by Kristin M. Hall
The Leaf Chronicle
BLUF The challenge the military faced was growing government in eastern regions that have been traditionally resistant to outside influence, said Maj. Gen. John F. Campbell, outgoing commander of NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan and commander of 101st Airborne Division.
"In a lot of these areas, they don't care about a central government and they don't care about Kabul," Campbell said.
Under his command, the units in the east were redirected for counter-terrorism missions like large air assaults and operations to kill and capture insurgents. Pulling coalition troops out also directed attacks away from the bases, Campbell said, such as Forward Operating Base Blessing in Kunar province, where Afghan units remain.
"At FOB Blessing, in the month of February, they got hit 35 times," Campbell said. "Since March 1, since we came out of it, it's been hit twice."
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