A U.S. Special Forces officer and Col. John Mulholland,

A U.S. Special Forces officer and Col. John Mulholland, deputy commander of Regional Command - North, greets Gen. Abdul Rahimi, the police chief of Baghlan province, during a visit to Combat Outpost Shahabuddin, Baghlan province, Oct. 28. Only weeks earlier the area was deserted as insurgents overran the COP and terrorized the local population. Coalition forces including German Task Force Masir-e Sharif, the 10th Mountain Division and U.S. Special Forces now have a permanent presence in the area in order to aid the local Afghans with security.