2nd Battalion, 6th Marines (2/6) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Also known as "The Ready Battalion" or "2/6 Spartans", it consists of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors and falls under the command of the 6th Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Division.
3rd Battalion 8th Marines (3/8) was an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, consisting of approximately 1,100 Marines and Sailors. The battalion fell under the command of the 8th Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Division.
The Kajaki Dam is one of the two major hydroelectric power dams of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. The dam is located on the Helmand River 100 miles (161 km) north-west of Kandahar and is operated by the Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority. It has a dual function, to provide electricity and to irrigate some 650,000 acres (1800 km2) of an otherwise arid land. Water discharging from the dam traverses some 300 miles (500 km) of downstream irrigation canals feeding farmland. As of October 2016 it produces 52.5 megawatts of electricity.
The 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines (3/9) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War I it served until the early 1990s when it was redesignated as 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines (3/4) during a realignment and renumbering of the Marine Corps' infantry battalions, following the deactivation of the 9th Marine Regiment. The 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines was initially a subordinate unit of the 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, but was later operationally transferred to the 1st Marine Division as a subordinate unit of the 7th Marine Regiment where it remained until its redesignation as 3/4.
Sangin is a town in Helmand province of Afghanistan, with a population of approximately 20,000 people. It is located on 32°4′24″N64°50′2″E in the valley of the Helmand River at 888 m (2,913 ft) altitude, 95 km (59 mi) to the north-east of Lashkargah. Sangin is notorious as one of the central locations of the opium trade in the south of the country, and is also a town that has traditionally supported the Taliban. It was described by British newspaper The Guardian as "the deadliest area in Afghanistan" in 2010. Sangin also houses the main bazaar for Sangin District. Route 611 passes through Sangin.
Nāwa-I-Barakzāyi District is an administrative district in Helmand Province, Afghanistan located south of the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah along the Helmand River. It is bordered by the districts of Lashkar Gah, Nad Ali, Garmsir, and Rig, as well as the provinces of Nimruz and Kandahar. It falls within the area known as Pashtunistan,, an area comprising most of southeast Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. The dominant language is Pashto and many of the 89,000 residents practice the traditional code of Pashtunwali. Nawa-I-Barakzayi's name reflects the dominant Pashtun tribe in the district, the Barakzai. Prior to the 1970s, it was called Shamalan after a small village at the south end of the district
Camp Shorabak is a former British Army airbase, located northwest of the city of Lashkargah in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, until 27 October 2014 when the British Army handed over control to the Afghan Ministry of Defense. The base has barracks for the Afghan National Army. Between 2005 and October 2014 it was the logistics hub for International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operations in Helmand during the War in Afghanistan and Operation Herrick, and it was capable of accommodating over 32,000 people. The camp was built by the British Army and was the largest British overseas military camp built since the Second World War. The base was also home to troops from a number of nations, including the United States and Denmark.
Camp Leatherneck was a 1,600 acre United States Marine Corps base in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The site was mostly in Washir District and was conjoined with Camp Bastion, which was the main British military base in Afghanistan and Camp Shorabak which initially was the main Afghan section however the three sites were joined together under the name of 'Camp Shorabak' in 2014.
Operation Strike of the Sword or Operation Khanjar was a US-led offensive in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. About 4,000 Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade as well as 650 Afghan troops were involved, supported by NATO planes. The operation began when units moved into the Helmand River valley in the early hours of July 2, 2009. This operation was the largest Marine offensive since the Battle of Fallujah in 2004. The operation was also the biggest offensive airlift by the Marines since the Vietnam War.
Camp Dwyer is a FOB formerly of the United States Marine Corps and now secured by the US Air Force, located within the Helmand River Valley in Garmsir District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Forward Operating Base Delhi in Afghanistan was a military expeditionary base occupied by the United States Marine Corps. It was along the Helmand River Valley in Garmsir at an abandoned Agricultural College building.
Patrol Base Jaker in Afghanistan was a military expeditionary base used by the United States Marine Corps and British Army. It was in along the Helmand River Valley in Nawa-I-Barakzayi. It was originally built by the British Army of Task Force Helmand in 2008. In June 2009, it was transferred to the Marines of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. It was also the setting for the documentary film Patrol Base Jaker.
Fiddler's Green is an expeditionary fire base in Afghanistan built by the United States Marine Corps. It is located off Route 605 in Nawa-I-Barakzayi District of Helmand Province. It was originally built by the 3d Battalion, 11th Marines in 2009 for Operation Strike of the Sword.
Patrol Base Shamshad is a foreign military base in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The camp is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Garmsir.
Forward Operating Base Jackson was a military base used by both British and US forces located just west of Sangin Village, Sangin District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
William Kyle Carpenter is a medically retired United States Marine who received the United States' highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2010. Carpenter is the youngest living Medal of Honor recipient.
FOB Wishtan is an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Forward Operating Base (FOB) operated by the British Army and located in Sangin District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
FOB Zeebrugge is a former International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Forward Operating Base (FOB) initially operated by the British Army and the Royal Marines under Operation Herrick before being transferred to the United States Marine Corps and located in Sangin District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Daniel Daejin Yoo is a U.S. Marine Major General and former commander of United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. He is the first Korean-American general in the United States Marine Corps.
