The U.S. military is shifting its focus from Iraq to Afghanistan. Iowa National Guard spokesman Major Mike Wunn says as many as 50,000 soldiers from across the country will likely be deployed to Afghanistan. That will almost certainly include Iowa soldiers.
"We believe that will continue for the foreseeable future and Iowa will be affected by that down the road," Wunn said. In the meantime, Wunn says two Iowa transportation units, consisting of 300 total soldiers, are still in Iraq and playing a critical role.
"As we begin our draw down there, there’s a lot of equipment to be moved out of the area," Wunn said. "The Iowans that are over are really focused on trying to get that equipment out of Iraq. That’s a team effort and involves a lot of different units." Up to now, the transportation units have provided support for U.S. convoys in Iraq.
The soldiers are due back in Iowa in a few months. Another Iowa National Guard unit has just returned from Afghanistan. Its mission was to help train the Afghan military.