U.S. troop deployment in Afghanistan

This group of 800 U.S. soldiers is best known by their nickname, the Ramrods. They’ve been on the ground in Kandahar for almost two months now. soldiers such as this specialist from Texas have been out on operations getting familiar with the area, nicknamed the wild west. The deployment of the Ramrods is aimed at quelling the rise in violence in Kandahar, the home of the Taliban and where the insurgents remain the strongest. It’s up to this battalion to change the command of the region from the Taliban to the U.S. troops. Right now the Ramrods are busy building their new base and helicopters and other vehicles are busy bringing supplies in and out of the base. The U.S. forces will fall under the command of this Canadian commander who says the troops will help the NATO presence in the south of the country. NATO soldiers have taken many casualties this year�198 have died this far, most of them Americans. The deployment of the Ramrods comes as criticism has risen about the rising number of civilian deaths caused by U.S. airstrikes. The U.N. and the Afghan government have launched investigations into some of these airstrikes. The troops say they will avoid collateral damage as much as possible. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan has just started so the Americans are getting ready to dig in.