Marines Leave Afghan District

A contingent of 40 Marine advisors pulled out of Sangin District in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, the scene of heavy fighting in recent years, on May 5. Security in the area now will be the full responsibility of Afghan military and police forces. The Marine unit – 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regional Command (Southwest), had served alongside Afghan troops in the area since June 2013. Their departure marks the end of Marine Corps presence in the area. Roughly 4,500 Marines still serve in Afghanistan, based largely at Camps Bastion and Leatherneck.