Overall, the mission was very successful. I lost track of the exact numbers of weapons caches and insurgents that were removed from the Valley during the operation. More importantly, the Operation served it's purpose of gaining a "foothold" in the Galuch Valley, allowing follow-on stability and governance to follow. Thankfully, we accomplished this while sustaining no casualties.
TASK FORCE IRONMAN (1-133 IN) and multiple Afghan security forces continue to "hold" the ground in the Galuch as I write this. The establishment of the District Center and Police Headquarters in now underway. Power lines are being run through the Valley, and soon electricity will be offered for the first time...ever.
Only time will tell if it will be worth it. There are so many factors in play, it's impossible to forecast what the Galuch will look like in the upcoming months/years/decades. Will the indigenous people of the Galuch seize this opportunity? Will the Americans leave in 2011, 2014 or whatever their withdraw date is? Will the Taliban come back with a vengeance and fight for the precious staging area (which was highly coveted because it made possible many of their attacks on Bagram and throughout Kabul City) that they were so rudely removed from?
Who knows. All I do know is that my part of the job is done. For 6 weeks of my life I gave it every single ounce of effort I had, and that's all I can do. I am already many missions beyond the Galuch at this point. The true fate of the Galuch is really up to the indigenous population of the Valley...and I honestly have no idea how they will respond to such a precious opportunity. I suppose the same can be said for Afghanistan as a whole. Patience in the West is thin. Time is running out.
A digital "drawing" I did of the view from Magic Mountain. A sight I'll never forget.
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