Sources: ISAF via Brookings Institution, AP. By The Washingon Post. Published on July 30, 2011, 9:36 p.m.As Drawdown Approaches, U.S. Commanders In Afghanistan Reluctant To Leave -- L.A. Times
Garmser, Afghanistan — This farming district along the Helmand River, once one of the most Taliban-saturated corners of southern Afghanistan, has turned so quiet over the past three months that some U.S. Marines here quietly wish for a gunfight. “Just to get off a few rounds,” said one, “so we can feel like Marines.”
Since the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment arrived in Garmser in mid-April, they have struck fewer than 10 roadside bombs, none of which have proved fatal. Just one grenade and “no more bullets than you could fit in your front pocket” have been fired their way, said the battalion’s commander, Lt. Col. Sean Riordan.
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