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KABUL March 16 2011 – Afghan National Security and International Security Assistance Forces captured two Haqqani network facilitators and detained several suspected insurgents, during security operations in Sabari district, Khost province, yesterday. According to ISAF detail one facilitator was responsible for the transfer of weapons and ammunition, as well as reporting on Afghan and coalition force movements. He also managed supply routes and provided financial, media and logistical support to the network. The second facilitator provided operational support for the network and acquired equipment for use in attacks. Intelligence reports led the security force to the targeted compound, where they...

KABUL—The fledgling Afghan National Army has been created from scratch by the U.S. and its allies. But, at least in its senior ranks, it increasingly resembles an Afghan army of old—one the U.S. helped rout two decades ago. The Afghan government is dominated by former mujahedeen guerrillas; both the minister of defense and the army chief of staff are former anti-Soviet insurgents. Most ANA generals and colonels appointed to serve just below them, however, are veterans of the Soviet-built Afghan military that hunted these insurgents through the 1980s. (continued)

ONE of the many great things I took from my Army career was the rule that "the maximum effective range of an excuse is zero meters." But excuses are all we have in Afghanistan. Among the worst of the countless follies that make an old soldier sick is the endless excuse-making for the sloth and cowardice of the Afghan National Army and the extortion culture of the Afghan Police -- while Taliban warriors fight to the bitter end. The bottom line is that Taliban fighters are willing to die for their cause, while the Afghan soldiers we've tried to train...

KABUL: An Afghan army helicopter crashed yesterday, killing a senior Afghan general and 12 other men. The helicopter came down in poor weather in western Afghanistan in the worst crash for the fledgling army that began forming after the Taliban regime was toppled in a US-led invasion in late 2001. It had been carrying a delegation of senior Afghan National Army officers, including the commander of Zafar military corps, General Fazel Ahmad Sayar, from the western city of Herat to an army base in adjoining Farah province, defence officials said. The helicopter hit a mountain peak in dense fog, the...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2008 – Afghan and coalition forces today killed four militants after being ambushed in an area near Afghanistan’s western border, where a Norwegian provincial reconstruction team was ambushed last week, military officials said. Today’s ambush took place as Afghan and coalition forces were en route to a meeting with village leaders in the Ghormach district of Badghis province, where they were going to assess the needs of villagers and coordinate humanitarian assistance. The combined forces were attacked with rocket-propelled grenades, small-arms and mortar fire, officials said. As enemy forces began reinforcing and maneuvering on the patrol, Afghan...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 10, 2008 – After six months of planning, Afghan National Army officials, in conjunction with Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan and International Security, put into action their combined efforts for the ANA’s first six-day command post exercise, or CPX, at the Ministry of Defense compound here, beginning Nov 1. Army Maj. Gen. Robert W. Cone, commander of Combined Transition Security Command Afghanistan, congratulates participants at the closing ceremony of a six-day command post exercise at the Ministry of Defense compound in Kabul, Afghanistan, Nov. 6, 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Douglas Mappin  (Click...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2008 – The mood of Afghan citizens has changed dramatically in the past year due to the progress the Afghan security forces have made, a senior military official said Oct. 24. “I’ve seen a lot of progress here in the Afghan army and police,” Army Col. Bill Hix, commander of Afghan Regional Security Integration Command South, said to bloggers during a teleconference. While the Afghan army has had about five years to develop, Hix said, the Afghan police didn’t really start to reform until last summer, when U.S. troops began to mentor them. Progress has been gained...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2008 – The government of Afghanistan has proposed to nearly double the size of its army over the next five years, senior Pentagon officials said here today. If the Afghan proposal is realized, the Afghan National Army would increase its ranks from about 65,000 soldiers presently to about 120,000 troops over the next five years, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters. “This new Afghan plan, we think, has merit,” Whitman said. “But, it also will have some costs associated with it, too.” The Afghan army is slated to grow to about 80,000 soldiers sometime next year, Whitman...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2008 – In an effort to bolster the Afghan National Police, U.S. forces in southern Afghanistan recruited and sent a record 500 Afghan citizens to eight weeks of focused district development training, a military official said Aug. 6. “No other regions in the country have recruited nearly that amount during a training cycle,” Army Col. John Cuddy, commander of the Regional Police Advisory Command South said during a call with online journalists and bloggers. Due to the level of insurgent activity, Cuddy said, southern Afghanistan is the main effort in the fight against the enemies of Afghanistan....

