Out in force - Military operations in Helmand province

Taken together, the recent United States Marines Corps and British Army operations in Helmand were the largest carried out in Afghanistan since 2001. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) now has more than 18,000 personnel in Helmand, the largest military presence in any Afghan province.

ISAF's operations in Helmand began much more modestly back in April 2006, when around 3,300 British soldiers supported by a smaller Danish contingent established the first significant foreign military presence in the province. The initial focus was on securing five district centres in the north (Garmsir, Kajaki, Musa Qala, Now Zad and Sangin). However, small units of ISAF soldiers were soon engaged in unexpectedly heavy fighting as insurgents laid siege to their outposts.

With insufficient troops to secure additional territory, the British typically had no choice but to withdraw and allow the insurgents to re-establish their presence. A senior foreign source told Jane's that Helmand locals have their own anecdote that compares the Taliban to birds sitting in a tree: they fly away when somebody throws a stone at them, but always return.