Additional Marine units approved by the Pentagon to deploy to Afghanistan will be used to support operations in Helmand Province, Camp Pendleton based Major Gen. Richard Mills confirmed Thursday.
Citing operational security concerns, the Commanding General of NATO Regional Command Southwest would not say exactly where in the province the 1,400 Marines would go, but he did explain the reason for his request.
"I can tell you that I asked for more Marines over here to exploit our successes," Mills said.
He insists that the request was not a sign that coalition forces were losing ground.
“I think we're on the cusp of some very big positive movements within Helmand Province and I think with the addition of a few more people here we can get a lot done during what's traditionally a rather quiet time over here,” Mills said.
A Pentagon spokesman said the Marine units were already being notified and are expected to depart in a few weeks. Officials said on Thursday afternoon that the troops will come from a Marine expeditionary unit out of North Carolina.
While San Diego based Marines and sailors have helped stabilize several key population centers in the province, the battle for control of Sangin is a major cause of concern.
In an interview last month, Mills said insurgents were waging a no-holds-barred fight to hold onto Sangin, a historically volatile area that's being described as the last Taliban stronghold in Helmand.
Camp Pendleton based 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (3/5) is making slow and steady advances in the district where insurgents are marking their territory with white flags.
Those advances have come with a huge cost. 23 members of the 3/5 have been killed in combat operations since arriving late last fall. More than 100 others have been wounded.
Mills has been bolstering efforts to detect explosive devices and catch Taliban fighters in the area for the past several months. He also requested the use of the highly sophisticated and extremely lethal M1A1 Abrams tanks to support the 3/5 during patrol operations. It's the first time the tanks will be used in the nine-year war.
Typically fighting slows down in Afghanistan in the winter months but Mills say coalition forces in Helmand province would stage a "relentless" campaign to push out insurgents before spring.
