In September 2010,
Liam Fox, the British
Secretary of State for Defence, announced that northern
Helmand would be transferred to the
U. S. Marines; British troops had been in the area since 2006. The British troops withdrew on September 20, 2010, to be replaced by 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines (3/7) which deployed to Helmand province from March 2010 to October 2010. During this deployment, the Marines of 3/7 faced daily attacks and operated in various locations including Musa Qaleh, Marjah, and Sangin. In Sangin, 3/7 relieved
40 Commando Royal Marines in July 2010 and began clearing operations in some of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan, where they began operation "Sangin Sunrise," which cleared all the tree lines that led to the Helmand River. 3/5 relieved 3/7 in October 2010, and began their clearing operations in early October 2010 under the command of Lt Col Jason Morris. They conducted the clearing operations in the
Sangin District of Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of the
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), between September 2010 and April 2011, where they crushed the Taliban forces that had held out for so long against previous units in the area. Attached to 3/5 was Kilo company of the Third Battalion, Twenty-Fifth Marine Regiment (3/25 Kilo), commanded by Major Alexander Snowden. 3/25 Kilo, along with
1st Combat Engineer Battalion commanded by Lt. Col. Andrew Niebel,
2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, Echo Company, Second Battalion, Ninth Marine Regiment (2/9 Echo), Second Battalion, Eighth Marine Regiment (2/8 Echo), and Naval Corpsman from Regimental Combat Team 2 (RCT2.) These units came to the aid of 3/5 due to the number of casualties; 25 KIA, 184 WIA, sustained during the immediate months in their deployment in Sangin, thus allowing the unit to more effectively clear through Sangin. They were actively in Sangin from October 2010 until April 2011, at which point the unit was relieved by First Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment (1/5), which began the second phase (holding phase) of Sangin, returning in October 2011 with 17 KIA, 191 WIA. Sangin was a region that was primarily shaped, cleared, held, and built (in tactical terms) by the units: (in no specific order) 3/7, 3/5, 2/9 (Echo), 2/8, 1/5, 1/7, 2/7, 1st Tanks, 1st/2nd/3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st/2nd/5th ANGLICO,9th ESB, 8th ESB, 7th ESB, 1st CEB, 2nd CEB, 3rd CEB, Tactical PSYOP Team 1061. and members of MARSOC/USASOC/NAVSOC (SOTF). ==Operation Outlaw Wrath==