Sandstorm
in Helmand province. The far south of Afghanistan. These kids are marines
came from America. Camp Griffin, a surrounded enclave
by the Taliban for 3 months. They fight daily
and morale falters. - It was still nice half an hour ago.
Damn, that sucks! - Your motto is to win hearts
and the minds of the Afghans? - Drop...
They don't want us here. No matter what we do... They don't want us
and we don't want to be there. Even Karzai, their president,
doesn't want us anymore. However, it is him
who asked us to come. Now he wants to name Taliban
in government. These same ones
who are shooting at us. This country is not ours. This can't be fixed
if it's up to us. When we go to leave,
it will start again as before. A section of around thirty men. Since they conquered this position,
they have already lost 3 of their comrades, or 10% of their group. A commitment without limits,
but different motivations. - I was a d****,
I was part of a gang. One day, I told myself that I preferred
die for my country, by doing something good, rather than die in my country
for something stupid. It's a bit: I love you, me neither,
I both hate and love being here. I love the end of a fight. When I can say to myself:
I am still alive. That's what I like :
to narrowly escape death. - Why did you get involved? - To kill. Others think
that it's not right to admit it, but basically, for everyone... This is the main motivation. Average age: 21 years old. The boss of the Platoon is barely older, Lieutenant Scott Cook, 25 years old,
a veteran of the Iraq War. - Do you have a big responsibility? - Yes I know. This is the job I signed up for. But I have a good team,
good soldiers, good lieutenants. But it's true that it is
a heavy burden to bear. I have to take responsibility for my decisions. - You don't have the right to make mistakes? - Look, I'm not perfect.
I make mistakes. The problem is that my mistakes have
consequences on the lives of my men. A few hours before our arrival,
the Taliban were 50 meters away. - Earlier in the day,
we had an attack. Fortunately, no one got hurt. - Did you have to shoot? - Me no. But the sentinels
of this post there and that post over there, yes. There, all these holes in the walls,
they are murderers. If the Taliban cross the first line
and they get there, a soldier stands behind each hole
and he shoots. The walls are thick, so the bullets
are unable to cross them. Murders, trenches. In fact, the Americans
have unboxed their technology. A high-tech war machine
against an elusive insurgency. - What are these screens? - These are the remote controls
who direct our two cameras. - Are they automatic? - Yes, one of them is automatic. We just have to enter the coordinates
where we want her to look. She does everything on her own. You can also control the camera
with this joystick. We can zoom in,
autofocus. Here you have the map of the surrounding area. The first camera is there and there,
there is the 2ᵉ which shows us this side. On this screen, we observe this
which happens at 2200 meters. If we spot something, we can send
a drone or send a patrol, giving him the exact coordinates. - It's useful ? - Yes, thanks to these cameras,
we have already killed 10 or 12 Taliban. Some experts call it
the 4th World War. Drones, satellites, nothing helps. For 9 years of war,
nothing contains Afghan resistance. On the front, every morning,
it's the commotion of battle. For Scott's men... Routine. - We just got some information, like what the Taliban were blocking
a road 500 m to the north. These days they don't stop
to build dams in the Oued. They tell the people
that they are the bosses. So, we have to play
cat and mouse with them. And the game starts at 6 a.m. After crossing the village, the toki-woki starts to crackle
its Taliban frequencies. The marines immediately took cover. The interpreter translates simultaneously
what is said on the radio. - They know we took a left,
they saw us, and they transmit the information to each other. - They're talking about us then? - Yes, they know exactly where we are. - They just said on the radio
that they were ready for battle. The Taliban open fire. - Position eight seven two in the Oued,
we are under fire. Sporadic... They say there are many of them.
Many fighters are ready to attack. Lieutenant Scott is isolated. He must join
his men on the front line. - Movement to the left.
Richard, did you see? At 200 meters there is movement.
It's moving in the trees. One of my men and his team
progress 100 m to the east. They will consolidate their position
and at that moment, me and my group,
we will push towards the north. An unequal fight. A few Taliban armed with machine guns, against a sample
of the most powerful army in the world. - There is a device that will fly over the area
to tell us where we should bomb. - So you have air support? - Yes, in addition,
we have a drone to help us. The bullets are whistling... I crouch on the ground
while waiting for a lull. A few moments later,
I join Scott and his men. - What does it say on Radio Taliban? We intercepted a communication
in which they say, that they will pull in all directions
to know where we are. For the moment, they do not have
no idea where we are. Very often it's like this, they water like crazy
hoping to hit someone by chance. About a hundred meters away, a building. The insurgents are grouped there. At the slightest movement, near the house,
the marines shoot. But the Taliban seem
as always difficult to dislodge. The Taliban have located us. Their shots are becoming more and more precise. Luckily for us,
the reinforcements are there. - Is there smoke there? Scott and his men
can fold up, but the area is far
to be completely cleaned. On the way back,
new enemy salvos. The shells are raining
and the village children are afraid. The marines are back at camp. It's 50 degrees. An ordinary morning of combat. - Are you injured? - No, I just sprained my ankle. - How many grenades did you fire?
- 16. And a smoke bomb... - Were you very active this morning? - Yes, finally, the most important,
that's because no one was hurt. - 5 hours of combat?
- Yes, if you say so, yes. Bob Dylan, the ghosts of Vietnam. 30 years after the same melody, nothing
don't change for cannon fodder. - What are you playing at ? - Rummy! For me, it helps me pass the time. It’s busy. - You often think
to your 3 friends who died here? - My friends, Josh Davis, Tyler Griffin. Tyrant Lamar. We can't stop talking about it. - The first death we had was Griffin.
