Special Forces were the tip of the spear when the United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001. But some Afghans labeled their tribal and factional enemies as “Taliban” in order to put them in the American special operators’ cross hairs. The fallout is widely believed to have helped fuel the insurgency.
The fight against the Islamic State is less fraught. Most Afghans despise the jihadists, whom they view as barbarous foreigners.
Source: New York Times
(Photo Credit: NSOCCA photo by U.S. Navy Lt. Amy Forsythe)
Afghan and U.S. Special Forces keep a watchful eye at Observation Post KRAKKEN overlooking Gurgoray village in eastern Afghanistan. Afghan special forces and Green Berets partnered for a month-long operation in June 2018 to prevent ISIS-K fighters from returning to territory they once controlled in Nangarhar province, approximately 25 kilometers from Pakistan.
(Photo Credit: NSOCCA photo by U.S. Navy Lt. Amy Forsythe)
U.S. Forces in Afghanistan conduct a terrain denial air attack in the foothills above Gurgoray village in an effort to prevent ISIS-K fighters from returning to territory they once controlled in eastern Afghanistan. Afghan and U.S. Special Forces teams conducted a month-long operation in June 2018 and established several observation and checkpoints to ensure local villagers can return to their homes and farms.
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Connor Mendez)
A U.S. Special Forces Soldier, attached to Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, waits for nightfall prior to starting a nighttime operation, Sept. 5, 2016. Afghan special forces and Green Berets partnered for a month-long operation in June 2018 to prevent ISIS-K fighters from returning to territory they once controlled in Nangarhar province, approximately 25 kilometers from Pakistan.
Source: US Army
