March 28, 2011

Afghan leader calls for unity as four former detainees are reunited with families

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan (March 28, 2011) — Four detainees were released from the Detention Facility in Parwan and reunited with their families and villagers during a detainee release shura March 24.

March 28, 2011

Afghan commander tours Afghan National Army Logistics Support Area Parwan

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan (March 28, 2011) — The Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 Afghan commander toured the Afghan National Army Logistics Support Area Thursday, March 24, 2011, to observe operations, inspect construction progress and meet with ANA Soldiers.

March 24, 2011

New York’s Ground Zero flag brings coalition troops together

BAGRAM, Afghanistan (March 24, 2011) — An important reminder of why international troops are serving in Afghanistan and Iraq has been traveling throughout Afghanistan; a United States flag that has been soaring above the construction site at New York City’s Ground Zero.

March 21, 2011

Deployed NATO Mine Counter-measures Group exercises with French, UK, US

NAPLES, Italy (March 21, 2011) — The Standing NATO Maritime Mine Counter-measures Group 2 has left the Port of Manama, Bahrain and is currently exercising with the United Kingdom and United States ships of Combined Task Force 52 and French ships FS Croix du Sud and FS Var.

March 21, 2011

Detainees plant trees in observance of Nowruz holiday

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan (March 21, 2011) — Detainees participating in agricultural training at the Detention Facility in Parwan planted more than 50 apricot and almond trees at the DFIP Agricultural Center on March 19.

March 17, 2011

U.S. Central Command takes responsibility for one of world’s largest war records collection

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida (March 15, 2011) — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) officially took responsibility today for one of the world’s largest electronic war records collections, composed of 46 terabytes of about 50-60 million documents and one terabyte of photos.

March 15, 2011

'Marines do not bleed’: Military operations change Afghan perception in southern Helmand

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan (March 15, 2011) — “Marines do not bleed. They do not eat, they do not sleep. They are not human.”

March 10, 2011

Now Zad wasn’t built in a day

NOW ZAD, AFGHANISTAN (March 10, 2011) — Buildings lay in ruins. Vast stretches of the city are either destroyed or abandoned. Fields are bordered with rocks painted red and white, signifying if they are cleared of mines or if they are still unsafe to walk in. A destroyed Soviet tank lays to the wayside of the streets, clearly identifying the rough battles this area has seen.

March 7, 2011

USS Bulkeley frees ship, crew from pirates

MANAMA, Bahrain (March 7, 2011) — A request for assistance from a Japanese-owned merchant vessel in the Somali Basin led to Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) warship USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) securing the release of the vessel and its 24 crew members from four suspected pirates, Mar. 6.

March 7, 2011

Key Afghan, US leadership plant trees for Farmer’s Day

KABUL, Afghanistan (March 7, 2011) — Kabul Mayor Mohammad Yunus Noandesh, Minister of Education Ghulam Farooq Wardak, US Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and Commander United States Forces-Afghanistan Gen. David H. Petraeus planted the first of 75,000 trees on March 6 at Wazri Akbar Khan Hill to begin a country-wide celebration of Farmer’s Day.