Donate $25 for two DVDs of the Cryptome collection of files from 1996 to the present

Natsios Young Architects    


Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iraq photos which have appeared on the Cryptome home page

Also:

afpak-archive-02.htm  Afpak Photo War Archive 2
afpak-archive-01.htm
Afpak Photo War Archive 1 July 19, 2009 af-photo-war-04.htm Afghanistan Photo War 4 July 9, 2009
af-photo-war-04-3.htm
af-photo-war-04-2.htm
af-photo-war-04-1.htm
af-photo-war-03.htm Afghanistan Photo War 3 June 22, 2009
af-photo-war-02.htm Afghanistan Photo War 2 June 22, 2009
af-photo-war-01.htm Afghanistan Photo War 1 May 15, 2009



Afpak Photo War
Archive 3

August 9, 2009
[Image]

The Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs, at Dover Air Force Base (AFB), Delaware (DE), is fully stocked and equiped with the tools and supplies necessary to properly dress the many fallen heroes who are brought to this facility. Camera Operator: CIV WILLIAM M. PLATE, JR., USAF Date Shot: 29 Oct 2003

[Image]

The Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs, at Dover Air Force Base (AFB), Delaware (DE), with twenty-three state of the art autopsy stations. Camera Operator: CIV WILLIAM M. PLATE, JR., USAF Date Shot: 29 Oct 2003

[Image]

US Marine Corps (USMC) Marines carrying 5.56mm M16A2 rifles, assigned to Combat Service Support Battalion 18 (CSSB-18), and Marines assigned to Mortuary Affairs (MA), search the wreckage of a destroyed Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV7A1) for evidence of remains from Marines listed as Missing In Action (MIA), at an ambush site located within the city of An Nasariyah, Iraq. Camera Operator: MSGT EDWARD D. KNIERY, USMC Date Shot: 11 Apr 2003 Hi-res

[Image]

[Image]

A U.S. Navy carry team walks on the tarmac behind the transfer vehicle containing the a transfer case with the remains of U.S. Navy Hospitalman Anthony C. Garcia during a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, Del. , Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. According to the Department of Defense, Garcia, of Denver, died while supporting combat operations in Farah Province, Afghanistan. AP

[Image]

[Image]

An undated handout photo released by Britain's Ministry of Defence on August 8, 2009 shows Lance Corporal Dale Thomas Hopkins, one of three British soldiers killed in Afghanistan on August 6. The three British soldiers from the Parachute Regiment, were travelling in a vehicle in Helmand province when they were ambushed by a roadside bomb and fire from Taliban insurgents, the ministry said in a statement. Reuters

[Image]

Members of the 3rd platoon Apache Company 2-87 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, NY, board a Black Hawk helicopter at the COP Tangi, that will take them to the funeral ceremony for a fallen comrade, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Wardak province, Afghanistan. AP

[Image]

Members of the U.S. Army 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment march during the funeral of U.S. Army Cpl. Benjamin S. Kopp, of Rosemount, Mn. , at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, August 7, 2009. Kopp was killed on July 18, 2009 while in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Reuters

[Image]

U.S. soldiers from the 5th Striker Brigades pray during a Christian service at their base on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. AP

[Image]

U.S. soldiers of Gator Company, 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade destroy a militant fighting position they found during a dawn patrol in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 9, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

A U.S. soldier of Gator Company, 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade aims his weapon during a dawn patrol in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 9, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

A U.S. soldier (R) of Gator Company, 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade covers his comrades as they descend a slope on a dawn patrol in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 9, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

U.S. soldier SPC Nathan A. Gessler, from the 5th. Striker Brigades, cleans his weapon in a base on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. AP

[Image]

U.S. soldiers SPC Kelly James, from the 5th Striker Brigades, watches a movie at his laptop in a base on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. AP

[Image]

An Afghan police officer is seen on alert, on his heavy machine gun near the compound where presidential candidate Sarwar Ahmadzai attended in a campaign in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. AP

[Image]

