What did Michael Alford serve as, as part of the ISAF force against a known Taliban stronghold and center of opium production?
Michael Alford (artist) Michael Alford (born 15 September 1958 in Cookham, England) is a British figurative painter whose work includes landscapes and cityscapes, figures, portraits and nudes. Mostly self-taught, he has studied and the Slade and the Chelsea School of Art. Early in his career he had an annual show at the Duncan Campbell Gallery in Mayfair and lived in Spain for extended period where the cost of living was reasonable. He also worked as a muralist. In 2010 he served as official War Artist to the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards during their tour of Helmand, Afghanistan. More recently he has painted nudes, cityscapes, a portrait of Vaughan Smith and completed a commission for the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment.
Marjah Accelerated Agricultural Transition The Marjah Accelerated Agricultural Transition (MAAT) was a project of the Afghanistan government and the United States Marine Corps in Marjah, Afghanistan to transition crop farmers from growing opium poppies to growing licit crops over the 2010 growing season. By ceasing to grow opium, one of the Taliban's main sources of income, US forces hope that the Taliban will have less money to utilize for combat.