CENTCOM
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Schools once closed by the Taliban have --under the new Afghan government and with the help of the US-- been reopened and young boys and girls are rushing back to the classroom. Wheat and cotton crops are flourishing, and poppy cultivation in areas not under Taliban control is way down. A good example of security improvements is Marjah, a town located in southern Afghanistan which, not long ago, was a center of Taliban insurgency and drug trafficking. Dear readers, a year after Marines and Afghan forces surged into Marjah the insurgents were driven away and security has improved dramatically according to Afghan and US commanders, and townspeople who say they no longer live in terror.
With some 2,000 Marines stationed in and around Marjah, militants have been pushed out, and --helped by Afghan and US sponsored aid and development projects-- the hustle, bustle and prosperity of everyday family life has returned. Increased anti-terrorist operations over the winter put strong pressure on Taliban. The Sangin Security Agreement is still in place so people from Marjah are no longer afraid to speak out against enemy activities. Gul Ahmed, a 34-year-old wheat farmer in northeast Marjah, said Security is good now. Life is better Bad people like Taliban cannot come here now The Taliban took money from us. They took food from us. They forced us to go with them to other provinces to fight. Security in Marjah is possible because Taliban has been replaced by forces from the legitimate Afghan government. Unlike Taliban Marjahs government officials now seek common ground and common good. A recent poll in Marjah shows that 89% support local and national Afghan government who, they believe, provide them with much needed basic services.
But rumors persist that Taliban will again attack Marjah this spring to regain control over it. If Taliban do return, they will find a very different Marjah than the one from which they were driven a Marjah with a much more capable Afghan security force, and a stronger coalition presence, which has made inroads with the local population to ensure lasting security gains. The Taliban will find this to be quite a hostile environment. The people of Marjah have send a clear message that they no longer want Taliban to impose decisions by terror. They have sent a clear message to Taliban and the world that they want a democratically elected government to represent them.
CDR Bill Speaks,
DET- U.S Central Command
U.S. Central Command
With some 2,000 Marines stationed in and around Marjah, militants have been pushed out, and --helped by Afghan and US sponsored aid and development projects-- the hustle, bustle and prosperity of everyday family life has returned. Increased anti-terrorist operations over the winter put strong pressure on Taliban. The Sangin Security Agreement is still in place so people from Marjah are no longer afraid to speak out against enemy activities. Gul Ahmed, a 34-year-old wheat farmer in northeast Marjah, said Security is good now. Life is better Bad people like Taliban cannot come here now The Taliban took money from us. They took food from us. They forced us to go with them to other provinces to fight. Security in Marjah is possible because Taliban has been replaced by forces from the legitimate Afghan government. Unlike Taliban Marjahs government officials now seek common ground and common good. A recent poll in Marjah shows that 89% support local and national Afghan government who, they believe, provide them with much needed basic services.
But rumors persist that Taliban will again attack Marjah this spring to regain control over it. If Taliban do return, they will find a very different Marjah than the one from which they were driven a Marjah with a much more capable Afghan security force, and a stronger coalition presence, which has made inroads with the local population to ensure lasting security gains. The Taliban will find this to be quite a hostile environment. The people of Marjah have send a clear message that they no longer want Taliban to impose decisions by terror. They have sent a clear message to Taliban and the world that they want a democratically elected government to represent them.
CDR Bill Speaks,
DET- U.S Central Command
U.S. Central Command
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