Part 1 - Overview
Korengal Valley, April 2011

Region
Korengal Valley is located in the Kunar province of Eastern Afghanistan on the border to Pakistan. The area is mountainous region with steep mountains and loose shale, the area is blanketed with thick forests. Leaving little land to be used for agriculture purposes.

Combat outposts are built in relatively open areas so that defenders can see approaching militants. But this means that patrols returning to the base have to cross the open ground, sometimes under heavy small arms fire from nearby wooded areas and houses. Thick trees and foliage up and around the COPs and mountensides give enemy fighters the perfect places to set up ambush and surveillance.

The attackers would then hide their weapons in the forests and return to the civilian population. The steep hillsides allowed snipers to climb above outposts and fire into the bases as soldiers slept. Loose rock on the steep land led to injuries from trips and falls.
Resupply was difficult as many vehicles couldn't make it into the hills. Trucks would move through washed out roads to deliver supplies to positions near the bottom of the valley. Getting food, water, and gear to the tops of the hills required either helicopter lifts or infantry carrying it up on their backs

Civilian Population
The Korangalies are Pashai, and their native language is Pashayi but many are fluent in Pashto because the Safi tribe, a Pashtun tribe, live around them and they have some integration with this tribe. Korangalies are known to be extremely hostile to NATO Forces and show little to no willing to work alongside them and meetings with there Tribal Elders is generally tense at best. Most of them follow a sect of Islam known for its particularly conservative and hardline attitudes. There Dialect, Pashayi is extremely hard to communicate in as not even there closest neighbours understand or speak it.

We expect most of our attempts to communicate and build up a relationship with the local populace is going to be a struggle at best.




NATO Forces
Currently there are two nations deployed in Korengal,
US Army Forces from 173rd Airborne Brigade
British Forces from 43 Cdo Royal Marines

Attached -
Aircraft from 814 Naval Air Squadron
Their tasking is to provide security for the region, stop enemy combatants crossing into Afghanistan through the mountains from Pakistan, build up a working relationship with the Korengalies and eliminate any and all threats.

Hostile Forces
Most NATO units faced opposition from multiple factions in their regions, but the Korengal Valley was a high priority for both the Jamaat al Dawa al Quran, or JDQ, and Al Qaeda. JDQ is suspected of having connections to Pakistani intelligence and both groups are certainly well-funded. In addition, local insurgencies cropped up under former timber barons who lost family members and money when the Americans moved in, Between the Taliban, Al Qaeda & JDQ we expect a hard and unrelenting fight, ambushes and IED Ambushes are extremely high, every marine will need to watch both his feet and surroundings. Things can go from 0-10 real quick.

The taliban use human shields in battle, preventing us from being able to fire. Nighttime rocket attacks and grenades over the walls is another tactic used to effective by the taliban as well a frequent mortar attacks either from a elevated position onto a patrol or direct into the patrol base.

The most common tactic by the enemy is “Luring” so be very suspicious of everything. Example would be a smaller ambush by firing a few shots at the patrol then running off, we would pursue and we run into either a IED or a larger ambush.

Another tactic used is “♥♥♥♥♥♥♥” this is when a unarmed civilian is sent to watch or distract you, you can not shoot since he is unarmed, but we can detain.

Suicide bombers are very rare in this type of fighting, unless the bomber is a hostage.

Tasking - Day 1
43 Cdo RM will be arriving in the Korengal Valley, Kunar Province at 11:00 in a mounted convoy, upon arrival we will make our way to Camp Branca, to collect our weapons and supplies and pickup our EOD Escort. Once we have our equipment we will continue down to our new home for the coming weeks, Camp Linno. The way to Camp Linno is extremely difficult terrain to drive on and we will have to push our vechs and drivers to cross it, steep 100ft drops off the roadside and sharp 90 degree declines pose a real threat, our driving speed will be set at 50 once we hit the mountainous region. JDQ and Taliban forces constantly place IEDS upon this route with it being one of the only roads into the mountains, we will need to be extra cautious and have our eyes wide open. American troops have been ambushed brutally on this road more than once. Our goal is to reach Camp Linno with our supplies intact and the vechs still working.

Orders of March
EOD Vech - Lead
1-1 Vech
HQ Vech
2-1 Vech

814 NAS will be standing by with Apache, A-10 and MERT Support. Recently the JDQ forces have been seen to have Old russian AA Launchers, in very limited amounts, 814 NAS has been warned to be extremely careful and to abort if they come under heavy weapons fire.

Notes:
Spawn at “Start Point” if you are here by 19:00
Upon death/Late, spawn at the Airfield. 814 NAS will reinsert when possible.