Utica, NY (WIBX) -  Members of the Army National Guard 2nd battalion, 108th infantry have returned home from Afghanistan. The group of soldiers helped with security and aided the Afghan National Security Forces for the last several months.

Sergeant John Howard says they accomplished a lot in a short period of time. "They did 577 combat missions in a 6 month span over there" said Howard, adding "we didn't have any casualties, everyone who left came home".

Jonathan Aylesworth is one of those returning soldiers, he says it's great to be back home. "The kids are bigger, a lot bigger. It's fells nice to be home" said Aylesworth. When asked what he was going to do first, he relied "I'm just going to be relaxing for a while, hanging out with the family, getting back into the swing of things and taking some time off".

While in Afganistan, the Task Force was responsible for enhancing the capability of the Afghan National Security Forces to secure Highway One from Herat City to Nimroz Province. They also worked with NATO partners from Italy and Slovenia.

 

 

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