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan soldiers killed "dozens" of militants, including foreigners, in a clash on a highway in southern Zabul province on Thursday, the defence ministry said. The clash broke out following reports of an ambush by the insurgents in Zabul, the ministry said in a statement. "Thirty-four bodies of terrorists, among them a number of foreigners, have been collected from the battlefield," it said, adding some ammunitions were also seized. It did not say if there were any casualties among the Afghan troops. The interior ministry said police forces were also involved and put the number of Taliban deaths...

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2008 – The Afghan National Army will assume a leading role in the fight against enemy forces this spring, a military official said in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. Enemy activity has been down in recent months due to the harsh winter weather in Afghanistan, but violence has historically increased when conditions improve in the spring, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert Cone, commander of Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, said during a conference call with online journalists and “bloggers.” Cone said the coalition was very productive in generating Afghan forces during the enemy’s downtime. “The Afghan National Army decided...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2007 – Afghan National Army soldiers assisted by coalition advisors have completely wiped out Taliban insurgents in a key southern province, a coalition commander said today. “My assessment of the threat in this province is that the insurgency has suffered a total defeat this summer due to the combined efforts of the ANA and coalition forces,” Army Lt. Col. Karl Slaughenhaupt told online journalists and “bloggers” during a conference call from the tiny Afghan town of Qalat. Slaughenhaupt is senior advisor to 2nd Brigade, 205th Corps, of the Afghan National Army. He and his coalition team members...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2007 – The tense paratroopers and Afghan National Army soldiers sat in silence surrounded by darkness. Scouts of the 173rd Airborne Brigade's 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, react as villagers below run after spotting the soldiers moving on the hillside during Operation Destined Strike in Chowkay Valley, Afghanistan Aug. 22, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brandon Aird  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The previous hours were spent huddled together rehearsing the mission, "Destined Strike," which was to be an air-assault into the Taliban's backyard. The whoop, whoop, whoop sound of the CH-47 "Chinook" helicopter's...

Senior al Qaeda leader may have been wounded in the ongoing battle at Tora Bora The battle at the Tora Bora mountains in Nangarhar province has completed its first week, the fighting has intensified as Afghan Army and US forces hunt Taliban and al Qaeda fighters who have infiltrated the region. Scores of Taliban and al Qaeda operatives are reported to have been captured after upwards of 50 terrorists were killed in the initial fighting. A senior al Qaeda leader was also reported to have been wounded in the attack. Dr. Amin al Haq, who serves as Osama bin Laden's...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Toting obsolete equipment and an arsenal dating back to the Soviet era, the Afghan National Army says it's waiting for modern weapons promised by Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor. The Afghan army, which Canada is counting on to take over fighting against the Taliban in coming months, still has yet to receive C-7 assault rifles and ammunition the Canadian government pledged to deliver, said Lt.-Col. Sherinshaw Khobandi. In Ottawa, a Defence Ministry spokesman confirmed that supplies for the Afghan National Army are planned, but declined to specify a date when they will be delivered. Khobandi said O'Connor...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 7, 2007 – Elements of the 1st Brigade, 205th Afghan National Army Corps, along with coalition forces, repelled more than 75 enemy fighters who were attempting to overrun Firebase Anaconda in Oruzgan province this morning. The insurgents attacked the firebase from three sides, using small-arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades and 107 mm rockets at daybreak, military officials said. The combined Afghan and coalition forces used small-arms, machine-gun and mortar fire to repel the enemy advance. Close air support was called in to destroy the enemy fighters. Almost two dozen insurgents were confirmed killed in the attack. Four Afghan...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - With Canada's top military brass feeling comfortable with their tactics on the ground in Afghanistan, Chief of Defence staff Gen. Rick Hillier said his first priority now is to bolster the country's national security forces. Hillier and the top leadership of the Canadian forces met over the weekend in Kandahar for discussions on the state of Canada's military efforts in Afghanistan as the clock ticks toward the February 2009 deadline for the mission. "What we said is what can we do right now, we've still got a long way to go in the present mandate, as...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2006 – Foreign observers of the U.S. military often say what puts it above other militaries is the quality of the noncommissioned officer corps. Many other nations want the same for themselves. The Afghan National Army is learning from Western military trainers who stress the central role of NCOs in a world-class military. Afghan army Chief of Staff Gen. Bismullah Khan stressed the role of NCOs in the new military by recently appointing the nation's first sergeant major of the army, Roshan Safi. Senior American NCOs say the appointment is crucial to developing an NCO corps...

