Military Review English Edition March-April 2015 | Page 125

VILLAGE STABILITY OPERATIONS

(U.S. Navy photograph by Chief Petty Officer Bill Mesta)

A security barrier in the Chora Valley, Chora District, Afghanistan
provides an imposing barricade 8 August 2012. The security barrier, nicknamed the “Great Wall of Chora," has proven effective in
reducing insurgent activity in the region.

about how enduring the SOF presence would be and
whether Taliban control would return. The team sought to
remove these concerns through active patrolling, playing
a leading role in the weekly security coordination meeting
with the ANA and ANP, and having the ANP chief live at
their base.
Additionally, the team actively supported the ANP
in their efforts to expand their freedom of movement,
or “white space,” and worked by, with, and through them
in community interactions to bolster their local status. While both ANP and ALP numbers increased (the
ALP went from 40 in the town of Chora to 155), the
insurgents were still utilizing the lush undergrowth of the
river valley to move between checkpoints, attack the ANP
and SOF at times of their choosing, and conceal their
activities. Many of these attacks were traced to a village
called Nyazi, southwest of Chora and just over the border
in Tarin Kowt District.

The Great Wall of Chora
The SOF unit came up with a plan to stem this flow
of fighters and to stop their logistical support, but it was
unorthodox and risky. The idea was simple and without
precedent in the area, and it was difficult to gauge how
the community would react. Following continued insurgent attacks against ALP commanders,