Afghan National Army Executes First Major Operation
On July 3, two Black Hawk helicopters swooped down into the makeshift base in the middle of 
a Taliban hotbed, and U.S. soldiers snapped salutes to the mission's top general - an Afghan.
Afghan officers, with assistance from U.S. counterparts, planned and executed Operation Maiwand, their first major operation as part of a month-long offensive, taking a key step forward in building the capacity of the Afghan National Army. Afghan and U.S. soldiers held meetings with tribal elders and opened schools and markets in Andar district, a Taliban stronghold in the southern province of Ghazni. Afghan soldiers also raided houses of suspected militants.
The operations Commander Gen. Abdul Khaliq welcomed the beginnings of the Afghan National Army (ANA), ``It is the first step, but I hope we continue these sort of operations. The ANA is newly established and we're going to progress with the help of the U.S. government.''
