Chapter 3 - Koru Chareh and Choru Chareh

It was November 2010 when I was supporting a mission at Koru Chareh. Koru was a good size village at that time and was located about two miles toward the north-west of district center Marjah. The road which passed through the bazaar linked this village with the district center Marjah and provincial capital, Lashkargah.

During the “Operation Mushtarik” on February 13, 2010, which became the topic of an HBO popular documentary "The Battle for Marjah", ISAF forces set off their campaign by inserting a marine company at Koru Chareh and another at Loya Chareh.

On our first day at Koru Chareh we left the Combat Outpost (COP) Turbett at about 10 AM. The Job of the team I was supporting was to appraise the needs for the repair and inventory of shops to help boost recently re-opened businesses, a sort of compensation for damages caused during the Operation Mushtarik. Bazaar was just next to the COP.

In Koru Chareh more than 100 shops were thriving on both sides of the road in the recently renovated marketplace. Most of the shops that were damaged during the fight were repaired and reopened now. Still there were a few abandoned shops with collapsed roofs and walls with mortars and bullet holes.

This was my first time interacting with the locals as an interpreter. At that time, I was not used to the Pashto dialect spoken in Helmand. Some terms were new for me, and some known words had unfamiliar usage. Our mission for the day was to assess the needs of some shopkeepers, including assistance with the repair of their shops and signboards etc. Many shopkeepers had already repaired their shops after receiving financial support from ISAF, while others requests were under process. Some shopkeepers also refused to accept ISAF offers of financial support.

We collected biometric information from eight shopkeepers and confirmed the legitimacy of their requests. The entire process took about 2-3 hours. I enjoyed interacting with the shopkeepers. It also gave me an opportunity to see what items were available in the local market which I could buy and send home as gifts to my kids.

After the bazaar visit, we went to the village's residential area in the north of the bazaar to check the progress of other ISAF sponsored projects. We stopped to chat with a group of three young boys. Slowly children started gathering around us. Meanwhile an old man with a long grey beard saw us and came to us. With movements of his hands, he angrily directed kids gathered around us to disperse. After effectively repelling everybody, he came very close to us and whispered in my ear, as he was providing very secret and sensitive information.

The only word I understood was something like "bumba". I knew that the word "bumba" is used for a water tap or faucet, but I could not visualize that he was talking about a water hand pump. As it was my first day in the area, I was not aware of Marine's various civil affair projects. I was also not familiar with the area elders or our sympathizers.

I took the word "bumba" for bomb. However, I was careful and told Captain that I was unable to understand but he may be telling you something about the bomb. As the elder was known to the captain and he was aware of the elder's previous request for a water pump, he told me that he knew what the elder was talking about.

This largely relieved my anxiety. Next day again we went to the bazaar and did the same exercise, however, I did not see the old man again. I bought some oranges and guava to supplement my UGR dinner. In a couple of days, I was adjusted to the living and working routine of this new place.

Now I was an expert in using solar showers. I would fill the shower bag in the morning and leave it on the top of a container with a black surface facing toward the sun to catch maximum solar heat. The water was usually ready for use in the afternoon after our foot patrol.

During my stay at Koru, I also learned about various projects marines had launched in the area. The most impressive accomplishment was the opening of Koru Chareh School. The previous school was destroyed during the fight. At the time of my visit about 350 students were attending the school, held in a temporary shelter. This was definitely a big number of students for this small village, especially in the presence of significant intimidation from Taliban, who were in control of this area a few months ago. Many students I met were very enthusiastic about their studies.

A new seven-room school building was under construction. I also greatly enjoyed helping the medic in providing health care to the locals, usually referred by the clinics in the bazaar. To win the heart and soul of locals, this small medical facility with very limited supplies provided considerable help to the Koru residents.

Marines also launched many quick impact projects like irrigation canal cleaning, not only to improve the water supply for irrigation but also to provide short term employment to the locals. For me It was also a joy to go to the bazaar every day with my team.

In addition to our work in the bazaar I also enjoyed looking at various products available in the market.

After spending two weeks in Koru Chareh we moved to Choru Chareh, a small village, about two kilometers west of Koru Chareh. We stayed in a small OP manned with Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP) and Marines.

A couple of tents were erected to temporarily accommodate the Marines. Objectives here were to re-open the local marketplace by supporting shopkeepers. There were 27 shops in the bazaar which were recently repaired, but none of the shops had any doors. Shopkeepers were expecting a contractor to come in a couple of days to bring new doors and fix them.

On our first day, by using our MRAP mounted public address amplifier we announced holding a meeting or Shura of the area elders.

Next morning about 30 elders were gathered under the shade of a camouflage net in the post. After Shura, the shopkeepers were paid the first installment of money to buy inventory for their newly constructed or repaired shops.

For the next two days we watched them bringing new supplies and stuffing their shops. As the shops were without doors, Marines were providing nighttime security to the shops. On our fourth day, after lunch, we were ready for a routine bazaar patrol to see the progress. We left our post in a single column.

I was the last to leave the OP. I hardly walked 30 feet from the OP when I heard the whizzing of shots one after another just around me. I realized that we were taking direct fire. Shots were coming from a field on the east side of the OP. A couple of bullets hit the mud wall I was walking along. I was confused for a second because I was unable to see other patrol members.

Everybody disappeared from my sight in a fraction of seconds. As I was not far from the post, I rushed back to it.

After a minute I realized that it was a wrong move, instead of running back I should have laid down on the ground. I was lucky that I did not get hurt, even though some bullets were sprayed right between my legs.

Once inside the wire I tried to locate my team. Shooting did not last long and within minutes I saw my team. I was happy that no one got hurt. On that day I saw how effectively our Marines camouflaged and maneuvered during an ambush.

We chased the shooters for a half mile, but it was easy for them to run on motorcycles or hide in houses.

Ultimately, we conducted our patrol as planned. The next day was a big one, it was the inauguration of Choru Chareh. All 27 shops were now open for business and were bustling with their supplies. Some shops were also decorated to mark the event.

The opening of the marketplace in this remote village signaled the return of peace and normalcy after a long and bitter war.