Afghan National Defense and Security Forces have been retaking areas in Helmand province, Afghanistan, from Taliban insurgents since Sept. 23, Marine Corps officials from Task Force Southwest announced Friday.
“They cleared north to south, all the way back to Lashkar Gah, which was huge. It really went past our expectations…. they followed that up with local clearing operations around Gereshk as well, continuously putting the enemy on their heels,” U.S. Marine Capt. John Quail, an adviser with Task Force Southwest, said in a press release.
Lashkar Gah — the provincial capital of Helmand province — is one of the few areas in Helmand province that has not fallen to Taliban control since the drawdown of international forces in 2014. The town of Gereshk is roughly 65 kilometers by road from Lashkar Gah, and along the Helmand River.
“They’ve made substantial progress,” Quail said. “They cleared the Yakchal area, which has historically had high levels of enemy presence.”
Highway 1 connects Gereshk and Lashkar Gah. In between those points, the Yakchal area has been a hotbed of Taliban insurgents since 2009, according to a Reuters report from that year.
During the clearing operations, Afghan forces destroyed 15 facilities used to manufacture improvised explosive devices, Afghan National Army Brig. Gen. Mohammed Ghani said in the press release.
“We were able to clear the villages, and the enemy sustained a lot of casualties. They were completely demoralized,” Ghani said. “We were really successful in our first plan, and are preparing to complete our second.”
The roughly 300 Marines of Task Force Southwest train, advise and assist key leaders within the Afghan National Army and the National Police in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The Marines advise their Afghan counterparts at the corps and brigade level.
“We are right here with them doing it every step of the way,” Quail said. “Which is very important, and we’ve already seen a lot of benefits just by being out here with them.”
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
