually no resistance, the Marines from Company G and ANA units reinforcing them as the air assault element received light machine gun and small-arms fire while being inserted into their area of responsibility in the Dehana pass.
“I think we overestimated the Taliban in this area,” said Cpl. Braxton K. Russell, a squad leader from Company G assigned to the air assault element. “We expected a lot more resistance than we encountered.”
Prior to operation ‘Eastern Resolve II’, the citizens of Dehana and the surrounding areas were advised to evacuate the city to ensure their own protection and safety.
While most men and all the women and children heeded the warning, some of the adult males chose to remain behind with their homes and other possessions.
Upon insertion, the ground and air forces quickly overwhelmed the area and posted semi-permanent security while suppressing the enemy. This allowed combat engineers attached to 2nd Bn., 3rd Marines to begin construction of a combat outpost that would eventually become the operational headquarters for the ANA in Dehana.
During construction of the COP, the remaining Taliban continued engaging with small-arms fire, machine guns and even the occasional mortar attack, but Marines and ANA quickly achieved fire superiority and repelled the enemy’s aggression throughout the night and into the morning.
“They are still here and only time will tell what their plan is, but we are not going to let them take this area back without a fight,” said Russell.
The second day of the operation found the Marines and the ANA moving in several groups to begin thoroughly clearing the city of any remaining Taliban.
Per the request of the ANA commander, the Afghan soldiers conducted the majority of the searches because he said he firmly believes it is their responsibility to bring order and discipline to this region of Afghanistan.
While the ANA searched the area, the Marines provided security on the streets and other avenues of approach. This allowed the ANA to sweep through the compounds swiftly.
“The commander of the ANA out here is a very knowledgeable man,” said Capt. Zachary Martin, the commanding officer of Company G. “He fully understands what our mission is and we have had a good integration with him and his soldiers.”
With most of the Taliban already removed from the area the search progressed relatively quickly. However, some of the Company G elements that were providing security were still met with small-arms fire from enemies hiding throughout the city.
“Every door we have to break; or lock we have to cut, is a public relations loss for us,” said Martin. “But to ensure a speedy turn over for the people here, we have already began documenting and setting up the claims process for any damages done during this operation.”
Even though many of the Taliban forces had already fled the city, the ones that remained were either detained or subdued upon discovery. The fact that so few were located during the searches is further proof that the Taliban knew they stood no chance for victory against the Marines and ANA participating in the operation.
Some of the Taliban that fled the city fired from atop the mountains but were quickly discovered and engaged by nearby air assets supporting the operation.
Martin said that he doesn’t care that the Taliban may still be in the mountains. His main priority is the liberation of the people of Dehana and the unity with the Afghan National Security Forces and their government.
“Right now the populace that has returned is excited that the Afghan National Security Forces are here and that their government is doing something to bring order back to the area,” added Martin. “We know the Taliban are still out there, but they have been removed from their position of power here and it is time for us to start working with the local populace.”
Martin said he knows it is going to take a constant vigilant presence to keep the Taliban from trying to take back the area, but the Marines are here to see it out to the end.
“We are looking forward to the flag-raising when we complete the new Afghan security post that we have built out here,” said Martin “I think it will definitely be a symbol of hope for the people of Dehana.”
The Taliban have returned to the hills and other hiding places where they are possibly planning more attacks, but no matter what they do, the Marines and sailors of 2nd Bn., 3rd Marines are here to prevent them from succeeding in the tyranny they so desperately want to inflict on the people of Afghanistan.
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