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2006 – Taliban extremists attacked the governor of Nagarhar, Afghanistan, today, killing eight civilians, and Afghan National Army soldiers killed at least four terrorists and detained six during a morning operation yesterday, U.S. military officials reported. Taliban extremists attacked Nagarhar Gov. Gul Agha Sherazi this morning, detonating a car bomb in a crowd of innocent civilians. Initial reports indicate 16 people were wounded and eight people were killed in the explosion. Sherazi was not injured in the attack. Three of the eight people killed were bodyguards for the governor. The attack occurred near the end of a...

Four years ago this spring the United States began building an Afghan National Army, which has since emerged as arguably the least ambiguous success story of the postwar reconstruction here. While military power in Afghanistan was once synonymous with partisan, warlord-run militias, the new army is a multiethnic, battle-hardened and increasingly professional force--tangible proof of how nation-building can work in even the unlikeliest of places. Unfortunately, this accomplishment is under threat, not just from a resurgent Taliban but from the Bush administration itself, which is keen to trim its contributions to the Afghan army. Against Kabul's objections, the U.S. military...

US sets up £215m deal for Afghan arms - from Russia By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent (Filed: 22/05/2006) American defence officials have secretly requested a "prodigious quantity" of ammunition from Russia to supply the Afghan army in case a Democrat president takes over in Washington and pulls out US troops. The Daily Telegraph can disclose that Pentagon chiefs have asked arms suppliers for a quote on a vast amount of ordnance, including more than 78 million rounds of AK47 ammunition, 100,000 rocket-propelled grenades and 12,000 tank shells - equivalent to about 15 times the British Army's annual requirements. The Bush...

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2006 – Afghans reported improvised explosive devices to local officials in two separate incidents today, and Afghan National Army aviators completed their first combat-support mission April 15, military officials in Afghanistan reported today. Afghan National Army Sgt. Abdul Khaliq, of the ANA's Central Movement Agency, hands a box of food to U.S. Army Sgt. Juan Trejos on an Afghan Air Corps Mi-17 Hip helicopter at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, April 12. Soldiers from ANA's Central Movement Agency trained with their coalition counterparts prior to the ANA Air Corps first aerial resupply mission in partnership with the...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Afghan security forces backed by coalition helicopters attacked a suspected Taliban hideout in southern Afghanistan, setting off an intense gunbattle that killed 41 rebels, a provincial governor said Saturday. Six Afghan police officers also died in Friday's fighting in Sangisar, a town 25 miles southwest of Kandahar, said Asadullah Khalid, the provincial governor. "Acting on intelligence reports that Taliban have gathered in Sangisar to plan an attack in Kandahar, we launched this operation Friday and the fighting continued from morning to evening," he said. Taliban forces have threatened to step up attacks against coalition and Afghan soldiers...

