REAL WORLD EVENT

	GAME INFO

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Friendly Forces

Approximately 20,000 soldiers proudly serve in the Afghan National Army. Another 3,400 troops are in the final phases of basic training, a three-step, 20-week training regiment that concludes with a soldier’s assignment into the ANA headquarters in Kabul, or one of the regional corps established in Kandahar, Gardez, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat.

Steady cash and thorough training have boosted membership and improved the odds that soldiers will stay beyond the Army’s initial phases. By September 2007, the official number of Afghan troops is projected to reach 45,000.

Afghan National troops are currently trained by US-led specialists, and ANA soldiers operate with a variety of guns and explosives, most of which are donated by various countries in and around the Soviet bloc. With no standard issue of weaponry, ANA soldiers among a single unit may carry several types and styles of weapons.

Two months ago, the Afghans drafted a formal military justice code, the nation’s latest step in moving toward internal security. ANA troops are increasingly taking the lead in operations against remnants of the Taliban, al Qaeda operatives, and foreign fighters in Afghanistan. Back to top

The 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment was first activated in May of 1942 in New River, North Carolina. A mere year later, the men of the 2/3 would be thrust into four campaigns of World War II.

Over the next few decades, the 2/3 faced several relocations and deactivations, until the Battalion Landing Team of the Seventh Fleet (as the 2/3 was then called) was deployed to Okinawa. .

By 1965, the unit set up camp in Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam, where they fought for four long years. Upon returning to the US, the 2/3 made its home base in Camp Pendleton, California.

By 1991, the unit deployed again to Southeast Asia, this time to Kuwait to fight Saddam Hussein’s incoming Iraqi forces, and in 1994, the unit was officially reassigned as part of the 3rd Marine Division.

Little more than a decade later, the 2/3 has now returned to the Middle East in joint ventures designed to secure and stabilize various cities in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 2/3 has also proven itself capable of leading massive offensive campaigns, such as Operation Whalers in the troubled eastern provinces of Afghanistan. Back to top

Enemy Forces

Afghanistan has never had much of a national army - lack of resources and tribal society never allowed it. But individual factions could operate extremely well, and with a good knowledge of the lay of the land, these mountain fighters have repeatedly outmaneuvered invading forces. In the late 19th century against the British, and in the late 20th century against the Soviets, the Afghans fought off these dominant empires by retreating before their invading armies, and then launching protracted, highly effective and eventually successful guerilla wars. The Taliban's army is a coalition of militias with varying degrees of skill and loyalty to their cause. Many have a history of switching sides before coming under the command of the Taliban. They have good mobility, but can’t penetrate defenses or hold positions. In major battles they have a tendency to rush into the front lines, and leave their rear weakly defended, and vulnerable to counterattack.

The Taliban are variously led by tribesmen, seasonal conscripts, and foreign volunteers -- many from Pakistan, America's nominal ally in the war on terro. Some elite units exist, with troops recruited from religious madrassas, and led by the mujahideen of earlier wars. The number changes, but there’s a core of about 25,000 troops. Their cavalry units, if they can be called that, use pickup trucks for combat and support missions. Some units have armored vehicles and artillery, and even a few tanks, but the Kalashnikov assault rifle is their mainstay. Back to top

Formed around 1988 by Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda helped finance, recruit, transport and train thousands of fighters from dozens of countries as part of the Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union. The resulting group turned into an international terrorist network after the war, and in February, 1998, it issued a statement declaring war on all US citizens and allies, everywhere they could be found. It’s strength further increased in June, 2001, when it merged with an Egyptian terrorist group headed by Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Al Qaeda has sophisticated tactics for assassination, bombing, hijacking, and kidnapping, with good operational security, and long-range planning. Many reports and statements from bin Laden himself indicate that the group is determined to build or steal biological, chemical and nuclear weapons. Their targets tend to be prominent symbols and public buildings, high-profile buildings. According to CIA head George Tenet, the organization has increasingly focused on developing puppet groups to carry out attacks in which bin Ladin's fingerprints are not detected.

With a global financial network, dozens of affiliated groups, and several thousand recruits, the organization has provided training and support for terrorists fighting in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, Chechnya, Eritrea, Kosovo, the Philippines, Somalia, Tajikistan, Yemen, Kosovo, as well as North and South America. Back to top