Women have been flying Apache attack helicopters in the U.S. Army for about 15 years. Chief Warrant Office Stephanie Rose was among the first women to fly the Apache and is currently on her third combat tour, this time in northern Afghanistan. Yuri Cortez/Getty Images hide caption

Villagers shout anti-U.S. slogans after a U.S.-led raid in Wardak, Afghanistan, that killed three civilians two weeks ago. A crowd of about 300 villagers yelled "Death to the United States" and blocked a main road in eastern Afghanistan. Rahmatullah Naikzad/AP hide caption

Women walk at an outdoor market in downtown Kabul. The resurgent Taliban and several recent executions in accordance with an extreme interpretation of Shariah law have human-rights activists worried, particularly for women. Rodrigo Abd/AP hide caption

Hall rests during a recent patrol in Ali Abad, in northern Afghanistan, with a platoon of soldiers who live with the Afghan national police. Quil Lawrence/NPR hide caption

A Canadian soldier jumps over a ditch during a patrol in Afghanistan's Kandahar province in June. Canadian troops are expected to leave Afghanistan in 2011. Anja Niedringhaus/AP hide caption

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Mike Kehoe (right) sits down for a chat with a village elder and the local police chief in Ali Abad, Kunduz. Quil Lawrence/NPR hide caption

A Marine carry team lifts a transfer case containing the remains of Cpl. Paul J. Miller at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on July 21. Miller, of Traverse City, Mich., was killed by a roadside bomb blast while on patrol in Afghanistan. July was the deadliest month for U.S. troops in the nearly nine-year-old war. Steve Ruark/AP hide caption