CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- “The Americans aren’t going to win this insurgency, the Afghan people will, by helping the Americans,” said Lt. Col. Lawrence J. Kaifesh, commander, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment. “We’ll be stepping back further, and letting the Afghans step up.”
Marines from Company L put their commander’s philosophy in practice July 30, 2010, when they met with an Afghan village elder portrayed by an Afghan role player.
A convoy of Marines approached K2 Combat Town, Camp Pendleton, Calif., for a training mission. Two hundred meters away, they dismounted their vehicles and proceeded to surround the town.
They were not there to invade the town; their mission was to talk to a school teacher at the village elder’s house. Professor Sayid, portrayed by an Afghan role player, as well as other teachers had taken refuge in another town and refused to resume teaching in their local villages.
“We wanted to figure out why he stopped teaching and see if we could help him and the village in any way,” said 2nd Lt. Ben Howarth, 2nd Platoon commander.
While other Company L Marines provided security from elevated areas outside the town, Howarth and his Marines entered the town.
“Marines as you’re walking through the town, make sure you’re being polite,” Howarth radioed to his Marines.
Howarth and his Marines were greeted by two Afghan National Police role players. The ANP would translate for the Marines and assist them in their mission.
“Most of the times there are certain things that Marines don’t see anything wrong with it, but the ANP, they know the places, the faces, the language so they can tell Marines to watch out if something is wrong,” said Khalil Bakhtari, an Afghan born interpreter who returned from Afghanistan in December after living there for two and a half years.
Howarth and three other Marines headed to the village leader’s house after the Afghan policemen told him where the house was located. The ANP knocked on the door. The village elder answered and invited them in. The ANP entered the house first.
“Afghan personnel going in first puts an Afghan face before an interaction and lets them [ANP] deal with the population directly,” said Newman. “They go in first so that the local people understand that eventually it’s the Afghan Army’s job to provide security for their people.
The village elder introduced himself and professor Sayid before leading them to a room to talk. Howarth, a couple of his Marines, the ANP, professor Sayid, and the village elder sat down cross-legged and faced each other in a circle to talk. Howarth and his Marines took off their helmets.
“Taking off the helmets is a sign of respect to bring themselves to the same level as the villagers,” said Sgt. Jeremy Newman, an exercise evaluator who recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan with 4th Light Armored Reconnaisance Battalion. “The kevlar and the gear that we wear is very intimidating so we want to show the villagers that we’re human too and we respect them.”
The village elder offered them tea and snacks.
“Any Afghan home that you go to, it’s part of the culture and as a courtesy to take care of your guests, whether it be feeding them or giving them water,” said Bakhtari. “Afghans, they pride themselves on hospitality.”
Howarth looked at the village elder and listened as he spoke in Pashto. Howarth then looked at the Afghan policeman as he translated what the village elder had just said. The ANP broke the barrier between the Afghans and Marines.
“They’re very essential,” Bakhtari said about the ANP. “Without their help, it’s impossible to win the war. The Marines should use them as effectively as they can. They’re the ones from that area. They know the people.”
The Marines asked why professor Sayid, as well as other teachers had discontinued teaching at a school in their village. Due to threats from the Taliban, the teachers stopped going to the school fearing for their safety. He also frequently saw the Taliban planting improvised explosive devices throughout his village.
The Marines offered them security if they would go back and teach at the school. They asked the professor to accompany them back to his town to show them where the bombs were planted. He agreed.
“The villagers are going to tell Marines about enemy activities because they don’t want their children or population to die from insurgent activities,” said Newman. “If they can get the Marines to secure their village for them, then they’re definitely going to point out where the oppressors are.”
The Afghans and Marines had reached a bargain, security for cooperation and information. The Marines were able to find the IEDs and eliminate Taliban influence from the town with help from professor Sayid.
“Once the Afghan people realize that the Americans have an interest in their future and the Taliban does not, then we can hope to see more information flow and more help flow. That is what is going to win this insurgency,” said Kaifesh.
The ANP translated, provided information and put Afghan faces in front of American help. They were a key factor in the Marines’ mission which is successful interaction with the Afghan people.
“All our Marines are trained that first and foremost, the most important thing to do is to engage and to see what the people need and why, and to try to give them a better life,” said Kaifesh.
This key leader engagement was part of 3rd Battalion’s last week of training before deploying to Afghanistan. Throughout their four months of predeployment training, 3rd Battalion received numerous classes about Afghan culture and language.
They also incorporated frequent interactions with Afghan role players into their training missions. The training is preparation for what their commander believes will win the war against the insurgency, successful and continuous engagement with the Afghan people.