Gen. Karimi, chief of staff of the Afghan National

Gen. Karimi, chief of staff of the Afghan National Army, and Brig. Gen. Dadan Lawang, commander of Afghan National Army special operations command, observes the ANASOC drill team as they prepare for their trip to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. The 60-soldier drill team from the Afghan commandos will join 90 Afghan officer cadets Sept. 9 for Tajikistan's 20th anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union. According to Tajikistan's Press Center of the Ministry of Defense, 10,000 Tajikistani and 156 Russian soldiers will also participate in the independence parade. (Photo by: Samuel Smith)