Helmand is dominated by the Helmand River, which runs north-south from the Kajaki dam near Kandahar to Dishu in the south. The population of Helmand lives off and along the river and its canals and irrigation channels. Helmand's border with Balochistan, Pashtun tribes, and poppy dominated economy made it largely Taliban controlled — until recently at least.
The mission of Marines in Helmand is to wrest control of the population centers from the Taliban. This is tough counterinsurgency fighting and the Marines have done amazing work turning the tide in key districts of Helmand, though the fight is far from over. The offensive which began with Marjah in 2009 continued district by district into the key towns of the Helmand including Nad Ali, Musa Q'ala, Garmsir, and now Sangin. Taliban resistance hasn't disappeared by any means (even in Marjah) but don't underestimate the ability of the Marines to clear and hold. With a density of forces now in place and a dismounted force, the results from the population are visible. People are getting out, engaging in commerce, and talking to Marines about needs and concerns.
The build piece will take more time but a key element has been the establishment of village shuras that serve to both recognize traditional governing structures as a bulwark against the Taliban and to serve as a link between the population and the district government. This blending of traditional and official governance may be the best model for a realistic transition plan that effectively denies Taliban control of the south. One senior Marine noted that they see some patterns in what each village and district needs —a government center, a bazaar, a health clinic, a school, and a mosque. Making progress on these key pillars of daily life is a key part of the stabilization effort.
The build phase has a particularly strong partner in the Helmand PRT, based in Lash. Led by a British civilian but strongly staffed with a multinational civ-mil team, we were impressed with the passion and confidence in their capacity building efforts now that security is on the upswing. Such a civilized compound too! Much nicer than dusty Camp Leatherneck.
As I get ready to head back to Kabul, I leave with a heavy respect for the Marines and civilians in Helmand. There is no denying the challenges but I MEF and this PRT are taking Helmand back from the Taliban district by district.
SWJ Editors' Note: Nick Dowling is a small wars policy wonk with experience in OSD, the NSC Staff, NDU, and the contracting sector. He has worked on stability operations for 16 years, most prominently on Bosnia and Kosovo as a Clinton Administration appointee and Iraq and Afghanistan as a DoD contractor. He is currently President of IDS International, a leader in interagency and "soft power" types of support to the US military. He is a graduate of Harvard, got his masters at Georgetown, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.