PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Sept. 24) – Afghan National Security Forces  and Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division discovered a large cache of weapons during a eliberate clearing operation, Sept. 24, in the Paktya province of eastern Afghanistan, as part of Operation Champion Shield.

The focus of Operation Champion Shield is directed towards targeting militant leaders, militant strongholds and save havens within Paktya.

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (SEPT 26) – Afghan civilians, leaders, and soldiers worked together along with International Security Assistance Force soldiers to make their villages and districts safer and more secure in the Kunar province.

Afghan National Security Force elements from the 3rd Kandak, Afghan National Army, and ISAF service members from the United States Army’s Task Force Lethal, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, work with each other to build on the stability and security of villages, towns, and cities in districts across Kunar province and beyond.  Increasingly, they find themselves receiving help from some friendly faces.

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Missouri Army National Guard and Air Force National Guardsmen, who work with the Nangarhar Agri-business Development Team, recently assessed ongoing projects and spoke with government leaders in the Surkh Rod and Chaparhar districts, Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan, Aug. 28.

The assessments allowed service members to ensure projects were advancing according to schedule and gauge the successful projects the unit has already completed, such as wells, roads, and other ongoing ADT-funded projects in the districts.

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – In support of Paktya’s growing women’s empowerment initiative, several government officials and representatives from the Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the Gardez Women’s Development Center in Gardez district, Sept. 13.

The new facility will be constructed on the grounds of the existing Women’s Development Center and will provide eight additional classrooms for instruction in teaching, computers, women’s rights, and civics training. The Department of Women’s Affairs also plans to hire more staff members to provide assistance with women’s legal issues in the new facility.