MEU headed to Afghanistan will be mobile

[unhappycamper]

MEU headed to Afghanistan will be mobile
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, February 2, 2008

WASHINGTON — The 2,000- plus Marines headed to Afghanistan from North Carolina will serve as a quick-strike support force for NATO units throughout the country and won’t be charged with securing one specific area, the Corps commandant said Friday.

In a meeting with reporters, Gen. James Conway said U.S. and International Security Assistance Force commanders recently finalized mission statements for the Marine units expected to arrive in country this spring.

The 24th MEU, based in Camp Lejeune, will operate primarily in the south and east of the country but could be deployed to other regions as needed, Conway said.

“They have their own mobility, they have their own fire support, so in that context the commander can deploy them in a number of areas,” he said. “If they were tied to ground, that would be a different issue.”

Regardless the region, the commandant said he expects the MEU to see combat.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52128