What did Michael Alford serve as, as part of the ISAF force against a known Taliban stronghold and center of opium production?
Helmand province campaign The Helmand province campaign was a series of military operations conducted by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces against Taliban insurgents in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Their objective was to control a province that was known to be a Taliban stronghold, and a center of opium production. 
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.