New task force of 300 U.S. Marines will be sent in Afghanistan to advise Afghan army and police 10701171

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Defence & Security News - United States
 
New task force of 300 U.S. Marines will be sent in Afghanistan to advise Afghan army and police.
The U.S. Marine Corps will send this summer a new task force of military advisers in southwestern Afghanistan and more specifically in the Helmand province. There are currently around 8,500 U.S. troops assigned to the NATO mission in Afghanistan.
     
The U.S. Marine Corps will send this summer a new task force of military advisers in southwestern Afghanistan and more specifically in the Helmand province. There are currently around 8,500 U.S. troops assigned to the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Camp Leatherneck, Helmand Province, Afghanistan - U.S. Marines, sailors with Bravo Company conduct security patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan (Picture US Marine Corps)
     

Around 300 U.S. Marines will be deployed in Afghanistan led by Brig. Gen. Roger Turner, and under the name of Task Force Southwest to advise the Afghan Army’s 215th Corps and Afghan national police with the 505th Zone.

At the request of US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the US forces in Afghanistan, "approximately 300 Marines will deploy to Helmand Province Afghanistan in Spring 2017 in support of the Nato-led Resolute Support mission", a statement from the Marine Corps said.

Task Force South West, made up of Marines from II Marine Expeditionary Force and led by Brig. Gen. Roger Turner, Jr., will train and advise key leaders within the Afghan National Army 215th Corps and the 505th Zone National Police.

These 300 Marines will come comes from 6th Marine Regiment, and the rest were hand-picked based on the assistance the Afghan forces need. Turner said the Marine Corps was looking for higher-ranking Marines with experience in the right functional areas to be of most use to their Afghan partners. More than half the Marines deploying have previously served in Afghanistan, many of them on multiple deployments, he added.

The Marine Corps has an operational history in Afghanistan, particularly in Helmand Province. Advising and assisting Afghan defense and security forces will assist in preserving gains made together with the Afghans. This new deployment of Marines to Helmand reflects our enduring commitment to the people of Afghanistan. The last II MEF Marines to deploy to Helmand Province, Afghanistan returned in 2014.