 U.S. Marines with Task Force Leatherneck are in the midst of a major push against Taliban-led insurgents in the upper Sangin Valley region of Kajaki during Operation Eastern Storm. After five days of pushing north from Sangin along Route 611, 1st Battalion 6th Marines and Afghan security forces have secured the road, leading to the once-terrorized area around the Kajaki hydroelectric dam. Route 611 and the Kajaki Dam are key pieces of infrastructure in Helmand Province. The road is the region's connection to the rest of Afghanistan, while the dam is the principal source of power for the upper Sangin Valley and Sangin District itself. To establish freedom of movement means to clear Afghan Highway 611, which has basically been closed to navigation, riddled with IEDs and in the hands of enemy forces for several years now. The opening up Route 611 will allow local villagers to facilitate commerce. It will allow some of the northern villages, which haven't been able to get to Lashkargao, the provincial capital for a number of years, to move freely about the northern sections of Helmand Province. Operation Eastern Storm follows two years of security gains in the former Taliban strongholds at Sangin and Kajaki. The push by 1-6, 2-4, 2-12, 3-7 and the Afghan soldiers is linking the two security bubbles in these areas. On the ground, Afghan citizens are already expressing relief as the once-tight grip of the insurgency is pulled back. I'd say the enemy resistance has been expected. Kajaki's long been a stronghold for the Taliban, but within the villages, the local personnel, coalition force and Afghan partner presence has been warmly accepted, warmly regarded. Right now, the Marines and their Afghan and coalition partners are continuing their push into what has been one of the insurgents' firmest strongholds. Reporting from Camp Leatherneck, Helmand Province, I'm Staff Sergeant Jeremy Ross.