He stepped on a mine. He lost both his legs
and an arm. After the explosion,
he remained conscious for a while. He was calm. He knew he had just jumped
on a mine. He wasn't afraid. This is a photo of Davis
with two other friends. Davis is the second
that we lost. That evening, I had just fallen asleep, and half an hour later,
I was woken up by gunfire. We all got up and ran. Davis' group
spotted an explosive device. They wanted to take it away, and all of a sudden,
I saw Davis on the ground. He was screaming, he no longer felt anything,
he couldn't move anymore... -And he died a few moments later. - Do you feel hatred? - Yes all the time. In fact, often what you want to do,
it's just killing everyone. Me, when I patrol the village, I look at the people who smile at me,
who make signs to me. And I say to myself maybe they are the Taliban,
but hey, there's nothing we can do. It's like losing your best friend
or his brother. - It's a part of your life, you have friends here,
you spend time, you make plans. Suddenly the guy is no longer there. - Yes, me with Griffin, we said to ourselves that back in the United States,
we would go and have fun in the bars. We would go to the beach... I can't wait to return to the United States. - Me, as soon as we land there,
I kiss the ground! And that's it, I say: "I'm home!" And the first thing I do,
is to go to a fast food restaurant, to order everything I want
to fill my stomach with it. - And we will be able to meet people
telling yourself that there is no risk, let them shoot at us. - It'll be great. - Come on, back to the game! Clashes, ambushes, death lurks. - We're going to attempt an ambush
with Afghan police officers. We're going to climb the mountains, like this
when the Taliban descend towards the village, in the early morning, we will catch them. Generally, in the morning,
they go down into the valley. 3 a.m., the marine column
moves in the darkness. 2 hours of walking. Scott and his men are guided
by an Afghan informant. - He pointed out the places to us
where there could be mines. He will help us
to find the best path, to reach the place
where we will set up our ambush. After 30 years of war,
Afghanistan is riddled with mines. They are the ones who cause the most losses
among the occupying troops. - The ambush will take place here?
- Right over there. - And you are going to reach the Taliban? - Yes, there is a group that will wait here,
like you. The day is breaking.
On the other side of this house, a dozen marines
and Afghan police officers took up positions. We are not allowed
to film the ambush. Despite the attention, some don't lose
sense of humor or self-deprecation. - You see, I put a sticker
where it is marked here: “A meter on the shoulder”
and there I put: “Point at the enemy”. Like that at least,
I'm sure I'll never forget. The first suspects are arrested. Find out if they are the Taliban
or simple peasants, this is the challenge of this operation. The Marines have a new toy. This camera which allows you to scan
the iris and take fingerprints. The data collected is
transmitted in real time in the United States. If the man is already on file,
he is immediately arrested. The checks follow one another. But the marines fail. - I am going to tell you,
It's going to shoot today. We're going to have to release most
of those we took, and as soon as the handcuffs are removed, they will go get their guns
and no doubt follow us. Well, it's better to have your rifle well loaded. Civilians are worried
and the marines are on alert. The Taliban came into contact. Ultimately, most people
controlled are released. Only these three
will be kept in detention. Now it remains to bring back the prisoners
of the day at Camp Griffin. The most delicate phase
of the whole operation: Cross the village with prisoners. Return to camp. The three prisoners are at great risk. If they are Taliban,
they can end up on the island of Cuba, in Guantanamo prison. The village elders
Don't hear it that way. The next morning,
crisis meeting in the tent. Among the prisoners, a mullah,
the Whitebeards demand his release. The marines give in under conditions. - We established this document with their photo. They signed with their fingerprints. He certifies that he guarantees for him, that he is not Taliban
and that he has nothing to do with them. If it's wrong, we can always
turn against them. The man is freed. For Lieutenant Scott,
the complaints keep coming. This man is on file,
but he's not a suspect, just a peasant whose marines, destroyed part
from his house with a rocket. He will be compensated $2,000. But when we offer him a receipt... - No, he doesn't want it, he's afraid. - The problem is that he lives not far away
from the place where we waited for the ambush. So, there are plenty
Taliban hanging around there. And if they catch him with this,
They could really get into trouble. - You see, just the fact
to take this money, it can be considered a betrayal. If we bring this money back to the village, the people of the village can report
and the Taliban will take it. As a result, we could even have our throats cut. In this lost corner of Afghanistan,
as always, the civilians toast, stuck between two fires. For the Marines,
This is the beginning of the end of this hell. After 7 months of isolation, soon they
will return home with their ghosts. - I had a dream last night,
I was back in the United States. You were all there and we were going on patrol
and it was farting in all directions. It was a real butcher's shop. You have friends who are affected
post-traumatic syndrome? - My brother suffers from it. He experienced terrible things in Iraq. - It is an anxiety that comes from the fact
that you've been to some crazy places. As soon as you hear a "boom", you
want to kill everyone around you. You freak out all the time. - Yes, me, my grandfather told me
the story of a guy, who left his house in the middle of the night, almost completely naked
and crawling on the ground. - It's really not funny!
- But the guy was completely in the west. Some of his soldiers have already decided to
pick up and come back to fight in Afghanistan. Others want to turn the page,
as Corporal Richard told us. - Me, when I go back to
United States, I'm going to take a long shower. I'm going to drink a good liter of iced tea, and then I'm going to make love
to my wife for 3 days in a row. Afterwards, I want to be a history teacher. I hope in the high school where I studied. I will take care of my family without thinking anymore
that I could get killed at any time. A week after my departure,
I received this email. "Dear Paul, on June 26,
we were returning from Habib to Griffin, when Lieutenant Richard
stepped on a mine. He died the same evening at 10 p.m. He leaves behind
a wife and a little girl."
