The Lay of the Land: The human face of the Afghani front

20100313 (Time Now)

Kandahar (second largest city after kabul): multiple EXP's & SAF (Taliban attack in progress)

PHASE I MARJAH (spring 2010)(operation moshtarak)

PHASE II KANDAHAR (summer 2010)

PHASE III HIMALAYAS (near Pakistan/China borders with Afghanistan)

MARCH 01-13 (((12 x U.S. KIA)))

3-11-2010	Gamble, Garrett W.	Lance Corporal	20	2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force	U.S. Marine	Texas	Sugarland	Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack	Helmand	Afghanistan
3-09-2010	Kropat, Jason M.	Private 1st Class	25	1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)	U.S. Army	New York	White Lake	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, RPG	Khowst	Afghanistan
3-09-2010	Richardson, Jonathan J.	Sergeant	24	1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)	U.S. Army	Arkansas	Bald Knob	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, RPG	Khowst	Afghanistan
3-07-2010	Cook, Nicholas S.	Private	19	2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team	U.S. Army	Montana	Hungry Horse	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire	Kunar	Afghanistan
3-05-2010	Dikcis, Alan N.	Specialist	21	630th Engineer Company (Clearance), 7th Engineer Battalion (Combat Effects), 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat) (Airborne)	U.S. Army	New York	Niagara Falls	Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack	Kandahar	Afghanistan
3-04-2010	Paci, Anthony A.	Specialist	30	1st Battalion, 17th Infantry, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division	U.S. Army	Maryland	Rockville	Non-hostile - vehicle accident (rollover)	Gereshk	Afghanistan
3-04-2010	Olsen, Nigel K.	Lance Corporal	21	4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve	U.S. Marine	Nevada	Orem	Hostile - hostile fire	Helmand	Afghanistan
3-01-2010	Owens, Vincent L.C.	Sergent	21	3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)	U.S. Army	Arkansas	Fort Smith	Hostile - hostile fire	Yosuf Khel (died at FOB Sharana)	Afghanistan
3-01-2010	Aragon, Carlos A.	Lance Corporal	19	4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve	U.S. Marine Reserve	Utah	Orem	Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack	Helmand	Afghanistan
3-01-2010	Gelig, Ian T.D.	Specialist	25	782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division	U.S. Army	California	Stevenson Ranch	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire	Kandahar	Afghanistan
3-01-2010	Huston, Matthew D.	Specialist	24	1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division	U.S. Army	Georgia	Athens	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, RPG	Bala Murghab	Afghanistan
3-01-2010	Crumpler, Josiah D.	Specialist	27	1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division	U.S. Army	North Carolina	Hillsborough	Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, RPG	Bala Murghab	Afghanistan

The lay of the land: Afghanistan operationsday/night 8...

8 DAY/NIGHT OPERATION MOSHTARAK///Marjeh, Afghanistan(DAY 1 - DAY 8) Casulties: US/NATO: 8 x U.S. KIA///3 x U.K. KIA///Civilian: 15 x KIATaliban: +/- 120 x KIA///including foreign fighters, non-afghani [[[Taliban fighters placing women & children on building roofs and firing from behind them]]][[[2 x USMC Force Recon Teams air assault insertion]]]

The lay of the land: Afghanistan operations and more...

DAY/NIGHT 4
Operation Moshtarak///Marjeh, Afghanistan

SAT (DAY 1): 1 x US KIA & 1 x UK KIA
TUE (DAY 4): 1 x US KIA
TUE (DAY 4): 1 x US/NATO KIA (nationality unconfirmed)
SAT - TUE (DAY 1 - 4): 35 x US/NATO WIA

CIVILIAN: 15 x KIA

TALIBAN: +/- 100 KIA///including foreign fighters, non-afghani

DAY/NIGHT - SAF/RPG/IED: Taliban use sniper fire & RPG's, while initiating IED's
[[[Taliban using homes, tunnels & water canals to maneuver in/out of battle area]]]

15,000 US/NATO -VS- 900 Taliban & 100 Foreign Fighters (50% retreated outside battle area)

(==correction==)
US/NATO MISSILE DEFENSE
(LAND) PACIII/THAAD SITES:
ROMANIA
BULGARIA
(SEA) AEGIS RIM161SM3
BLACK SEA (instead of poland)
BALTIC SEA (instead of czech republic)

The lay of the land: Snow in 49 states and new U.S. bases

WWW--Again, I cannot make claim to the veracity of this, but it all looks about right and comes from a source in the Middle East whose identity will remain anonymous. Cut-and-pasted as received, misspellings included.

*ALL 49 STATES HAVE SNOW* HAWAII ALONE

SOMALIA/YEMEN

US Naval & Air Bases:

1. Island of Socotra (off Horn of Africa)[NEW]

2. Hudaydah (Yemen)[NEW]

3. Djibouti [US/FRENCH BASE]

4. Island of Diego Garcia [US/UK BASE]

[[[Limited use of bases in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Seychilles Islands]]]

OPERATION MOSHTARAK (largest op of aghan war)

0330 Hours Local (started)

+15,000 US, NATO & Afghan Forces

Sieze & Control Marja (+80,000 residents)

("Opium Capital of Afghanistan" +1,000 taliban)

opertion moshtarak (update)

air strike requests (fighter jets)

marjeh:

80% sunni pashtun's - pro taliban and/or pro pakistan

10% shia hazara persians - pro iran

10% other (pro india)

attack order (not order of battle)

special force kill/capture initiated inside perimeter

ground troops begin perimeter breaching

hellfire & tow rocket strikes

air assault (helo insertion of ground troops inside perimeter)

air strike requests (fighter jets)

AFGHANISTAN

OPERATION MOSHTARAK

0330 HOURS begin op

[[[no pre-aerial bombing due to new civilian population heavy warfare concept]]]

US & NATO Special Forces shaping operations (kill & capture of leadership)

Conventional Forces initiating breach of Taliban tunnels, bunkers, heavy weapons emplacements, set IED's and landmines around Marjah.

90% of population remain in Marjah

IRAN

DOS (DEPT. OF STATE - SUNDAY DEPARTURE)

SEC STATE Clinton: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel & Jordan

UNDER SEC STATE Burns: Lebanon & Syria

"COLD-WAR LEVEL DIPLOMACY"

LEBANON

USNS GRAPPLE

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 8 (EOD MU8)

Ethiopia Airlines 737