Gareth Porter Claims Marjah Offensive was Media Missinformation

[erpowers]

In an article recently published Gareth Porter claims the media reports that Marjah was a major city were simply missinformation. Porter quotes an official from the ISAF who claims the area was not a urban center, but a farm area. Porter also mentions a former official from USAID who also claims the area was more of a farm area than an urban center. According to Porter the purpose of making Marjah into an urban center was more about perceptions than anything else. Claiming that Marjah was a big bustling city filled with Taliban members could change the perceptions of the American people regarding the Afghanistan War. It would also give the American military and easy win. At the end of the article Porter writes,

The Washington Post reported on February 22 that the decision to launch the offensive against Marjah was intended largely to impress US public opinion with the effectiveness of the US military in Afghanistan by showing that it could achieve a "large and loud victory".


http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LC10Df02.html