United States Marine Corps

====Afghanistan Campaign====
[[File:1st platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 24th MEU, Djibouti, 2010.jpg|thumb|U.S. marines dismounting from an [[Assault Amphibious Vehicle]] in Djibouti]]

Marines and other American forces began staging in Pakistan and Uzbekistan on the border of Afghanistan as early as October 2001 in preparation for [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|Operation Enduring Freedom]].<ref>{{Cite news |access-date=27 April 2007 |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0110/07/sm.06.html |title=War Against Terror Will Involve Amorphous Front Lines |publisher=CNN |date=1 October 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114165807/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0110/07/sm.06.html |archive-date=14 November 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[15th Marine Expeditionary Unit|15th]] and [[26th Marine Expeditionary Unit]]s were some of the first conventional forces into Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in November 2001.<ref name=IHT>{{cite web |access-date=3 August 2008 |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2001/11/27/a1_46.php |title=Marines land in Afghanistan |work=International Herald Tribune |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080522074847/http://www.iht.com/articles/2001/11/27/a1_46.php <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date= 22 May 2008}}</ref>

After that, Marine battalions and squadrons rotated through, engaging the [[Taliban]] and Al-Qaeda forces. Marines of the [[24th Marine Expeditionary Unit]] flooded into the Taliban-held town of [[Battle of Garmsir|Garmsir]] in [[Helmand province campaign|Helmand Province]] on 29 April 2008, in the first major American operation in the region in years.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1907217/Marines-launch-attack-on-Taliban-in-Helmand.html|title=Marines launch attack on Taliban in Helmand|work=The Telegraph|access-date=13 December 2010|date=29 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428121746/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1907217/Marines-launch-attack-on-Taliban-in-Helmand.html|archive-date=28 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2009, 7,000 marines with the [[2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (United States)|2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade]] (2nd MEB) deployed to Afghanistan in an effort to improve security<ref name="CBS MEB-A">{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/08/world/main5070688.shtml|title=7,000 Marines Join Fight in Afghanistan|date=8 June 2009|agency=Associated Press|publisher=[[CBS News]]|access-date=3 November 2009|location=Camp Leatherhead <sup>([[sic]])</sup>|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804083806/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/08/world/main5070688.shtml|archive-date=4 August 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> and began [[Operation Strike of the Sword]] the next month. In February 2010, the 2nd MEB launched the largest offensive of the Afghan Campaign since 2001, the [[Operation Moshtarak|Battle of Marjah]], to clear the Taliban from their key stronghold in Helmand Province.<ref>Gal Perl Finkel, [http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=14263 Back to the ground?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817075613/http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=14263 |date=17 August 2016}}, [[Israel Hayom]], 8 November 2015.</ref> After Marjah, marines progressed north up the [[Helmand River]] and cleared the towns of Kajahki and Sangin. Marines remained in Helmand Province until 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/last-of-u-s-marines-leave-afghanistans-helmand-province-1414410005 |title=Last of U.S. Marines Leave Afghanistan's Helmand Province |last=Stancati |first=Margherita |date=22 October 2014 |website=wsj.com |publisher=Wall Street Journal |access-date=19 May 2022 }}</ref>