A US Navy Corpsman and US soldier take part in a helicopter Medevac exercise in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Thomson Reuters
Reuters: As Washington ponders Afghan mission, Marines toil in Helmand
CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan (Reuters) - While Washington works on plans to send more troops to Afghanistan, U.S. forces on the ground are grappling with building an army in the middle of a war their commanders say is locked in stalemate.
It is slow, hot, often frustrating work, ranging from overseeing basic infantry training to trying to create modern logistics systems for an army in which many soldiers cannot read or write.
"There are enormous challenges ahead," said Brig. Gen. Roger Turner, who led a task force in Helmand five years ago and who has returned as commander of around 300 Marines training and advising the Afghan army and police.
When the Marines left Helmand in 2014, they did not expect to return, but building the Afghan army has been slower than anticipated. Many issues trainers focus on, such as improving army leadership or getting troops off vulnerable checkpoints, are ones American advisers have recommended for years.
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Update: Back in Afghan Hot Spot, U.S. Marines Chase Diminished Goals (NYT).
WNU Editor: I think everyone knows that the U.S. focus right now is on Iraq and Syria .... and to recapture from the Islamic State the cities that they control. Once that has been accomplish .... the focus shifts to Afghanistan. What do I expect the U.S. to do in Afghanistan .... the same model that was used in Iraq. Afghan military units supported by U.S. artillery and air strikes .... U.S. advisers on the ground .... a strategy to encircle Taliban strongholds .... and to then destroy them through attrition. Will this strategy succeed in Afghanistan .... it all comes down to the Afghan army, and their willingness to fight.
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