A Syrian man tends to his flock alongside the road after the area was recently liberated from ISIS by Syrian Democratic Forces outside of Kobane, Syria, Feb. 21, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell, CJTF-OIR)
A local female Manbij Military Council trainee fires a 7.62mm PK machine gun during marksmanship training Feb. 21, 2017, at Sanaa Training Center in Northwest Syria. The instruction is 20 days long to include basic rifle marksmanship, and squad level weapons and movement techniques. This is the first cycle of women to graduate and join the MMC. The course is administered by Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve trainers. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
A U.S. Special Forces operator advises a Manbij Military Council female instructor as she helps a local female MMC trainee during marksmanship training Feb. 21, 2017, at Sanaa Training Center in Northwest Syria. This is the first cycle of women to graduate and join the MMC. The MMC is a multi-ethnic force that includes Kurds, Arabs, Christians, Turkmen, Yazidis and others. The course is administered by Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve trainers. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Local female Manbij Military Council trainees finish a day of marksmanship training Feb. 21, 2017, at Sanaa Training Center in Northwest Syria. The MMC is a multi-ethnic force that includes Kurds, Arabs, Christians, Turkmen, Yazidis and others. This is the first cycle of women to graduate and join the MMC. The course is administered by Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve trainers. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
A man sells chicken as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Sanaa Training Center in Northwest Syria, Feb. 21, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Local female Manbij Military Council trainees learn marksmanship training Feb. 21, 2017, at Sanaa Training Center in Northwest Syria. The blue patch is the logo of the MMC which protects Manbij. The MMC is a multi-ethnic force that includes Kurds, Arabs, Christians, Turkmen, Yazidis and others. This is the first cycle of women to graduate and join the MMC. The course is administered by Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve trainers. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Local female Manbij Military Council trainees learn marksmanship training Feb. 21, 2017, at Sanaa Training Center in Northwest Syria. The instruction is 20 days long to include basic rifle marksmanship, and squad level weapons and movement techniques. The MMC is a multi-ethnic force that includes Kurds, Arabs, Christians, Turkmen, Yazidis and others. This is the first cycle of women to graduate and join the MMC. The course is administered by Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve trainers. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Local female Manbij Military Council trainees learn marksmanship training Feb. 21, 2017, at Sanaa Training Center in Northwest Syria. The instruction is 20 days long to include basic rifle marksmanship, and squad level weapons and movement techniques. The MMC is a multi-ethnic force that includes Kurds, Arabs, Christians, Turkmen, Yazidis and others. This is the first cycle of women to graduate and join the MMC. The course is administered by Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve trainers. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
Children attend schools for the first time in two years, civil services are returning to the city, and local businesses are thriving while the Manbij Military Council and local police provide security for the Syrian people as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017 in Manbij, Syria. Special Operations Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve troops advise, assist and sometimes accompany Syrian Democratic Forces and the Manbij Military Council as they rebuild after the reign of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
A man fishes on the Euphrates River in northern Syria as life begins to return to normal Feb. 23, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Mark Burrell)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (3 Nov., 2010) - “Sometimes late at night, you’ll see people moving through the mountains or people signalling each other,” said U.S. Army Spc. Brandon Brouhard, a combat medic assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, during his guard shift at Combat Outpost Penich in Eastern Afghanistan in the Kunar Province, 3 Nov., 2010. “We’re looking for suspicious activity because in the nighttime is when insurgents come of of the mountains and mess with the villagers,” said the Modesto, Calif., native. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – In the middle of an eight-hour firefight against insurgents, U.S. Army Spc. Brit B. Jacobs (right), a combat medic from Sarasota, Fla., guides U.S. Army Spc. Ronnie Vargas (left), a mortar man from Alice, Texas, to an awaiting medevac on a remote hilltop in the Shal Valley in eastern Afghanistan's Nuristan Province, Nov. 7. Both Soldiers are assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack. Vargas returned to Fort Campbell, Ky., is recovering from his wounds and waiting for his unit to redeploy.
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (November 20, 2010) – U.S. Army Staff Sgt. McCarthy Phillip, an infantry squad leader from Decatur, Ga., assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Bulldog, searches a room during a recent joint patrol in the Pech River Valley in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, Nov. 20. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, 210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
During a routine suspect search, U.S. Army Spc. Christopher W. Childs, an M249 squad automatic weapon gunner from Garland, Texas, assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Bulldog, uses the Handheld Interagncy Identity Dectection Equipment System to take a picture of an Afghan's eye during joint operations at a mountain village in the Pech River Valley in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, Nov. 20. Childs and his squad worked closely with their counterparts from 2nd Company, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Afghan National Army, to clear villages up and down the rocky valley's walls.
During the final phase of Operation Bulldog Bite in the mountains above the Pech River Valley in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, two Afghan children look on inquisitively as soldiers secure their village, Nov. 23. The children were shy at first, but later opened after they were handed food from soldiers assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Bulldog and Afghan National Army soldiers.
