Six Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) were honored at Hunter Army Airfield for their actions during the battalion's recent deployments to Afghanistan, Feb. 17.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Shannon Blitchington, a pilot with 3/160th SOAR, received the Distinguished Flying Cross, a medal awarded to a member of the United States Armed Forces who distinguishes himself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight."

To counter the growing improvised explosive device threat in Afghanistan, as well as detect the well-established drug trade here, the increased use of military working dogs have become a critical part of daily operations. Not only can they detect explosives and drug hoards, they can actively engage the enemy and alert the patrols of imminent danger.

"The dogs bring to the fight an inherent ability to sense things that we couldn't even begin to perceive," said Tech. Sgt. Paul Rasmussen, the Combined Team Zabul kennel master.

After five months of working with the 3rd Kandak, 3rd Brigade, 215th Afghan National Army Corps, coalition soldiers can see progress in the military skills of their Afghan counterparts in Helmand province.

The coalition soldiers, who are part of an advisory group have spent their deployment teamed exclusively with 3rd Kandak, the Afghan National Army equivalent of a company, and have worked with its approximately 400 Afghan soldiers during three full-scale operations.

CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan — The soldiers inched forward in carefully spaced columns, tracing crescents over the harrowed terrain with combat metal detectors.

From one hundred yards, the detectors crudely resemble the upturned foot of a prosthetic leg. The Afghan National Army soldiers of Route Clearance Company, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps crept along Camp Dwyer’s improvised explosive device course, knowing the training scenario will soon be their reality.

Video by NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

Afghan National Security and International Security Assistance Forces detained a Taliban facilitator during a security operation in Kandahar district, Kandahar province, yesterday.

The facilitator was responsible for the movement of weapons through Kandahar City and other areas within the province for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also received information on Afghan and coalition operation and convoys. He used this information to plan for future attacks against the forces.

The Taliban facilitator was detained after initial questioning at the scene.

The Afghan air force received an addition to its forces with the arrival of the 10th C-27A Spartan at the Afghan Air Force Base in Kabul Feb. 20, marking the half-way point in the AAF's C-27 fleet as it continues to build to 20.

Not only valuable for Afghanistan's burgeoning cargo capabilities, the addition of another C-27 provides a greater training platform for the AAF as it gains a greater proficiency in the aircraft.

GARMSIR DISTRICT, HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Cpl. Kerry Timms is from Shallow Water, Texas, and at times, he and the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment have skated on some pretty thin ice.