The Battle for Marjah: A film written by Dan Anderson about the biggest military mission since the beginning of the Afganistan war. Operation Moshtarak happened between February 13th, 2010 and December 7th, 2010 and was an American lead coalition force involving 15,000 troops from the British, Danish, Estonian, Afgan, US Marines, and Canadian armies. The main purpose of the joint operation was to eliminate the last major Taliban stronghold in Helmand province at the town of Marjah. The Town had been held by the Sunni Islamic fundamentalist political movement for decades and was a key objective in bringing an end to the war.
The award-winning documentary The Battle for Marjah follows Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines of the American Armed Forces lead by commanding officer Captain Ryan Sparks who, at the start of the battle was flown and dropped into the centre of Marjah with 272 of his troops.
Counterinsurgency warfare is brutal and in this sobering account, we watch what challenges soldiers were faced with to achieve their objective. By the end of the battle 61 US, UK and Afghan soldiers were reported killed however the Afgan Army never officially announced this so the death toll could be a lot higher. On December 7th Marjah was declared liberated and mission finally over however pockets of resistance remained up until 2013.
The Battle for Marjah is the second war documentary made by director Anthony Wonke after his 2003 film Squaddies on the Rampage about the British army in Cyprus.
