101st Airborne Takes Over Afghanistan
BAGRAM, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. 101st Airborne Division is taking over in Afghanistan, replacing the 82nd Airborne after 15 months in the country.
Outgoing commander Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez welcomed 101st commander Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser at a handover ceremony Thursday at the main U.S. base at Bagram.
The 101st Airborne will be responsible for security in eastern Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan. The paratroopers are being deployed for 15 months.
The U.S. now has some 32,000 troops in the country, the most since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. That includes about 3,500 Marines sent to southern Afghanistan to train police and fight the rising insurgency there.
The 101st, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was last deployed to Iraq in 2005-06.
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U.S. soldiers salute as others hold military flags during a transfer of command ceremony at the main U.S. base at Bagram north of Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday April 10, 2008. The U.S. 101st Airborne Division replaced the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan on Thursday after 15 months in the country. The U.S. now has some 32,000 troops in the country, the most since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq) |