Two Afghan National Army engineer soldiers demonstrate their new skills as one operates an Italian-made bulldozer and the other gives hand signals. The demonstration was a part of the Afghan National Army engineer training course graduation ceremony. Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Victoria Meyer Afghan Army Builds on Engineering Skills The training covered heavy engineer machinery operation, force protection, and natural disaster and relief operations. By Army Capt. Cenethea Harraway Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 29, 2005 -- The Afghan National Army recently graduated 26 engineers from a six-week training course...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2005 – Afghan National Army forces and U.S. Marines killed more than 40 enemy combatants during an offensive operation over the last few weeks in the districts of Chawkay, Asadabad, Pech and Narang, in Afghanistan's Konar province. The ANA and Marines fought side by side in 29 separate engagements against the enemy, disrupting hostile activity during Operation Whalers. The operation's purpose was to disrupt enemy forces in the area and to clear the way for successful elections, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials said. "The ANA have demonstrated their abilities with great success," said Marine...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Fighting between about 90 suspected Taliban rebels and hundreds of Afghan soldiers and U.S.-led coalition troops left seven insurgents dead and 10 wounded, while a rebel attack on a medical clinic killed a doctor and six others, officials said Wednesday. The clash broke out on the border between Kandahar and Uruzgan, two southern provinces, on Tuesday after the rebels attacked a joint Afghan-coalition patrol, army commander Gen. Muslim Amid said. Four Afghan soldiers were wounded in the fighting, which ended with the insurgents fleeing into nearby mountains, carrying their injured, he said. Two rebels were captured. Troops...

KABUL, Afghanistan (Army News Service, May 25, 2005)—The Afghan National Army launched Afghanistan’s first military vaccine program May 19, providing vaccinations for 185 soldiers at the Kabul Military Training Center’s Troop Medical Clinic. The ANA’s Office of the Surgeon General, in conjunction with the Office of Military Cooperation– Afghanistan, initiated the program to improve the health of the soldiers and enhance mission readiness by protecting the ANA soldier force from historically debilitating diseases. “Without a doubt, immunizations are the most effective means of protecting our soldiers’ health and therefore, our number one priority project,” said Professor Jan Mohammed Khalazai, director...

S&W Receives Pistol Order From US Army for Afghanistan National Army SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. (Amex: SWB - News), the legendary 153-year old firearms maker, today announced that it has secured a contract to supply pistols to the United States Army Security Assistance Command (USASC) Special Projects Office for shipment to the Afghanistan National Army. Michael Golden, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "This order is significant because it demonstrates that we are executing on our committed strategy to become a significant supplier of high quality pistol products to the military and the...

KABUL, 28 February 2005 — The number of soldiers in Afghanistan’s fledgling army passed 25,000 yesterday with the graduation of three battalions of newly trained soldiers and officers but the force remains far short of its planned strength. “With the graduation of three battalions today the number of Afghan National Army personnel including officers goes over 25,000,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed Zahir Azimi. Some 853 soldiers and officers graduated in a ceremony in the Afghan capital, taking the force a small step closer to its eventual planned size of 70,000 men. However, government officials cautioned that Afghanistan is still...

KABUL (Reuters) - The United States has almost doubled the number of trainers it will embed in Afghanistan's national army and the new force should be completed more quickly than originally anticipated, a spokesman said on Sunday. U.S. military spokesman Major Eric Bloom said about 280 more trainers from the National Guard had arrived in Afghanistan to join about 300 already with Afghan National Army (ANA) units that have completed basic training and been deployed to the provinces. Bloom said better training facilities built up in Afghanistan meant formation of the new army was going faster than first planned and...

