A Battlefield Tourist

The White House

Feb 17 at 2:02am by David Tate

The "White House" is where roughly a platoon of Marines, British soldiers and interpreters who mentor Afghan Police live.

February 14, 2009

For some reason, whenever I have to move lately, it comes very early.  This time, I needed to be up by 0330 for a 0500 flight to where I will start an embed with 3/8′s Police Mentoring Team in Musa Qala, a Taliban stronghold in east central Helmand Province.

With the sky still dark, I waited in a HMMWV (Hum-V) for the chopper to arrive, which came in right on time.  The huge Marine CH-53s are designed to carry as many as a platoon, but on this cold morning, just myself and another Marine were picked up and whisked away.  

The gunner’s doors were open which sent a 120 mph+ frigid wind straight through me, reminding me of a time in Iraq when I made the mistake of sitting in the “hurricane seat”.  I had to dig deep to turn off the cold for the short 15 minute ride to Musa Qala.

Once there, I was led into the “White House”, which the Marines say was an old hotel and former Taliban compound.  Most of the Marines were out for the night, so I spent the day catching up on some writing and gear maintenance.

Musa Qala (Moo-sah Kah’lah)

When the Brits first came here a few years back, they simply occupied the town center which quickly turned into a “Fort Apache” situation, eventually forcing a withdraw.  Skip two years ahead and the Brits, Afghans and US Special Forces came back for good, en force, and remain here to this day.

The town is in what is called, “The Green Zone”, although right now it is brown and drab.  That will soon change as crops start to grow and the trees regain their leaves.  Located in the Helmand River Valley, this strategic town is the epicenter of Afghanistan’s poppy trade.  Like Kabul, Musa Qala is an island of sorts, with British Ghurkas (from Nepal) fighting near daily battles to the north, west and south of the district center.

The British base here is a medium-sized base, much larger than a COP, which also contains an adjoining Afghan National Army base, Afghan Police headquarters, the Marines and the district jail.  The “White House” itself sits next to the helo pad which is the only way for coalition troops to get in or out.

Center of Gravity

The district center itself falls under the guidance of the small Marine team stationed here that are mentoring Afghan Police in a bid to establish government authority.  The Marines are operating well out of 3/8′s AO (Area of Operations) and is really a legacy of USMC 2/7, who operated here prior to 3/8′s arrival late last year.  2/7′s mission was to control district centers (DC) throughout the area, including Musa Qala, hence the carry over.

Two days before this platoon arrived, a massive car bomb exploded in the bazaar, killing a police commander and nearly two dozen other Afghans.  Since then, however, things in Musa Qala’s DC have been relatively quiet.

Some of the Marines are content with their mission here, others want to put their “skills” to use.  It doesn’t make it any easier for them as nightly they watch illumination flares drift through the night sky, enhanced by the sound of occasional explosions just outside of their area.