Hunt the Teliban--Charlie One Five Style

Story/photos Gunnery Sgt. Chris W. Cox

09.02.2009 KHOSRABAD, Afghanistan – For the Marines of Company C, One Five, hunting the Taliban takes patience and flexibility. Even on days when they don't get what they expect--- in this war just talking to the locals is a victory.

On Aug. 25, the Marines from 1st Platoon began their day looking for a fight. Another patrol, like any of the countless ones they've already undertaken since their arrival here, but based on a educated guess---insurgents (Child Killer ORCS) will try to ambush. With that knowledge, the Marines prepare for the hunt. However, this day the Taliban did not show.


A couple of days earlier, the Taliban critically wounded a child as they tried to set a hasty IED for them during the Marines morning patrol. "They shot themselves in the foot in that village," said 1st Platoon commander 1st Lt. Patrick O'Shea. "I think if they were to show up there, the villagers would kill them."

In this war, Tactical Restraint is the name of the game. (a lesson beyond the barbarian Teliban)

These young Marines, average age 23, have a difficult job that is not usually associated with the hard-hitting Corps. "The fighting mentality is always going to be in your mind. You have to put that to the side," said 23-year-old team leader Cpl. Joseph M. Misek, from Salem, Ore.

"Like today, we went out expecting a fight," he said. "We're trained to be able to go from one way of doing business to another. Now it's just habit for us."

These Marines have been living in this agricultural district since early July. For two weeks after their helicopter insertion, they lived in only what they had carried with them. Then combat engineers built a berm around a small, secure area they could call home.

Today, they live in accommodations they've built for themselves, using camouflage nets and ponchos to create shade from the 120-degree heat and humidity. It's the only respite after a four- to six-mile foot patrol with at least 70 pounds of gear riding on their shoulders and back.

Despite the Teliban presence, most of these patrols are an opportunity to interact with the locals.

"Before it was a pretty new thing for them – they hadn't seen Marines before," Misek explained. "Now, they're more willing to talk with us, to converse with us. Kids aren't afraid to talk with us.

"We're showing the good side of the Marine Corps," he said. "We're more than just security."

One sure gauge of welcome, in this society that values privacy, is the way the children approach the Marines as they hike through towns and cornfields; helmets, bullet-proof vests and sunglasses make them appear as aliens to the children who have never been past the boundaries of their village, yet they approach the riflemen without fear.

"When we first landed they were hesitant because it was the first time they had seen U.S. troops," said squad automatic weapon gunner Lance Cpl. Alex Torres from Farmersville, Calif. "You could tell they wanted to talk to us. They just needed that first kid to go out and ask us, and the rest just followed along."

Except for the more experienced Marines, this is not what these young Marines expected to see coming to this country that has seen consistent conflict for more than 30 years. It's a challenging mission for the Marines who are brought up expecting to make their living fighting their way to success. Accomplishing a counterinsurgency mission, where they smile, wave and play with children, is not what they've mentally prepared for until just prior to this deployment.

The fight with the almighty Taliban, who have been made up to be an effective fighting force that melts into the shadows, is far less than expected.

"The biggest thing is probably frustration," O'Shea said about dealing with the insurgents. "They've been built up with such an aura around them as this unstoppable force. The people are smothered with a blanket of fear.

"When we go ask, 'Are the Taliban here?' they all tell us, 'No Taliban here. They're somewhere else.' You can never get a straight answer," he continued. "They don't want to say that they are because they're scared."

"I think the Taliban didn't live up to their hype," 21-year-old Torres agreed. "They were made out to be these fierce warriors, not scared of getting contact. When we landed, they were nowhere to be found. They only take a couple of shots at us, and they'll leave."

Contrary to what the global media and initial reports described, the Taliban militants here are not the masters of warfare they have been portrayed them to be.

"They're unwillingness to engage us in a fight – you know, they shoot a couple of shots and they run. They plant an IED and they hide," O'Shea said. "Even without all our gear, a rifleman against one of these (goons) is no contest.

"If we could just pin them down, we could defeat them no questions asked," the University of San Diego graduate said. "They can outmaneuver us, but that is to say they're good at running away."

Winning a conventional fight here is not their mission. Earning the trust of the people and training Afghan national security forces, which 1st Platoon is doing on every patrol, is what will label this mission a success.

When the Marines first arrived, the local residents were under the impression that Americans would make promises and leave like others had before them, but over time, local perceptions have changed for the better.

"I got the Afghan equivalent of we'll believe it when we see it," O'Shea said.

By the same token, with the Marines visiting every day, O'Shea says he's getting feedback that tells him things have gotten better.

"'We like you. You talk to us. You have tea with us,'" locals have told him. "I've been invited to dinner. It's good to be doing it right from the beginning."

Even with the feeling of success though, it is difficult to quantify victory in a counterinsurgency.

"From a conventional sense, it's easier to measure success: so many tanks, so much damage. It's a much more nebulous way of measuring success," he said. "Did we get fewer mean looks today? Were people happier to see us?"

Even though living and working in Afghanistan is not what they expected, the Marines here are creating success where others from around the world have fought for it unsuccessfully for decades.

Winning here takes a different skill set. Fortunately, it is one they have clearly demonstrated they can master, if the smiles and words of thanks from those who live nearby are any measure.