U.S. soldiers from the 5th. Striker Brigades walk next to armored vehicles as they arrive at their base on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009. AP

[Image]

U.S. Lance Cpl. Seth Ramsey of Springfield, MO. reads his mail after returning from a 24-hour watch with Golf Company, 2nd MEB, at another outpost inside the village of Now Zad, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009. AP

[Image]

U.S. Cpl. Nick Pulver, left, of Pineville, LA, shaves with an electric razor before the start of his watch at a firebase with G Company, 2nd MEB, near the village of Now Zad in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009. AP

[Image]

Members of Golf Company, 2nd MEB, remove their gear after coming back from a 24-hour watch at an outpost in the village of Now Zad, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009. AP

[Image]

U.S. soldier Specialist Mordaunt (C) of Gator Company, 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade drinks tea with villagers in Kharah in the Pech Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 8, 2009. Reuters

August 6, 2009
[Image]

[Image]

An illumination mortar round lights the sky over the U.S. Army's Michigan Base during an attack by militants in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 7, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

An Afghan boy stands near soldiers and armoured vehicles of the U.S. army in Chapadara, at the Pech Valley in Kunar Province August 6, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

Afghan children are seen next to U.S. soldiers from the 5th Striker Brigades, outside the headquarter of Afghan Border Police on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009. AP

[Image]

Afghan children are seen next to an U.S. soldier from the 5th. Striker Brigades, as he stands guarding a road in a village on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan,Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009. AP

[Image]

An Afghan boy is seen next to Private First Class U.S. soldier, Ryan Hayes, from the 2-1 Infantry, 5th. Striker Brigades, as he stands guard along a road in a village in the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan,Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009. AP

[Image]

A U.S. soldier (L) from Gator Company, 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade takes an eye scan of a truck driver at a roadside check point during an operation in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 6, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

U.S. soldiers from Gator Company, 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade aim at militant positions during an operation in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 6, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

U.S. soldiers of the Task Force Mountain Warriors work inside an armoured vehicle in Chapadara, at the Pech Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 6, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

U.S. soldiers from the 5th. Striker Brigades walk trough a sand storm next to their base on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan,Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009. AP

[Image]

U.S. Specialist Bullard from the 5th. Striker Brigades cleans his weapon on a military base in the outskirts of Spin Boldak, about 100 kilometers (63 miles) southeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009. AP

[Image]

Passengers in a vehicle argue with a group of protesters outside the East Gate to Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009. Demonstrators were showing their support for Spc. Victor Agosto, who publicly refused orders to deploy to Afghanistan set for November. Agosto was sentenced to 30 days in the Bell County Jail. AP

August 5, 2009
[Image]

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment set up living quarters in a new extension of Patrol Base Jaker in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 3, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. John M. McCall/Released) Date Posted: 8/5/2009 [Off your ass, McChrystal, send tents.]

[Image]

[Image]

A vehicle convoy made up of British forces and U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment leaves Patrol Base Jaker in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 3, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. John M. McCall/Released) Date Posted: 8/5/2009 [Off your ass, Gordon Brown, send armor.]

[Image]

Newly promoted U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Daniel Avalos, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, reads his promotion warrant after an Alpha Company promotion ceremony in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 1, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Phillip Elgie/Released) Date Posted: 8/5/2009

[Image]

Family and friends wait for the arrival of their loved ones at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., July 30, 2009. U.S. Airmen with the 74th Fighter Squadron and 74th Aircraft Maintenance Unit are returning home after being deployed to Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Gina Chiaverotti-Paige/Released) Date Posted: 8/4/2009

[Image]

U.S. soldiers of Task Force Mountain Warriors sleep in a base in Chapadera, at the Pesh Valley in Kunar Province August 5, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

[Image]

Afghan villagers look at the bodies of two children after they were killed in an airstrike by foreign troops in Kandahar, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009. The airstrike by foreign troops early Wednesday killed three children and a man, villagers said. The incident happened in the village of Kowuk, some 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of Kandahar city, said Abdur Rahim, a villager who said he lost three of his children in the bombing. AP

