McChrystal Wants Unified Civilian-Military Effort in New Helmand Campaign
With U.S. and Afghan forces [about to attempt to take the Afghan village of Marja in Helmand province away from the Taliban](http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-army7-2010feb07,0,7967956.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+latimes/news/nationworld/world+(L.A.+Times+-+World+News)), 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](http://www.registan.net/index.php/2010/02/04/ill-have-what-hes-smoking/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+registan+(Registan.net)).
