Change of season doesn’t deter TF Duke

By COL. CHRIS TONER
Commander of 3-1 Bde.
This October marks our tenth month of being deployed. Incidentally, October also represents the month on the calendar when insurgent activity across eastern Afghanistan has traditionally declined. Regardless of what the enemy chooses to do as winter approaches, what is certain is that Soldiers of Task Force Duke will never let up until our job is done. During our remaining weeks here we intend to finish strong, and hand the mission over to our replacements without either of us having to break stride.
We certainly have been busy since deploying in January. Alongside our Afghan counterparts we have tallied more than 13,000 combined patrols, with our partners conducting nearly 4,300 independently. We have completed more than 530 named operations, killed more than 200 enemy fighters, and captured more than 1,300 (250 of these being insurgent leaders).
Task Force Duke has facilitated significant projects in our area of operations, greatly improving the lives of Afghans through economic development and by helping to increase governmental effectiveness. For example, a simple 50-meter footbridge spanning a dangerous wadi did wonders connecting people to their district government center, health facilities, bazaar, and major highway. A new school gave students the opportunity to learn in a clean and stable environment, while across the region many more thousands of children are now attending classes.
Ongoing training provided by Afghan agricultural extension agents, with support from our Agribusiness Development Teams, is closing the 30-year gap in agricultural knowledge that followed the Soviet occupation. A new state-of-the-art hospital in Khowst City, which rivals many facilities we have in the United States, will provide unprecedented access to care unlike any this area has ever seen.
While there is still much work to be done in our TF Duke area of operations, there’s no doubt that we’ve seen significant changes during our time here. That’s why it’s so important that we continue to work hard with our Afghan partners and sustain the momentum before we hand the mission over at the end of our tour. Continued progress and the future of the great people here depend on our ability to finish strong.
We lost three Soldiers from the 1-279 IN, TF Creek, Oklahoma National Guard. These Soldiers were Sgt. Bret Isenhower, Spc. Chris Horton, and Pfc. Tony Potter Jr.
We lost Spc. Michael Elm from the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment. Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of these brave men through this difficult time. They sacrificed everything to preserve our freedoms and those of the Afghan people.