The Connecticut paper the Republican American reported the death of a Marine corporal who succombed to grievous wounds caused by an IED Helmand Province. Xhacob Latorre, 21, of Waterbury reportedly lost both legs during his combat mission in August. From the obituary:

An article published in The Washington Post in July reported that Marines of Latorre's unit had pushed deep into southern Afghanistan to cut off Taliban supply lines from Pakistan and to restore order in areas long neglected by NATO forces.

The Marine mission in Khan Neshin in the lower Helmand River valley was the most significant deployment of U.S. forces near the Pakistani border with southern Afghanistan.

The brigade's focus was to meet local leaders and to distribute handbills explaining their presence.