The American Thinker is proud, on this fourth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, to present a new weekly feature highlighting the heroic efforts of our servicemen and women fighting the Global War on Terror.  By arrangement with Specialist Claude Flowers of the US CENTCOM Public Affairs Office, AT will provide a gateway to key stories coming out of the Central Region. This week, highlights focus on stories coming out of Afghanistan.  For the full story, follow the links to the Combined Forces Afghanistan Website.  Readers may view all consolidated press releases from Afghanistan here.

Korean soldiers arrive in Afghanistan
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — The Republic of Korea Army replaced  their 100th Construction Engineer Army Group with 147 new, fresh soldiers.  An advanced group of Korean Engineers arrived at Bagram Airfield Aug. 13 and the main body followed shortly after, arriving Aug. 25—29.  They will keep the same name as the previous group —— the 100th Construction Engineer Army Group.

Coalition forces give medical assistance to hundreds across Afghanistan
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Coalition service members and medical personnel provided medical and dental assistance Sunday to Afghans in Khakeran, Zabol province.  The village medical outreach visit, or VMO, treated 414 people; 242 men, 58 women, and 114 children.  Dental teams treated 86 men, nine women and 24 children.  They performed 43 tooth extractions.

CGSC: Afghan Instructors Teach Afghan Students
By U.S. Army Sgt. Mason T. Lowery
Office of Security Cooperation—Afghanistan Public Affairs

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan National Army's Command and General Staff College graduated its sixth class Aug. 22 — the first class taught entirely by Afghan instructors.  French officers first taught the four—month course when the staff college opened in 2004.  They selected top Afghan graduates from the second class to become instructors.  The French gradually transferred authority to the ANA officers and assumed the role of advisors by April 2005.

New weapons fire up Afghan National Police
By U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Leslie Brown
Office of Security Cooperation—Afghanistan Public Affairs

KABUL, Afghanistan —— The Afghan National Police increased their ability to train under realistic conditions recently when the ANP's six Regional Training Centers received shipments of new weapons for use in training the police force.  The need for the new weapons at the RTCs was urgent.  Mock rifles had been used to train the police officers.  'We desperately needed these weapons,' said Charles Wilson, the DynCorp lead advisor and police mentor to the commander at the Herat RTC.  'We have been training the police with wooden weapons without movable parts. Now we can start training them with the weapons they will be using.'