SANGIN, Afghanistan — The cacophony of gunfire and bombing that dominated this southern river valley in the fall has dropped to a whisper, but U.S. Marines who have paid a heavy price battling the Taliban in Afghanistan’s deadliest spot expect the insurgents to hit back hard.
Violence in Helmand province’s Sangin district dropped about a month ago, a fact the Marines think was driven by both the normal winter lull and significant casualties suffered by the Taliban.
But the insurgents have been seeding the ground with bombs, pouring in new fighters and stepping up intimidation in preparation for a spring offensive.
The Marines say they hope their months of aggressive operations will help them counter the next onslaught.
The battle for control of Sangin looms large for U.S. commanders because the district is a narcotics hub that helps fund the Taliban and a crossroads for funneling weapons and fighters into Kandahar, the Taliban’s spiritual heartland.
Sangin was the deadliest district for the coalition in Afghanistan last year, according to NATO. The British lost more than 100 soldiers here in four years of fighting — nearly one-third of their deaths in the war. When they handed Sangin over to the Marines in September, the Taliban controlled almost all the district.
The Marine battalion in Sangin arrived in October. Together with smaller units attached to it, it has waged more than 500 firefights and suffered more than 30 deaths, with another 175 wounded, many from homemade bombs hidden in fields and mud-walled compounds.
In November, when this reporter was last in the district, insurgents were repeatedly attacking the main base next to the district center. Even in the bazaar, considered the safest place in Sangin, Marines threw smoke grenades to thwart snipers.
The coalition responded by boosting Marine and Afghan force numbers by 50 percent. The Marines in Sangin have also waged airstrikes, dropping at least 50 500-pound bombs, firing 30 Hellfire missiles and unleashing more than 100 helicopter rocket and gun attacks.
“It has taken us killing hundreds of Taliban and suffering a lot of hard hits, but we literally go anywhere we want in the battle space now,” said Lt. Col. Jason Morris, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment currently in Sangin.
