Members of the Afghan air force’s Kandahar Air Wing and US Army’s Task Force Thunder recently conducted their first joint air assault mission. During Operation Sand Hill Crane, two Army UH-60 Black Hawks and one AAF Mi-17 helicopter inserted specialized teams into villages around Kandahar Airfield to target Taliban fighters with reintegration leaflets. “The mission was absolutely successful,” said Lt. Col. Fred Koegler of the 441st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron. Army OH-58D Kiowa Warriors and AH-64 Apaches provided overwatch during the two-day mission. “Our Afghan air force partners worked hard with us to ensure success, and we couldn’t have performed this mission without their dedication,” said TSgt. Jason Sitzes, an adviser evaluator. (Kabul report by Capt. Jamie Humphries)
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.