[Image]

Lyvonne Lightfoot, center, holds the flag from the casket with the remains of her son U.S. Army Specialist Anthony M. Lightfoot, of Riverdale, Ga. , as Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, left, expresses condolences, Tuesday, Aug. 4,2009, during funeral services at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Lightfoot died last month in the Wardak province, Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. AP

[Image]

U.S. Army soldiers from Gator Company, 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade run for cover from small arms fire following an attack on a transport convoy in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 4, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

A U.S. Army soldier from Gator Company, 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade scans militant positions following an attack on a transport convoy in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 4, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

U.S soldiers of Task Force Mountain Warriors board a Chinook helicopter in the airfield of Jalalabad, in Nangahar province August 4, 2009. Afghanistan's presidential elections will be held on August 20. Reuters

August 4, 2009
[Image]

U.S. Army carry team moves the transfer case containing the body of U.S. Army Captain Ronald George Luce of Fayetteville, N.C. at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware August 4, 2009. Captain Luce was involved in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Reuters

[Image]

A U.S. Army carry team moves the transfer case containing the body of U.S. Army sergeant first class Alejandro Granado of Fairfax, Virginia, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware August 4, 2009. Sergeant Granado was involved in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Reuters

[Image]

U.S. Army carry team moves the transfer case containing the body of U.S. Army sergeant first class Severin West Summers of West Des Moines, Iowa, from the transport aircraft at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware August 4, 2009. Sergeant Summers was involved in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Reuters

[Image]

U.S. Air Force Airman Mercedes McCoy-Garrett closes the door of a mortuary vehicle containing six U.S. Army soldiers that were killed in action, during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base August 4, 2009 in Dover, Delaware. Six U.S. Army Soldiers that were killed in Afghanistan where flown to Dover for the dignified transfer. Getty

[Image]

A U.S. Army carry team carries the transfer case of US Army Corporal Jonathan Michael Walls of West Lawn, Pennsylvania during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base August 4, 2009 in Dover, Delaware. Six U.S. Army Soldiers that were killed in Afghanistan where flown to Dover for the dignified transfer. Getty

[Image]

A U.S. Army carry team moves the transfer case containing the body of U.S. Army private Patrick Scott Fitzgibbon of Knoxville, Tennessee, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware August 4, 2009. Fitzgibbon was involved in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Reuters

[Image]

A U.S. Army carry team moves the transfer case containing the body of U.S. Army private first class Richard Kelvin Jones of Person, North Carolina, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware August 4, 2009. Person was involved in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Reuters

[Image]

Soldiers, left-right Sergeant First Class Jones, Lieutenant Donavan and Specialist Flint, from the 3rd platoon Apache Company 2-87 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, NY inspect the crater at an IED attack site on 2nd platoon Apache Company in Wardak province, Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, in Afghanistan. AP

[Image]

Lieutenant Zerzycki from the Headquarters platoon Apache Company 2-87 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, NY inspects an IED attack site on 2nd platoon Apache Company in Wardak province, in Afghanistan Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. AP

August 3, 2009
[Image]

Staff Sergeant Burke from the Charlie Company 2-87 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, NY inspects the site of an IED attack on 2nd platoon Apache Company in Wardak province, Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, in Afghanistan. AP

[Image]

Private First Class Schonert from the 2rd platoon Apache Company 2-87 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, NY unloads 50 cal. rounds from a MRAP vehicle after an IED attack on 2nd platoon Apache Company in Wardak province, Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, in Afghanistan. AP

[Image]

Army Specialist Drennan from the 3rd platoon Apache Company 2-87 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, NY carries a damaged part of an MRAP vehicle after an IED attack on 2nd platoon Apache Company in Wardak province, Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, in Afghanistan. AP

[Image]

Sergeant Schwab, center, from the 3rd platoon Apache Company 2-87 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, NY takes a break at an IED attack site on 2nd platoon Apache Company in Wardak province, Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, in Afghanistan. AP

