[lbo-talk] Marjah: The COIN model still hasn't worked once

[Michael Pollak]

http://www.juancole.com/2010/10/levin-us-paying-insurgents-to-attack-us.html

    Remember Marjah? This cluster of farm houses

    in the Taliban poppy-growing region of Helmand Province was supposed to

    be a demonstration project for Gen. Stanley McChrystal's

    counter-insurgency campaign (take, clear, hold and build). All these

    months later, the US forces have not dislodged the Taliban, and it

    seems clear that there are places that GIs cannot go without incurring

    a firefight. That is, the `clear' phase has hit a Himalayan-sized

    snage. Much less hold and build. It was on the "success" of the Marjah

    campaign that the long-delayed attack on the major southern city of

    Qandahar was to have been modeled. I wouldn't advise the US to try to

    attack and occupy Qandahar if they cannot even deal with Marjah.

    See Todd Pitman's excellent AP piece revisiting Marjah:

    http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i3G--XI8g0ik1qMgC4nmNuC9ZCyQD9IN3B682?docId=D9IN3B682

<end blogcerpt>

Michael