U.S. Marines back in Helmand as Afghanistan 'stalemate' continues

U.S. Marines stand at attention during a transfer of authority ceremony at Shorab camp, in Helmand province, Afghanistan April 29, 2017. Picture taken April 29, 2017. REUTERS/James Mackenzie

CAMP SHORAB, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The U.S. Marine Corps has returned to Helmand, the restive province in southern Afghanistan where it fought years of bloody battles with the Taliban, to help train Afghan forces struggling to contain the insurgency.

Many of the 300 Marines coming to Helmand as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support training mission are veterans of previous tours in the province, where almost 1,000 coalition troops, mostly U.S. and British, were killed fighting the Taliban.