[Image]

An armoured vehicle of the U.S. Army's 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade fires its 50 calibre machine gun as it comes under attack by militants at Tantil in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 3, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

Bullets from U.S. soldiers spray dust as they hit a the walls of a building used by militants to attack a U.S. Army convoy from 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade at Tantil in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 3, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Angailque Skean provides security during a cordoned search in Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 28, 2009. Skean is a motor transportation Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 8. Skean is attached to the Female Engagement Team, which is attached to Foxtrot Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Paul Miller/Released) Date Posted: 7/31/2009

[Image]

Afghan man poses in Sabari Afghanistan, July 28, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Matthew Freire /Released) Date Posted: 8/3/2009

[Image]

U.S. Marines with 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment prepare for the day during downtime at their command outpost in the Nawa District of Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 30, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. William Greeson/Released) Date Posted: 8/3/2009

[Image]

U.S. Army Soldiers of the Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division provides security during an air assault mission in support of Operation Champion Sword of Khost Province, July 31, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christopher Nicholas / Released) Date Posted: 8/3/2009

[Image]

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Gus Biggio, a civil affairs officer with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, talks with Lt. Christoper Conanan about security issues in the Nawa District of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, July 30, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. William Greeson/Released) Date Posted: 8/3/2009

[Image]

[Image]

U.S. Air Force Capts. Matthew Scott, left, and Jonathan Flores, pilots with the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, prepare a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft for a refueling mission over Afghanistan July 30, 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller/Released) Date Posted: 8/3/2009

[Image]

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Christopher Mullins, with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, provides security during a civil affairs group patrol in the Nawa District of Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 30, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. William Greeson/Released) Date Posted: 8/3/2009

[Image]

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. William McCollough, the commander of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, listens to Hamadulha Helmand, a leader in the Barackside tribe, speak about district infrastructure improvements during a civil affairs group patrol in the Nawa district of the Helmand province of Afghanistan July 30, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. William Greeson/Released) Date Posted: 8/2/2009

[Image]

U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook Crew Chief Staff Sgt. Kyle Gleason scans the Khost province of Afghanistan for threats during Operation Champion Sword, July 29, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Matthew Freire/ Released) Date Posted: 8/3/2009

[Image]

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Sean Held of 1st squadron, 221st Armored Calvary, Nevada National Guard communicates with members of his team via a handheld radio while in Khogyani, Afghanistan, July 29, 2009. Held is a platoon leader for the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team based out of Forward Operating Base Finley Shields. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jennifer Cohen/ Released) Date Posted: 8/3/2009

[Image]

A U.S. Air Force F-16CJ Fighting Falcon aircraft is refueled over Afghanistan July 28, 2009, by a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft from the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller/Released) Date Posted: 8/3/2009

[Image]

A U.S. Army Soldier working with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division speaks with an Afghan woman in Khost province, Afghanistan, during Operation Champion Sword July 28, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christopher Nicholas/Released) Date Posted: 7/31/2009

2 August 2009
[Image]

A U.S. soldier of 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade runs across an open area while receiving small arms fire at Michigan Base in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province August 2, 2009. Reuters

[Image]

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) vehicles are seen next to the site of a roadside bomb blast on the outskirts of Kandahar town, Afghanistan, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009. Three U.S. troops were killed Saturday when roadside bombs ripped through their patrol in southern Afghanistan, while a French soldier died in a gunbattle north of the capital, officials said. AP

[Image]

A U.S. Marine Corps carry team carries a transfer case containing the remains of Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, of Winchester, Tenn. , as they are saluted by an Army carry team during a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, Del. , Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009. According to the Department of Defense, Posey, died July 30, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. AP

[Image]

An Army carry team carries transfer case containing the remains of Staff Sgt. Johnny Roosevelt Polk, of Gulfport, Miss. , past a Marine carry team during a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, Del. , Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009. According to the Department of Defense, Polk, died July 31, in Landstuhl, Germany from wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan. AP

