Patrolling, Police, Poppies: Marines, Afghan police connect with locals while on patrol

CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN

04.16.2011

Story by Cpl. Daniel Wulz 

Regional Command Southwest

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Every day Marines from Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, stationed at Combat Outpost Rankel in Helmand province, Afghanistan, patrol the village of Safar and the area that surrounds it.

Marines and Afghan Uniformed Police conducted land assessments and security patrols after surveying AUP checkpoints, April 16. The goal of patrolling with the local AUP is to supplement the relationship between Afghan police and the community, as well as gain information about insurgent activity.

“The patrol turned out very well,” said Staff Sgt. Brendan G. Flynn, the staff non-commissioned officer in charge of Police Mentor Team Safar, Echo Company, 2/1. “We learned from the people that the Taliban is pushing out letters trying to get money and support. The most successful patrols I have are the ones where we gain information. Marines don’t have to kill someone or blow something up to have a good patrol.”

The Marines’ focus in their many patrols is establishing the presence of the AUP by helping Afghan forces build outposts of their own. This helps the police to build respect and trust within the local community, and eliminate threats from improvised explosive devices.

Part of eliminating threats in the area of operation includes removing the means by which insurgents make money.

“The Garmsir District government started destroying the poppy fields months ago,” said 1st Lt. Mark A. Beres, the officer in charge of Police Mentor Team Safar 2/1. “The original plan was to destroy all of the crops in 20 days, but it was just too big of an undertaking once [government officials] realized how much poppy there was here. The current plan of action is to have the local AUP do it over time, and we’re hoping it works because Marines and the Afghan National Army are trying to let the [local government] do it independently.”

Currently, the district government provides units of specialized troops who destroy the vast amount of poppy grown in the area. The AUP’s mission has become to provide security for these units while maintaining community relations.

“[Marines] have had issues trying to build the AUP presence and trust with the local population,” said Beres. “The poppy eradication gives the police a chance to gain the trust of the villagers.”

The local police unit was organized in January and has only been up and working for four months. The Police Mentor Team of 2/1 has spent the last three months assisting the local police build their outposts and living quarters in and around the village of Safar.

“We hope that [Afghan Uniformed Police] will tell their friends and family that it’s a great job,” Beres said. “If more Afghans join the police force, it will eventually allow us to pull Marines out of the area.”

• Date Taken: 04.16.2011
• Date Posted: 04.21.2011 04:38
• Story ID: 69079
• Location: CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF