Operation Freedom’s Sentinel

Destination Afghanistan was known as the big easy back in the halcyon days of the late 1960s. Hippies from throughout the affluent West hitchhiked to the capital, Kabul, where crash pads and hashish were cheap, and the locals were tolerant. Life appeared to be mellow in the scenic shadow of the Hindu Kush Himalayans. That was then.

The US carried out its first combat airdrop in Afghanistan in more than two years last month, according to newly released US Air Force data.
A return to airdrops signals a possible deterioration of security for US troops operating in Afghanistan. Airdrops minimise the time an aircraft and aircrew spends in a hostile environment, allowing them to deliver cargo without having to land.