With U.S. and Afghan forces about to attempt to take the Afghan village of Marja in Helmand province away from the Taliban, Gen. Stanley McChrystal records this message about how — speaking mostly generically — he wants to show the Afghan people that the Afghan government is about to come into the area and offer them a better alternative. That requires a fully integrated civilian/military effort, he says:
The Marine campaign in Helmand, waged for much of last year, has been of questionable significance for a broader counterinsurgency strategy of population protection.