WASHINGTON - It was a spring-like Monday morning here as Afghan leader Hamid Karzai watched a hastily sewn flag rise over the long-abandoned Afghan embassy. Much like Mr. Karzai's desperate nation, the dilapidated embassy is a testimony to neglect, with peeling paint, leaky roofs, sagging walls, and termites. Still, no one seemed to notice. Speaking of shared US-Afghan pain, partnership, and hope, Karzai dignified the moment. He seemed sincere, yet polished - even, some would say, chic. "Tie it well, Haron," said Karzai, looking on in a silver lamb's-wool cap, flowing tunic, and emerald cape as his chargé d'affairs ...

January 27, 2005 Release Number: 05-01-106 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ANA SOLDIER KILLS 5, WOUNDS 6HILMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- An Afghan National Army soldier opened fire inside a coalition fire base in Hilmand Province early this morning, killing five ANA soldiers and wounding six more ANA soldiers before being shot and killed by other ANA soldiers on the compound. The wounded soldiers were evacuated to a U.S. military medical facility at Kandahar where they are being treated. There is no current information regarding their conditions. The soldier who initiated the shooting was returning from guard duty at the time of the...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2005 – Progress made by the Afghan National Army over the past year has "enabled Afghan institutions to build enduring local, regional and national security, extended the reach of the national government and assisted in Afghanistan's transition to a democratic nation," a U.S. Army spokesman said today at a Kabul news conference. The Afghan army "is well trained, brave and relentless in its execution of missions," U.S. Army Maj. Mark McCann pointed out. Afghanistan's army, McCann pointed out, helped to set the stage for successful nationwide voting conducted in October that elected Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan's president....

  Afghan Soldiers Graduate From Language Course By Col. Randy Pullen, USASpecial to American Forces Press Service KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 30, 2004 –– Twenty-seven Afghan National Army officers and noncommissioned officers graduated from the Intensive English Language Course at the Kabul Military Training Center Sept. 2. Afghan National Army Central Corps Command Sgt. Maj. Roshan Safi, left, addresses his classmates during the graduation of the Intensive English Language Course at the Kabul Military Training Center Sept. 2. Photo by Col. Randy Pullen, USA(Click photo for screen-resolution image); high-resolution image available. The six-month course was taught by Roberto Farias and...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 August 19, 2004Release Number: 04-08-61 AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMY RECRUITING ACADEMY GRADUATES SECOND CLASS Kabul, Afghanistan -- One hundred and three Afghan military recruiters graduated from the second class of the Afghan National Army (ANA) Recruiting Academy recently The academy is planned to serve the source for providing recruiters for the ANA’s Recruiting Command. The instruction received by the graduates focused on teaching the latest recruiting methods, communication skills and marketing of the ANA.In addition to these topics the students were...

  Afghan National Army Increases Battalions Being Trained By Cpl. Douglas DeMaio / Office of Military Cooperation - Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, May 27, 2004 — There was an increase in the number of cohort battalions being trained at the Kabul Military Training Center this month. This will have a significant impact on the expansion of the fledgling Afghan National Army. Each battalion graduates with approximately 750 soldiers. During the time in which four cohort battalions are training simultaneously, 3,000 soldiers will be learning basic soldier skills like marksmanship, first aid, drill and ceremony and communications. The increase in cohort...

Civilian militia members were scheduled to lay down their arms today in a ceremony in Kandahar, Afghanistan. This morning's disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration commencement ceremony was scheduled to include a parade of 1,000 demobilizing soldiers, and weapons collection was set to begin this afternoon, according to a Combined Forces Command – Afghanistan news release. The commander of the Kandahar provincial reconstruction team was scheduled to attend the ceremony. Officials said the ceremony marks another step in a program designed to integrate 100,000 Afghan militia members into the new Afghan army and other government-sponsored security activities, or into civilian life. The...

