Face of Defense: Marine Recalls Camp Bastion Attack

By Marine Corps Sgt. James Mercure

Regional Command Southwest

AFGHANISTAN, Sept. 27, 2012 – “There was blood down my leg after I got shot,” recalled Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ethan Burk, who was present during the Sept. 14 insurgent night attack on Camp Bastion here in Helmand province.

Burk, a hazardous materials management coordinator with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), was on his way to work when he heard the first rocket-propelled grenade explode behind him.

Avoiding the giant fireball from the explosion, he had driven straight into an ambush of heavily armed insurgents firing at his four-wheeled tractor, which had no armor to stop the barrage of bullets striking all around him.

“I could see the muzzle flashes from the corner of the compound,” said Burk, a Milford, Texas native. “That’s when I realized they were all aiming at me. I felt something hit my arm, but I thought I had just banged it on something. Then I rolled out of the [tractor] and ducked. When I reached for my rifle they started shooting at me again, and that’s when I realized they had a lot more firepower than I did because they were firing too fast for just regular AK-47s.”

Maneuvering behind a barrier, Burk could only see and judge the insurgents’ movements in the darkness by their muzzle flashes. So he pressed on, trying to use the flight line’s light to see where the insurgents had holed up so he could get the drop on them.

After moving to a covered position, one of his friends and the only other Marine in the area, Lance Cpl. Kevin Sommers, a cryogenics technician, jumped over a barrier and almost landed on top of Burk. The two Marines waited for the insurgents to try and flank them. When they didn’t, the pair climbed over concrete barriers to get better firing points at the enemy.

“Once we realized they weren’t coming after us, we jumped over the T-walls and cleared out the area behind the barriers. At that point the British [quick reaction force] showed up, and the [helicopters] were shooting from their main guns at the insurgents fighting position right overhead,” Burk said. “We flagged the soldiers down with a light and yelled ‘Marines, Marines, Marines’ to let them know the situation. The guy in charge of the British QRF told us to go get my arm checked out because he saw the blood on my uniform.”

After Burk and Sommers checked in for accountability, Burk went to a corpsman and found out he had been shot in the elbow by one of the insurgent’s machine gun rounds.

“After I had it X-rayed, they found two pieces of the bullet still lodged in my arm and they had to surgically remove it,” Burk explained. “After the whole ordeal, they asked if I wanted to go home because I was injured, and I told them I just got here, why would I want to go home?”

Combined Force Detains Insurgents, Seizes Narcotics

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 27, 2012 – A combined security force detained several suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Taliban facilitator in the Washer district of Helmand province today, military officials reported.

The facilitator is alleged to coordinate the movement of insurgent fighters and weapons, as well as coordinating attacks across northern Helmand province, officials said.

The security force also seized multiple assault rifles and several pounds of illegal narcotics, officials said.

Also today, an Afghan-led, coalition-supported force killed a number of insurgents and detained two suspects during a search for a Haqqani leader in the Sabari district of Khost province. The sought-after insurgent leader is linked to multiple rocket-propelled grenade attacks on Afghan and coalition security forces. The security force also seized several assault rifles and other military equipment.

In Sept. 26 operations:

An Afghan-led, coalition-supported force recovered a cache of weapons, improvised explosive devices and IED-making components in the Qalat district of Zabul province. The force found some pressure plate IEDs, 573 pounds of ammonium nitrate, 220 pounds of potassium chloride, 55 pounds of homemade explosive, 33 pounds of aluminum powder, RPGs, ammunition, and two Afghan National Security Forces uniforms.

In Sept. 23 operations:

-- Al-Qaida facilitator Abdul Rauf was killed along with two other insurgents during an airstrike in the Marawarah district of Kunar province. Abdul Rauf was a Pakistani al-Qaida facilitator who coordinated the movement of foreign fighters into Afghanistan. He also constructed IEDs for use in attacks against security forces. No civilians were harmed and no civilian structures were damaged during the operation.

North Pole Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison on Explosives and Weapons Convictions

ANCHORAGE—U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that Coleman L. Barney from North Pole, Alaska, was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage to five years in prison for conspiracy to possess grenades and silencers and to five years in prison for possession of an unregistered destructive device, with the two sentences to run concurrently.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Bryan presided over the trial in this case and also imposed the two five-year concurrent prison terms on Coleman Barney.

