ON THE GROUND IN A F G H A N I S T A N COUNTERINSURGENCY IN PRACTICE Praise for On the Ground in Afghanistan: Counterinsurgency in Practice “Great format and important lessons learned. . .. This book should be mandatory reading for all Marines.” —General Richard D. Hearney, USMC (Ret), former Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps "A superb book, chock-full of multinational combat examples with great maps and photographs. This well-written book should be mandatory reading for special operators and unit commanders. On the Ground in Afghanistan blends theory and practice in an effort to adapt to war in unique and often peculiar contexts.” —Joseph J. Collins, professor of national security strategy at the National War College and former deputy assistant secretary of defense for stability operations “Effective counterinsurgency is about learning and adapting to local conditions. This volume lets the small unit leader profit from 15 different fights—and should convince him or her that there is no one best way to fight an insurgent." —T. X. Hammes, author of The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century “A completely outstanding piece of work.” —David Kilcullen, author of The Accidental Guerrilla and Counterinsurgency “This is a book that will be of great nterest to soldiers, policy makers, and scholars alike—it is an invaluable addition to the literature on insurgency in general and the Afghan conflict in particular.” —Bruce Hoffman, author of Inside Terrorism and director of the Center for Peace and Security Studies, Georgetown University ON THE GROUND IN AFGHANISTAN COUNTERINSURGENCY IN PRACTICE J erry Meyerle I Megan Katt I J im Gavrilis A joint publication of CNA and Marine Corps University Press This book represents the best opinion of CNA at the time of printing. The views expressed n it do not necessarily represent the opinions of the U.S. Department of the Navy or the U.S. Marine Corps. CNA CNA Corporation 4825 Mark Center Drive Alexandria, Virginia 22311 www.cna.org Co, Marine Corps University Press 3078 Upshur Avenue Quantico, Virginia 22134 www.tecom.usmc.mil/mcu/mcupress On The Ground in Afghanistan: Counterinsurgency in Practice. © 2012 by CNA Corporation. All rights reserved. PCN 10600008500 Published by Marine Corps University Press, Quantico, VA. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402-0001 ISBN 978-0-16-090258-1 Dedication U.S Marines talk with leaders at a meeting in the Nawa District, Helmand Province. (Photo by CpI Artur Shvartsberg, U.S. Marine Corps) The authors wish to dedicate this book to the many U.S. and NATO service members who have risked life and limb to help stabilize Afghanistan—among them Ser­ geant William Cahir, U.S. Marine Corps, who appears in this photo (sitting, center left). Sergeant Cahir was killed while on patrol in southern Afghanistan on 13 August 2009. Contents Maps and Figures ix Acronyms and Abbreviations x Preface and Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 U.S. Marines Vignette 1: U.S. Marine Platoon, Gulistan, Farah. 2008 27 Vignette 2: U.S. Marine Battalion, Nawa, Helmand, 2009 37 Vignette 3: U.S. Marine Advisors, Tagab Valley, Kapisa, 2008 53 U.S. Army Vignette 4: U.S. Army Battalion, Kunar and Nuristan, 2007-2008 61 Vignette 5: U.S. Army Battalion, Khost, 2004-2008 73 Vignette 6: U.S. Army Battalion, Nangarhar, 2005-2009 81 U.S. Army Special Forces Vignette 7: U.S. Army Special Forces Team, Kandahar and Zabul, 2003-2005 95 Vignette 8: Three U.S. Army Special Forces Teams, Kunar and Nuristan, 2004-2005 105 Vignette 9: U.S. Army Special Forces Team, Kandahar, 2003-2004 113 British Army and Marines Vignette 10: UK-Led Task Force, Musa Qala, Helmand, 2006-2009 117 Vignette 11: British Marine Battalion, Uruzgan and Helmand, 2008-2009 125 Vignette 12: British Army Advisors, Sangin, Helmand, 2009 133 Dutch Army and Marines Vignette 13: Two Dutch Army Companies, Uruzgan, 2006-2009 139 Vignette 14: Dutch Marine Company, Deh Rashaan, Uruzgan, 2009 147 Canadian Army Vignette 15: Canadian Soldiers and Engineers, Dand, Kandahar, 2009 153 Conclusion 165 Notes 177 About the Authors 186 viii Maps and Figures Vignette Locations x Gulistan Valley, Farah Province, April-November 2008 32 Nawa, Helmand Province, 2009 43 Southern Tagab Valley, Kapisa Province, 2008 56 Northern Kunar and Eastern Nuristan, 2007-2008 63 Figure 1: Opium Cultivation in Nangarhar, 1994-2009 (in hectares) 83 Poppy Cultivation in Nangarhar, 2004 84 Poppy Cultivation in Nangarhar,2 005 85 Poppy Cultivation in Nangarhar, 2006 86 Poppy Cultivation in Nangarhar, 2007 87 Poppy Cultivation in Nangarhar, 2008 89 Shinkay Valley, Zabul Province, 2004-2005 97 Northern Kunar and Eastern Nuristan, 2004-2005 110 Central Helmand, December 2008 130 Sangin, Northern Helmand, 2009 134 Deh Rawood, Chora, and the Baluchi Valley, Uruzgan, 2006-2009 140 Deh Rahsaan Valley, Uruzgan Province, 2009 149 ix Acronyms and Abbreviations ABP Afghan Border Police IED improvised explosive device ADT agribusiness development team 10 information operations AMF Afghan Militia Forces ISAF International Security Assistance Force ANA Afghan National Army ISI Pakistan’s Interservices Intelligence ANCOP Afghan National Civil Order Police JPCC Joint Provincial Coordination Center ANP Afghan National Police JSOA joint special operations area ANSF Afghan National Security Forces MEDCAP medical civic assistance program AO area of operations MSST military stabilization support team CAG civil affairs group NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization CERP commander’s emergency response program NCO noncommissioned officer CNAT counternarcotics advisory team NGO nongovernmental organization COIN counterinsurgency ODA operational detachment alpha COP combat outpost OMLT operational mentor and liaison team CP checkpoint PB patrol base FB firebase PRT provincial reconstruction team FDD focused district development PSYOP psychological operations FLET forward lines of enemy troops RIAB radio in a box FOB forward operating base RPG rocket-propelled grenade FPF force protection facility SF U.S. Army Special Forces HA hectare TF task force HiG Hizbul-e-lslami Gulbuddin UN United Nations HVT high-value target UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime x Preface and Acknowledgments This book provides a glimpse into what relatively small military units—teams, platoons, companies, and highly dispersed battalions—have done to roll back the insurgency in some of the more remote areas of Afghanistan. The focus is on counterinsurgency at the tactical and local levels. The book includes 15 vignettes about different units from the U.S. Marines, U.S. Army, and U.S. Army Special Forces; the British army and marines; the Dutch army and marines; and the Canadian army. The case studies cover 10 provinces in the south and east of Afghanistan. They describe the diverse conditions the units faced in these provinces, how they responded to these conditions, what worked and what did not, and the successes involved in these operations. This study would not have been possible without the generous help of Marines and sol­ diers from the U.S., British, Dutch, and Canadian militaries. They spent many hours with the authors going over the details of past events and relating their experiences.