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MARJAH, Afghanistan — Moving down streets littered with trash and past walls riddled with bullet holes, a joint patrol of Afghan national police, Afghan soldiers and Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, make their way through Marjah City's bazaar, Feb. 22.
The Marines and the collection of Afghan forces are here to attempt to gain the trust and support of a war torn and skeptical populace — a task that may prove to be as challenging as routing the Taliban from the city.
Old men with children make their way past police officers and Afghan soldiers who set up security throughout the bazaar and man checkpoints, while Marines and Afghan forces make their rounds through the marketplace, speaking with shop keepers and taking notes of damages incurred during the initial fight for the city.
As sporadic fire fights erupt near the city's outskirts, the Marines of Bravo Co., 1/6, set about trying to revitalize the local economy through civil affairs projects in order to draw more locals back to the city.
Civil affairs Marines attached to the company are tasked with speaking to shop keepers and determining how much money is owed to them for damages incurred from combat, explained Gunnery Sgt. Brandon Dickenson, the Weapons Platoon sergeant with Bravo Co., 1/6.
"The purpose is to try to help local businesses, primarily to endear the community to Marines by stimulating the economy," said Dickenson, who serves as the head of Bravo Co.'s, civil affairs efforts, and conducts shuras and meetings with village elders.
"We're starting with the bazaar, which serves as the centerpiece of the community," said Dickenson, who is on his fifth deployment, and has served in this role in the past. "
"At times the effort to repair damages caused during the initial fight to take the city has been an uphill struggle for the Marines due to claims being made for property that was already damaged prior to the arrival of coalition forces. As far as damages caused, we're going to help them out with it as best we can."
Security was one of the key issues, in addition to concerns over payment and reparations, voiced by locals.
"When you're able to bring in money to pay for damages, people are always going to be receptive," Dickenson said. "Generally I think they have a good attitude and like our presence here — they mainly want Marines to provide security. I think the bazaar is secure for now, but we have to stay concerned about the Taliban coming back in and emplacing improvised explosive devices. Every time I go out, whether it's the first time or the tenth, you have to proceed with caution."
Cpl. Douglas Woltz, with the 4th Civil Affairs Group, spoke on the significance of the locals attending public shuras held by Marines, saying "their main concern is security, by having that large shura, it shows that they're open to the idea of working with us. That they've been bringing their kids out to the bazaar when we're around is a pretty good sign. We've been getting a lot of pretty good vibes out there."
"From the civil affairs perspective, this is the hardest time to do this type of work. We have to come in during a push and immediately convince them that we're the ones who are going to bring stability to the area, and not the Taliban," said Woltz, who has been serving in this capacity for five years.
In an effort to convince Marjah's population of their intentions, the Marines of Bravo Co., routinely patrol with Afghan National Police officers and Afghan National Army soldiers, explained Woltz, adding "The villagers adore the Afghan soldiers, but are wary of the police."
"The Afghan national police chief was phenomenal. The way he's been relaying back info to Marines is pretty good," said Dickenson. "The main concern of the people was that the old police force was pretty corrupt, and weren't too excited that we were bringing police with us, but the police chief made a pretty good speech to them during the shura, convincing them of their intentions."
As the Marines make their way back to the compound where they set up their headquarters, the loudspeakers atop a nearby mosque come to life, issuing a call to prayer. Marking the first time this has happened since the Marines arrived in Marjah.
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2010 14:36 |
| Story ID: | 46256 |
| Location: | MARJAH, AF |
| Web Views: | 702 |
| Downloads: | 642 |
This work, An attempt to return to normalcy; Marines, Afghan Forces set about securing, rebuilding key sites in Marjah, by James Clark, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