On June 18, 2012, a jury returned guilty verdicts against Coleman Barney, Schaffer Cox, and Lonnie G. Vernon on a majority of charges alleged in the superseding indictment and acquitted them on several other charges. Cox, a local militia leader, and Vernon, a fellow militia member, were found guilty of conspiring to murder federal officials, which carries a possible life sentence. Barney, a fellow militia member, was convicted of conspiracy to possess unregistered silencers and destructive devices, as well as possession of unregistered destructive devices. The jury could not reach a verdict as to one of the counts, which charged Barney with conspiracy to murder federal officials, and that count was later dismissed. The verdicts represented the culmination of an extensive investigation that included obtaining recordings of Vernon, Cox, and Barney discussing the murder of numerous state officials in retaliation for attempting to arrest Cox.

Barney’s sentencing is an important step toward concluding this investigation, which resulted in a six-week trial in June. Sentencing for the Vernon’s and Schaeffer Cox are scheduled to occur this coming November.

Ms. Loeffler said, “The actions of Mr. Barney and his co-conspirators presented a very real and dangerous threat to our community.” She commended “the professional work and dedication of law enforcement in protecting citizens and public servants from these threats.”

Mary Rook, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Alaska added, “This investigation and prosecution found its genesis in the voice of concerned citizens that a group of people, operating under the auspices of a sovereign militia, were planning to murder state and federal officials. As a result of the investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Alaska State Troopers, Coleman Barney and his co-conspirators were arrested before they could carry out their murderous plans.”

Ms. Loeffler commends the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the United States Marshals Service; the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Alaska State Troopers; and the Fairbanks Police Department for the investigation of this case.

Navy Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Gunners Mate 2nd Class Dion Rashun Roberts, 23, of North Chicago, Ill., died Sept. 22 as a result of a single vehicle accident in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to an East Coast Naval Special Warfare Unit.

For more information, media may contact Naval Special Warfare Command public affairs office at 619-522-2816.

Coalition, Afghan Troops Arrest 2 Taliban Leaders

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 26, 2012 – A combined coalition and Afghan security force arrested two Taliban leaders -- an attack commander and an improvised explosive device expert -- during an operation in the Ghazni district of Afghanistan’s Ghazni province today, military officials reported.

The attack commander is suspected of having directed IED attacks against coalition and Afghan security forces across the district, officials said, in addition to coordinating the construction of homemade bombs and providing training on their use and placement. He also is believed to be involved in suicide bomber training. The security force also detained three other suspected insurgents in the operation.

Also today, an Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader in Ghazni province’s Wali Muhammad Shahid Khugyani district. He is believed to have coordinated with insurgent groups to conduct direct-fire and IED attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained four other suspected insurgents.

In operations around Afghanistan yesterday:

-- A precision airstrike killed Malang, a Taliban leader, in the Sayyidabad district of Afghanistan’s Wardak province after a combined security force saw him engaged in insurgent activity and ensured that no civilians were in the area. Malang was directly involved in planning attacks using improvised explosive devices against Afghan and coalition forces, as well coordinating the movement of insurgent fighters throughout the region. A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no civilian property was damaged during the operation.

-- Provincial Response Company Wardak, mentored by coalition forces, reinforced another response company patrol that came under enemy fire in Wardak province’s Maidan Shahr district. The combined force defeated the attack, killing seven insurgents. Responding to a request for a quick-reaction force, the combined element reached the unit in contact and was itself engaged by small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire from insurgents before fighting off the attack. Coalition officials said the rapid and effective response from PRC Wardak demonstrates their increased capability and their dedication to supporting their fellow Afghans in arms.

-- A combined U.S. Army Special Forces and Afghan National Army force killed an insurgent after being attacked at a local bazaar and at a combined outpost in Wardak province’s Bahadur village. After eight to 10 insurgents opened fire with small arms and rocket propelled grenades, the combined force returned fire, secured the bazaar and village, and killed the insurgent at his fighting position. No civilians or Afghan forces were injured or killed during the engagement.

In a Sept. 24 operation, a combined security force arrested a Haqqani network IED attack leader in Khost province’s Khost district. Officials said he is suspected of coordinating and planning IED attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the region and was directly involved in acquiring and distributing a large amount of explosives and weapons, as well as providing training on the use of homemade bombs. He also is believed to have been trying to infiltrate Afghan security forces. The security force also seized firearms and heavy weapons ammunition.

In other news, an orphaned Afghan boy escaped from insurgents who were trying to use him as a suicide bomber and fled to the Afghan National Police in Helmand province’s Nawa district Sept. 22.

The boy told Afghan police that insurgents had given him money to influence him to wear a suicide vest and detonate it near coalition or Afghan security personnel. He refused, and now is receiving care and support from the police.