Afghan National Army soldiers with 4th Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps, fire a Howitzer D-30 during an artillery demonstration for government officials and local elders from districts across southern Helmand here, Jan. 14. Their fellow soldiers with the 1st, 3rd and 5th Kandaks of 1/215 conducted a simultaneous clearing operation in Shorshorak, an outlying area of Nawa district, Jan. 12-14. Supported from an overwatch position by Marines with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, ANA soldiers cleared the area of insurgent activity, weapons and improvised explosive device-making materials, and held a shura to discuss the security situation with local elders. Over the past five years, coalition forces have operated with Afghan National Security Forces to defeat the insurgency in the central Helmand River valley. Driven from the green zones, or populated areas, of districts in southern Helmand, enemy fighters have sought refuge in bed-down locations west of the Helmand River.