In true Green Taxi nature, Michael Yon reports in “Where Eagles Dare“ on an amazing operation in Afghanistan by the good guys to transport a new turbine up to a hydro-electric dam in the middle of hostile Taliban territory.
“If another turbine could be brought online, and power lines stretched from generator to consumer, wide swaths of the population would have electricity. This would not only help the Afghan people, but also support the government, and spur the economy. It was estimated that the new turbine could eventually double the amount of irrigation available to local farmers, allowing them to plant two wheat harvests per year. With wheat prices on the rise, wheat might become more profitable than opium. Helmand Province grows more opium poppies than any other place on Earth. And much of the proceeds go—directly or indirectly, voluntarily or by force—to fund the Taliban.”
The combination of international forces in this story is extremely interesting and the efforts put forth by the combat engineers sounds heroic. The mission is being heralded as one of the most important missions of the entire war. I recommend the full read, as it is truly amazing the odds they were against and the importance of doing it right the first and only time.
“The loss of any one of the seven critical trailers would constitute mission failure. A second mission of equal magnitude could be attempted, but it would probably have to wait until spring. This mission was one of the largest logistics operations during the entire war and certainly one of the most important civil affairs efforts. Although it was top secret at the time, news of mission failure would quickly spread. In terms of propaganda value, failure would be a major victory for the enemy.”
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