Photos and captions by James Lee
Wildlife -- Juma Khan surrenders himself to a boyish grin while a pet bird is perched on his wool beret in Mehtarlam district, Laghman province on April 24, 2010. "I feed this bird small insects," said Khan, a sergeant in the Afghan National Army. "Watching birds makes me forget about the problems in my country." Khan began raising birds during his childhood in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
Falling Back -- As planned, an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) platoon follows a patrol led by the Afghan National Army (ANA) through the village of Shamaser Kalay on February 1, 2010. Increasingly, the ANA is operating with limited instruction from their ISAF partners. According to ISAF soldiers from Forward Operating Base Bostick, the ability of the ANA to conduct independent military operations will become critical when ISAF begins to withdraw from Kunar province. "We have trained the Afghans to be professional soldiers," said Sergeant Luis Corral, 3rd Platoon, Apache Troop, 3-61 Calvary. "They must maintain their skills and be prepared to use them when we are gone."