Key Facts
- Total troops involved
- 15,000 Afghan, American, British, Canadian, Danish, and Estonian
- Location
- Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan
- Operation launched
- February 2010
- Declared 'essentially over'
- Early December 2010
- McChrystal's assessment at 90 days
- Described as a 'bleeding ulcer'
Strategic Narrative Overview
ISAF publicly announced the operation in advance, hoping Taliban fighters would flee rather than fight. Beginning in February 2010, roughly 15,000 coalition and Afghan troops moved into Marjah in the largest joint offensive of the Afghan war to that point. Initial advances cleared Taliban fighters from the town, but efforts to establish functioning governance stalled. Persistent insurgent activity led General McChrystal to call the situation a 'bleeding ulcer' after ninety days.
01 / The Origins
Marjah, a town in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, had been under Taliban control for years and served as a hub for both insurgent activity and drug trafficking. ISAF identified it as the last major Taliban stronghold in central Helmand. Removing that presence was seen as essential to extending Afghan government authority and demonstrating that improved Afghan security forces could lead operations against the insurgency.
03 / The Outcome
Fighting in Marjah was declared essentially over in December 2010, but shortly after NATO forces withdrew, the Taliban regained control of the town and district. U.S. army analysts judged the operation's goals a failure. The result influenced the Obama administration to shift strategy away from deploying additional combat forces for a decisive military victory and toward a gradual de-escalation of American involvement in Afghanistan.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General Stanley A. McChrystal.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.