Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, recently funded a well construction project to provide clean water for local Afghans. The project, funded by 1/5's civil affairs Marines, also created jobs in the community, as local Afghan workers were contracted to dig three wells. "Having these wells built is something that people have been asking us to do for a while now," said Cpl. Leland Van Leer, an amphibious assault vehicle operator with 1/5.

One of the two missing U.S. soldiers was found by a military dive team yesterday in Western Afghanistan. Afghan-international forces continue to search for the other soldier missing since, Nov. 4.

Afghan national police and ISAF forces seized 500,000 lbs. of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, 5,000 IED components and detained 15 people after a raid in Kandahar, Nov. 8. Based on reliable information, the patrol discovered 1,000 100-lb. bags of fertilizer, which is often used by insurgents to make explosives, and detained 15 people in a warehouse. After the initial find another 4,000 100-lb. bags of fertilizer were found in a nearby compound. Ammonium nitrate fertilizer is a key ingredient of homemade explosives and used in the majority of main charges for IEDs.

More than 750 Afghan and international forces in recent days completed the largest operation to date in Afghanistan's Kunduz province, clearing the northern border area of hundreds of insurgent fighters, military officials reported. The combined forces conducted operations Nov. 1 - 6 in the province's northern region bordering Turkmenistan, killing more than 130 insurgents, including eight Taliban commanders.

Afghan-international security forces conducted clearing operations Nov. 1-6 in the Chahar Dara District of the northern region of Kunduz province, killing more than 130 insurgents including eight Taliban commanders. More than 750 Afghan and International forces took part in the operation to stop insurgent activity and weapons trafficking in the Chahar Dara District. The team also disrupted the insurgent shadow governor in Kunduz province. The Afghan-International force provided humanitarian supplies to the affected villages after the operation.

More than 25 ISAF and Afghan national security force personnel were killed or wounded during a joint operation that involved multiple engagements over several hours Nov. 7 in western Afghanistan. ISAF and Afghan forces were conducting search operations for two missing U.S. Army Soldiers. The Soldiers went missing on Nov. 4 while attempting to recover airdropped supplies from a river in western Afghanistan. In the course of search operations, the joint force was engaged by enemy forces. Reports indicate five ISAF service members from the United States were wounded in action.

In another history-making moment for Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, the first MV-22B Ospreys entered the Task Force Leatherneck area of operations today, alighting in three waves at Camp Bastion Airfield. Making the long journey from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard USS Bataan in the Indian Ocean to the Bastion Airfield in the Helmand desert, the 10 tiltrotor aircraft are the first of their kind to operate in Afghanistan. The unique design of the Osprey allows for not only vertical takeoff, but conversion to fixed-wi

During a joint operation in western Afghanistan today, initial reports indicate more than 25 ISAF and Afghan national security force members were wounded. Members of the joint force were searching for two missing U.S. Army soldiers. The wounded service members were initially treated on the scene and subsequently flown to an ISAF medical facility for further treatment. "We are committed to taking every measure possible to rescue or recover our missing service members. We continue to do everything we can to find them," said U.S. Navy Capt.

An Afghan-international security force detained a group of suspected militants in Kandahar Province, including a senior Taliban facilitator, Thursday. The senior Taliban facilitator detained is believed to be responsible for financing and placing suicide bombers and IEDs in the area. This facilitator is also linked to Taliban leadership outside of the country. The joint security force targeted a compound near the village of Spin Kalacheh, southwest of Kandahar City, after intelligence indicated militant activity.