Combat· Afghanistan War (Op ENDURING FREEDOM)
Operation East River
Operation East River was a Marine operation in Helmand Province during the surge-era campaign, part of the continual effort to clear insurgents from the contested districts and extend control across the river valley.
The Marines pushed into Taliban-held ground to disrupt the enemy, clear the improvised explosive devices that saturated the area, and establish a presence among the population in keeping with the counterinsurgency approach. The operation was one of the many named pushes in the period of intense Marine activity in Helmand, the methodical work of taking and holding terrain from a resilient and elusive enemy. East River contributed to the broader campaign to roll back the insurgency in the province, one of the building-block operations that made up the Marine war in Helmand. It reflected the grinding, incremental character of the fighting, where progress came district by district through clearing operations followed by the harder work of holding the ground.
Record no. 786