An Afghan and coalition security force killed Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan facilitator, Mazlum Yar, during a security operation in Ishkamish district, Takhar province, today.

Mazlum Yar, also known as Qari Asrar and Tufan, planned and executed improvised explosive device attacks targeting government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan officials, as well as Afghan and coalition forces. He facilitated suicide bombers throughout Takhar and Baghlan provinces. Prior to his death, he was organizing IED emplacement for an impending attack.

In an effort to build a sustainable medical program among the Afghan police, US Army advisers are teaching police medics to become basic combat medical trainers.

The train the trainer program was taught by the U.S. Security Force Assistance Team at the Afghan Police Headquarters on Jan. 2.

“Instead of training a large number of policemen on basic medical tasks, what we tried to do was train a few very competent officers who could then turn around and pass that knowledge along to others Afghans,” US Army medic, Spc. Oscar Lagunas, said.

Averaging more than 136 hours a day, the largest refueling squadron in the world flew more than 50,000 combat hours within 2012's 366 calendar days using the Total Force Integration model.

"Surpassing 50,000 hours is a significant milestone," said Lt. Col. Brian Gilpatrick, 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron director of operations. "It was like having six aircraft airborne 24/7 since the beginning of the year."

Impressive as that is, how they got there with an integrated staff mixed with active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Airmen is even more so.

Patriotism means many things to different people. In fact, it has even taken on a political connotation during the past few years. For service members deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, it means a long journey has finally come to fruition.

Afghan and coalition forces killed one insurgent and cleared three improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, Jan. 8.

Khowst province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs in Sabari district.

Afghan Border Police and coalition forces also found and safely cleared one IED in Khowst fistrict.

Nangarhar province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces killed one insurgent during an engagement in Deh Bala district.

Operations in RC-East are ongoing.

The 1st Section, Bravo Battery 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery from Fort Stewart, Ga., have been conducting intensive training and fire missions to support operations in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.

The gunners, based out at Forward Operating Base Hadrian in Deh Rawud district, are two months into their deployment. They are tasked with providing offensive support to Combined Team Uruzgan missions using M777 A2 Howitzers.

Section Chief, Sgt. Christopher Johnson said the group has quickly finetuned their combat role.

As NATO forces work toward bridging the gap from military operations to a self-sufficient Afghanistan, Army, Navy and Marine engineers of Joint Task Force Empire took the mission literally as they conducted Operation Golden Gate near Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan, through the months of November and December.

Forward Operating Base Gardez is historically significant ground.

To the north stand three watch towers built by Alexander the Great almost 2,500 years ago. To the southwest, a five-minute ride by helicopter ride away, the first engagement took place between the Taliban and conventional forces in March of 2002.

During Operation Anaconda, elements of the 101st Airborne Division, 10th Mountain Division, special operations forces and Afghan allies, engaged the Taliban and al-Qaeda in a vicious ground battle that lasted two weeks.

NATO says a British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan by a suspected member of the Afghan National Army.

A NATO spokesman, Brigadier General Gunter Katz, says the shooter turned his gun on international troops at a base in southern Helmand province and opened fire.

General Katz says the attacker was shot in the incident. Local officials say several British troops were wounded in the attack.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for Monday's shooting. A spokesman said in an email to Western media outlets the attack was carried out by a militant "infiltrator."