HDNet 'World Report' Joins the 101st Airborne Division in Kandahar

Tomorrow night's program to focus on the make-or-break efforts of the U.S. Military to win the war in Afghanistan - TOMORROW NIGHT, December 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET

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HDNet

Dec 06, 2010, 09:15 ET

DALLAS, Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomorrow night, HDNet's Emmy award-winning news program, "World Report" will transport viewers to the center of the fight in Afghanistan - Kandahar Province - as correspondent Maura Axelrod and cameraman Lucian Read travel side-by-side with the 101st Airborne Division as they painstakingly try to drive insurgents out of the villages from which they launch their attacks.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080324/HDNETLOGO)

"World Report" arrived in the Zhari District, just west of Kandahar City, in the middle of September just days before operation "Dragon Strike" began. Kandahar is the new focus of NATO efforts to bring the Taliban under control and re-gain momentum in Afghanistan as the war enters its tenth year.

Axelrod and Read were embedded with 1st Squadron 75th Cavalry Regiment, nicknamed the "Widowmakers," which is one of the regiments spearheading the offensive. Their mission is to clear a 62-square mile area west of Kandahar, and to drive insurgents from the districts around Kandahar City. Winning over Kandahar is considered by NATO commanders to be essential to shifting the balance of power in Afghanistan.

As more routes are cleared, the "Widowmakers" push farther into Taliban country on foot, looking to engage the enemy; however, the region is deadly. Troops come under attack on virtually every patrol. Afghan National Army Soldiers are on patrols alongside the Americans on this mission - taking the same risks.

With stunning and sometimes disturbing footage, HDNet "World Report" offers a unique perspective into what the war currently looks and feels in Afghanistan as they document the partnership of the 1-75 Calvary and the Afghan National Army Battalion.

The ANA, as they are known, patrol along with the Americans, training for the eventual day when the job of securing the country is left to the Afghans. This partnership is a new development on the battlefield.

Clips of the program can be found at the following link:

http://blog.hd.net/tagged/wr

The "Widowmakers" are also using a unique, enhanced intelligence operation, that guides every action. This operation mapped every road, trail, village and home from which the Taliban launches attacks.

Will the outcome of operation "Dragon Strike," and this partnership, prove to be the pivotal change in the war in Afghanistan? Watch tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. ET on HDNet's "World Report."

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SOURCE HDNet