Task Force Phoenix III is a compilation of National Guard soldiers from the US, and fighters from France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Romania, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Mongolia. These men and women lend their expertise to the Afghan National Army to ensure Afghanistan will have a permanent, elite fighting force to take on the challenges that face the nation today, and future crises that will arise when the Afghan Army stands on its own.

Assisting the Afghan Army with securing Afghanistan’s first free election, and helping in ongoing combat and stability operations around Afghanistan, Task Force Phoenix III are combat-ready, but also tasked with supporting multiple orphanages, refuge camps, schools and hospitals. Task Force Phoenix III embodies the values of the US military, leading Afghanistan’s soldiers by their stellar example of what it means to serve your country with selflessness, honor and courage. Back to top

Formed around 1988 by Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda helped finance, recruit, transport, and train thousands of fighters from dozens of countries as part of the Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union. The resulting group turned into an international terrorist network after the war. In February 1998, it issued a statement declaring war on all US citizens and allies everywhere they could be found. Its strength further increased in June 2001 when it merged with an Egyptian terrorist group headed by Ayman al-Zawahiri.

al Qaeda has sophisticated tactics for assassination, bombing, hijacking, and kidnapping, with good operational security and long-range planning. Many reports and statements from bin Laden himself indicate that the group is determined to build or steal biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. Their targets tend to be prominent symbols and public, high-profile buildings. According to former CIA head George Tenet, the organization has increasingly focused on developing puppet groups to carry out attacks in which bin Laden's fingerprints are not detected.

With a global financial network, dozens of affiliated groups, and several thousand recruits, the organization has provided training and support for terrorists fighting in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, Chechnya, Eritrea, Kosovo, the Philippines, Somalia, Tajikistan, Yemen, Kosovo, as well as North and South America. Back to top