Afghan Journal
Lifting the veil on conflict, culture and politics
Afghanistan’s operation Marjah: taking on the Quetta shura
U.S.-led NATO and Afghan forces are in the third day of their offensive to establish control over the town of Marjah and surrounding areas in southern Afghanistan.
The soldiers were making steady progress, facing little resistance from the Taliban in many parts of Marjah, the military said, while picking their way through a terrain littered with roadside bombs.
Several experts in the run-up to Operation Moshtarak, flagged weeks in advance, have questioned both its military and political logic.
Norrine Macdonald, writing in Foreign Policy’s AFPAK channel blog , dismissed it as a minor operation, more symbolic than anything else, given that the Taliban control large parts of the country and losing Marjah is not going to dramatically change the ground situation.
Others have questioned the build-up to the operation with Registan, a blog focused on Afghanistan and Central Asia, running a piece by Joshua Foust headlined: “Mythbusting Marjeh”. He questions the description of Marjah as an “opium capital” and points out that last year NATO was calling Garmsir as Helmand’s “main opium bazaars”. Before that it was Sangin.
Likewise is it really necessary to describe Marjah as a Taliban stronghold, he asks. “Almost by definition, anywhere the U.S. sends troops, whether it’s a nearby village, a previously abandoned district, or a new area the U.S. has never been, is going to be called a Taliban Stronghold.”
What really is the U.S. logic in going into Marjah guns blazing? The Long War Journal has a very detailed report on the U.S. military strategy over the next 12-18 months as formulated by U.S. and NATO commander Gen. Stanley M.McChrystal and approved by the Obama administration and its clear that Marjah is part of the U.S. resolve to take the fight to Taliban central or the Quetta shura.
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Afghan Journal Expert
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Yes, they have pinpointed more than one place as an opium capitol and yes they have declared more than one place as a Taliban stronghold. Have you ever heard of information operations? The military frames and characterizes the fight in the media before commencing ground ops for many reasons…not the least of which is to help manage the American public’s expectations and entice the enemy into these “strongholds” by publicly announcing them as such. It’s a key part of the battle plan and whether it is true or not is irrelevant as long as it helps aid the fight.