Conway: Afghan town of Marjeh will be critical to securing the south

[unhappycamper]

Conway: Afghan town of Marjeh will be critical to securing the south
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, December 16, 2009

ARLINGTON, Va. — The insurgent stronghold of Marjeh in southern Afghanistan needs to be “cracked open,” said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway.

Marjeh, one of Helmand province’s most strategically valuable locales, at the moment lies outside the control of U.S. and Afghan forces.

“You win the confidence of the people, whether it be Iraq or Afghanistan by being the strongest tribe,” Conway said on Tuesday. “That means that there can be no place in our area of operations where we don’t go, and right now, Marjeh is one of those places.”

Conway declined to elaborate on what might be done to win the town, saying it is a “pending operation.”

The former NATO commander in southern Afghanistan said recently that securing Marjeh is important to improving security in Kandahar.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=66696