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From the International Security Assistance Force
KABUL, Afghanistan – U.S. Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan completed Operation Gateway III Jan. 26 in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Gateway III, or "De Loides Darwaza" in Pashto, was a strategically planned operation conducted by 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 3, the ground and logistics combat elements of SPMAGTF-A.
The objective of the operation was to clear Route 515 of deadly improvised explosive devices placed by insurgents and establish an alliance presence along the 43-kilometer stretch of the important east-west road between the district centers of Delaram and Bakwa Districts.
"By opening Route 515, we will decrease travel time for alliance forces, as well as enable civilian goods, that are vital to the community, to pass through the area with less resistance," said Lt. Col. David L. Odom, 3/8's commanding officer. "The clearing of the route will also open the lines of communication between the two major district centres."
During the operation, the Marines of 3/8 cleared the route, while encountering nearly 30 IED-related incidents. Elements of CLB-3 followed in trace and constructed three combat outposts along the route. Joint patrols with Marines and Afghan national army soldiers allowed for a successful clearing operation.
AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters from Marine Light/Attack Helicopter Squadron 269 provided close-in fire support for the Marines and ANA soldiers, while many of the necessary construction materials – weighing more than 95,000 pounds – were airlifted to the outposts' locations by Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 466. HML/A-269 and HMH-466 are detachments from SPMAGTF-A's air combat element.
The effects of the improved security were seen immediately in the form of a new project along Route 515 in the district of Delaram. As part of the project, dozens of Afghan villagers dug irrigation ditches along the route, while the Afghan National Police provided security. The project will ensure that local crop fields have sufficient water, increasing their output.
"The Afghan people will benefit directly from what we did here," said Col. Duffy W. White, commander of SPMAGTF-A. "But our work is not yet done. We must continue to patrol this area with our Afghan partners to make sure they are not endangered by insurgent attacks."
| Date Taken: | 01.27.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 01.27.2009 05:35 |
| Story ID: | 29315 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 1,054 |
| Downloads: | 1,020 |
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