Aug. 31, 2011

Mattis discusses Afghan transition at Marine Symposium

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (August 30, 2011) — Transition is an ongoing process in Afghanistan, and it entails far more than simply winning on the battlefield, the commander of U.S. Central Command said here today.

Aug. 30, 2011

Female soldiers work with women of Afghanistan

DEH DADI, Afghanistan (August 30, 2011) — The U.S. Army has teams that specialize in different tasks, such as training Soldiers during simulated war or teaching Soldiers how to parachute from an airplane. When it comes to helping the women of Afghanistan, the Army has teams for that too.

Aug. 30, 2011

Marines train Afghan police to handle special tactics missions

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (August 29, 2011) — Marine Corps instructors at the Joint Sustainment Academy Southwest at Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, are in the process of training an elite group of Afghan Uniformed Police in a first-of-its-kind training program.

Aug. 24, 2011

PRT works with village to build school

GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan (August 21, 2011) – Ghazni Provincial Reconstruction Team members and civil engineers conducted a shura with the Andar District subgovernor and village elders to ensure the completion of the Wali Lali school project.

Aug. 24, 2011

Task Force Guns descends on Afghanistan, takes on mission

CAMP KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (August 23, 2011) - They started from scratch. Arriving at Camp Kunduz in mid May, Soldiers from Task Force Guns, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, had their work cut out for them. The Soldiers were tasked to convert an area of operations that was suited for a small platoon-sized element into one in which a battalion-sized element could thrive in.

Aug. 19, 2011

Governance, development efforts continue in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (August 18, 2011) — Corruption and insurgent violence remain serious issues, but Afghan community members and leaders are strengthening their local governments “from the bottom up,” a senior Defense Department civilian serving in Afghanistan said today.

Aug. 19, 2011

As embattled district cools, battalion moves north

CAMP DWYER, Helmand province, Afghanistan (August 19, 2011) — A battalion of Marines left Marjah District today, signaling coalition force’s growing confidence in Marjah’s Afghan National Security Forces.

Aug. 17, 2011

Afghan, coalition forces pursue insurgents

WASHINGTON (August 15, 2011) — Afghan and coalition forces have been heavily engaged in Afghanistan’s southeastern region in recent days, killing and detaining numerous insurgent fighters there, military officials reported.

Aug. 16, 2011

Iraqi military capabilities growing, General says

WASHINGTON (August 15, 2011) — Iraq has the most capable counterinsurgency force in the Middle East and Central Asia, but its military still has a long way to go to defend the Iraqi people, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Iraq said here today.

Aug. 15, 2011

Official reports security progress in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (August 12, 2011) — Calling the operation against al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden “a great step” toward U.S. objectives in Afghanistan, a senior defense official emphasized the importance of continuing to build Afghan security forces and institutions so they can continue this momentum.