[Image]

SIGONELLA, Sicily (July 29, 2009) Members of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8 run through Naval Air Station Sigonella to honor Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 2nd Class Tony Randolph and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 2nd Class Edward Koth. Randolph was killed while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom July 6, 2009 and Koth was killed July 26, 2006 while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan P. Idle/Released)

1 August 2009
[Image]

The command building Patrol Base Jaker (PBJ) in Afghanistan is photographed July 24, 2009. PBJ is occupied by Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat team 3, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade - Afghanistan in the Nawa District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. James Purschwitz/Released) Date Posted: 7/31/2009

[Image]

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Antonio A. Ayala, gun chief of India Battery, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines Regiment, explains the capabilities of the M-777A2 lightweight howitzer to Dutch Maj. Gen. Mart De Kruif, commanding general Regional Command (South) during De Kruif's visit to 3rd Battalion at Fire Base Fiddler's Green, Afghanistan, July 23, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Christopher R. Rye/Released) Date Posted: 7/31/2009

[Image]

Jack Loar, a flight instructor for crew chiefs and gunners on an Mi-17 Hip helicopter prepares for flight with the Air Interdiction Unit (AIU) July 21, 2009, at Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan. The AIU's mission is to conduct aviation operations throughout Afghanistan in support of the Ministry of Interior and counter-narcotics agencies. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Patrick Mitchell/Released) Date Posted: 7/30/2009

[Image]

[Image]

From left, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. William McCollough, commander, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment; Afghan National Army Capt. Saki Dad; Abdul Manaf, governor of the Nawa District; Haji Muhammed Nafex Kahn, chief of the Nawa District Police; Shamsi, a security adviser for the Nawa District; and Ian Purves, a stabilization adviser with Provincial Reconstruction Team - Helmand, plan a community shura in the Nawa District Bazaar, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, July 22, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. William Greeson/Released) Date Posted: 7/29/2009

[Image][Image]

British Special Security Agent Ben Soden guards Ian Purves, a stabilization adviser with Provincial Reconstruction Team - Helmand, during a patrol in the Nawa District Bazaar, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, July 22, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. William Greeson/Released) Date Posted: 7/29/2009

[Image]

This undated file photo released by the U.S. Navy shows Navy Seal Lt. Michael P. Murphy, from Patchogue, N.Y. Murphy, who was killed in June 2005 while leading a reconnaissance mission deep behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, was awarded the nation's highest military award for valor - the Medal of Honor. AP

[Image]

Andrew Coville, of Yarmouth, Mass. , right, mourns his best friend U.S. Marine Cpl. Nicholas Xiarhos during a burial service at the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Friday, July 31, 2009, in Bourne, Mass. Xiarhos died after being mortally injured in a roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan. AP

[Image]

A caisson leads the procession for U.S. Marine Cpl. Nicholas Xiarhos at the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Friday, July 31, 2009 in Bourne, Mass. Xiarhos died after being mortally injured in a roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan. AP

[Image]

U.S. Marines with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and several embedded reporters watch a movie during downtime at Patrol Base Jaker, in Nawa District, Helmand, Afghanistan, July 26, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. William Greeson/Released) Date Posted: 7/31/2009

[Image]

U.S. Marines with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment sweep a small bridge for explosives during a road reconnaissance patrol in Nawa District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, July 25, 2009. The Marines are looking to improve the roads throughout the Nawa District. U.S. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. William Greeson/Released) Date Posted: 7/31/2009

[Image]

Afghan presidential candidate and current President Hamid Karzai, center, is surrounded by his security guards as he arrives to take part in an election campaign in Daraye Kaihan centerl Afghanistan, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009. Afghans will head to the polls on Aug. 20 to elect a new president. AP

[Image]

Local men herd donkeys past an armoured vehicle from the U.S. Army's Road Clearance Package (RCP) of the 2-12 Infantry, 4th Brigade during a patrol in the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province July 30, 2009. Reuters