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (November 24, 2010) – During a short break to eat chow and rest, U.S. Army Pfc. Chris J. Nielsen, an M249 squad automatic weapon gunner from Huntington Beach, Calif., assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Bulldog, rests, during joint clearing operations in the Pech River Valley in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, Nov. 24. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, 210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Sgt. Richard A. Darvial (kneeling), a combat medic from Amery, Wisc., takes cover while U.S. Army Spc. Corey C. Canterbury, a mortar man from Ocean Springs, Miss., fire mortars from a mountain top overlooking the Ganjgal Valley in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, Dec. 11. Both Soldiers are assigned to Bayonet Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack, and were supporting Operation Eagle Claw II. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, 210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – An Afghan child lines the road as troops assigned to Company A, 1st Special Troops Battalion, Task Force Spartan, patrol with Afghan Security Guards just outside of Forward Operating Base Shinwar in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province, Jan. 14, 2011. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – A Bodi Kot village elder scratches his beard and discusses local issues in his area with U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Company A, 1st Special Troops Battalion, Task Force Spartan, during a recent patrol in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province, Jan. 15. The villager said the area is very safe now. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – A 120mm mortar round flies out of the tube as U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ramey J. Brown (left), a section sergeant from Marshville, N.C., Spc. Tyler L. Dillon (center), a team leader from Williamstown, W. Va., and Pvt. Gabriel C. Fields (right), from Fort Worth, Texas, all mortarmen assigned to Troop C, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Bandits, take cover while at Observation Post Mustang in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar Province on Jan. 26. “It gets pretty intense sometimes when firing, especially if a firefight is going on,” said Dillon. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – An Afghan man simulates a penetrating eye injury during a recent mass casualty exercise as U.S. Army Pfc. Keely S. Layne, a medic from Goochland, Va., assigned to 102nd Forward Surgical Team attached to 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Bandit, checks his condition at Forward Operating Base Bostick in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, Feb. 2. Keely has been in Afghanistan for less than a week and this is her first deployment. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – During a quiet moment overlooking farmers in their fields, U.S. Army Spc. Damian C. Caldino, a food service specialist from Oxnard, Calif., assigned to Forward Support Company G, 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force Balls, pulls guard at Forward Operating Base Hughie in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province, Feb. 24. Caldino has been in the military for more than 11 years. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – As the snow falls, U.S. Army Spc. David A. Brooks, a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist from Virginia Beach, Va., assigned to Forward Support Company G, 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force Balls, provides security during a recent convoy in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province, Feb. 28. The convoy from Jalalabad to Bagram Airfield took more than 12 hours. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Minutes before a gunfight, a line of Afghan National Army soldiers from 4th Combat Service Support Kandak and Soldier assigned to Bayonet Company, 2nd Battalion, Task Force No Slack, pushes toward a ridge during a recent combat patrol that lasted more than twelve hours in Chawkay District's Dewegal Valley in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, Mar. 13. Taliban fighters set up an ambush on the farthest left hilltop . (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – After about six hours into a twelve hour joint combat patrol in the Hindu Kush Mountains, U.S. Army Pfc. Garrett J. Hartman, an infantryman from Needmore, Penn., assigned to Bayonet Company, 2nd Battalion, Task Force No Slack, receives an intravenous bag of fluids in Chawkay District's Dewegal Valley in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, Mar. 13. The weather was uncharacteristically warm for March. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army 1st Lt. Benjamin A. Amsler, a platoon leader from Titusville, Penn., assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack, uses an interpreter to speak to an Afghan villager during a recent operation in the Chowkay District in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, March 13. The villager already knew who Amsler was because of his reputation in the area. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – As the sun sets behind U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jamie R. Johnson, a platoon sergeant from Park Hills, Mo., assigned to Bayonet Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack, he peers into the floors of the Shigal Valley in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province Mar. 17. No International Security Assistance Forces were injured during the joint operation where 20 insurgents were killed. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, say farewell to fallen comrades during a memorial service for six fallen Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Joyce in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, April 9. Six troops were killed on the battlefield during combat operations March 29. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Spc. Brit B. Jacobs, a combat medic from Sarasota, Fla., assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, gives a farewell kiss to the helmet of one of his fallen comrades during a memorial service for six fallen Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Joyce in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, April 9. Jacobs helped treat some of the wounded on the battlefield when six of his brethren died, March 29. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Cacti, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Task Force Bronco, rest after pulling guard duty at night and in between training the Afghan National Army during Operation Stone Steps at Nangalam Base in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, June 1. The operation was the first of it's kind at Nangalam Base, formerly Forward Operation Base Blessing, after realigning many Pech River Valley bases in March. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Playful Afghan girls run to hide as U.S. Army Sgt. Nicholas C. Parks, a forward observer from Campbell, Calif., assigned to Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Raider, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Task Force Bronco provides security during a village patrol in Rodat District in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province, July 18. The patrol visited three different businesses to notify the shop owners that they had been approved for a small business grant. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – An Afghan boy, who fell a few days ago, is held by his father as U.S. Army Pfc. Jonathan V. Bachtel, a forward observer from Burleson, Texas, assigned to Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Raider, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Task Force Bronco provides security during a patrol in Rodat District in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province, July 18. The boy is related to a wood worker who just received news that his business will receive a small business grant to help stimulate the economy and provide for his family. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – A curious Afghan farmer looks on as U.S. Army Sgt. James A. Jensen, an infantry team leader from Loudoun County, Va., assigned to Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Raider, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Task Force Bronco provides security during a joint-clearing operation in Kot District, Nangarhar Province, eastern Afghanistan, July 19. The operation had about the same number of Coalition forces as Afghan National Security Forces. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – An F-15 Eagle fighter jet screams low across the floor of the Pech River Valley in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province for a show of force right after a firefight with insurgents and troops from Company D, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Cacti, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Task Force Bronco, July 28. The troops worked closely to secure the area with their Afghan National Police partners under intense fighting conditions. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell, 210th MPAD)