West Point Opens Doors to Afghan Applicants By U.S. Army Spc. Douglas DeMaio / Office of Military Cooperation-Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, March 11, 2004 - For the first time, Afghan candidates may have an opportunity to attend West Point this fall.A total of 146 nations have been invited to select six nominees to apply for admission into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Out of 840 international nominees, only 10 will be chosen, with no more than two selected from any one nation.Thirteen Afghan nominees were interviewed and tested by three U.S. soldiers last month, to determine Afghanistan's six...

  Afghan National Army training combat medics By Maj. Richard C. Sater Afghan National Army Private Mirwais inserts a saline infusion IV during a training session at the Kabul military forces hospital.Maj. Richard Sater POL-E-CHARKI, Afghanistan (Army News Service, Jan. 26, 2004) -- The Afghan National Army has begun training its own combat medics to provide baseline care for soldiers in the field through a collaborative effort with the U.S. Army. About 80 medics have graduated so far, and the second class is due to complete the course this month. A third group will begin training in the spring,...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 January 26, 2004Release Number: 04-01-63 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COMBINED FORCES COMMAND AFGHANISTAN RELEASE KABUL, Afghanistan -- In coordination with the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan, Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan continues to train the Afghan National Army, provide civil affairs support, and disrupt, deny, and destroy terrorist and anti-ITGA forces in order to establish a stable and secure Afghanistan. As an example of the continuing cooperation between the people of Afghan and the coalition, an Afghan citizen led Coalition Forces to a...

  Army Reserve Soldiers help train Afghan National Army By Maj. Wayne Marotto Capt. David Poland, 3/383, 3rd Brigade, 75th Division (Training Support), discusses training with an Afghan Army officer. Poland acted as a mentor to the commander of a rifle company during his deployment to Afghanistan.Maj. Wayne Marotto KABUL, Afghanistan (Army News Service, Jan. 15, 2004) – A group of observer/controllers who normally train deploying Soldiers returned recently from their own deployment, where they put their teaching skills to use with a foreign Army. More than 30 observer/controllers from the 75th Division (Training Support), an Active component/Reserve component...

OTTAWA (CP) - A group of 10 officers from the Afghan National Army began training courses Friday in Canada. Eight officers started an 18-week English course in St-Jean, Que., while two others, who already speak English, started a 16-week course in Ottawa to prepare them to be English-language instructors. They are the first of 75 Afghan army members due to come to Canada during the next three years to study English and learn explosive disposal techniques. After a generation of war, Afghanistan is littered with abandoned bombs, shells and explosives and studded with thousands of land mines. The Afghani soldiers...

The Afghan National Army took a step closer to building its strength with a reconnaissance mission here Jan. 4. The mission, conducted by the U.S. Recruiting Assistance Team, part of the Office of Military Cooperation - Afghanistan, was an attempt to select a prominent site and secure land to build an ANA volunteer center in the province. "Today, we are here to bring Afghanistan closer to its desire to be an independent nation," said Lt. Col. David Francavilla, director of the recruiting assistance team. During the mission, the recruiting team, along with an Afghanistan Ministry of Defense representative and a...

KABUL: India on Tuesday donated 300 military vehicles to Afghanistan's fledgling national army to help it in its struggle against the militants launching regular attacks on troops. The delivery came a day after five Afghan National Army troops were killed and three others wounded in an attack by militants in the southern border town of Spin Boldak. The donation of military trucks, jeeps and ambulances is part of New Delhi's contribution to rebuild the army, Indian ambassador Vivek Katju said during a handover ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul. "We are committed to the reconstruction of Afghanistan; this is...

Afghan Army Liberates Bamiyan New national army chases warlords out of strife torn central province. By Shoib Safi in Bamiyan (ARR No.51, 70-Mar-03) Mohammad Sultan stood straight and tall at the Madar village checkpoint, watching for smugglers and weapons as residents came and went. Snow fell on his new national army uniform, but he didn’t mind. For many soldiers it would be tedious, boring work, but for this 28-year-old, it was an extraordinary and happy moment. At last he was doing what he had been trained to do: serve his country by trying to bring about stability. “I will go...