A LOT OF PEOPLE are calling it the “forgotten war,” but nearly 10,000 U.S. troops are still stationed in Afghanistan hunting after al Qaeda foot soldiers and their Taliban supporters–trudging through the craggy hills and dusty bazaars of what used to be considered the front line of America’s war on terrorism.

But the military commanders who are waging the campaign in Central Asia have clearly not forgotten their war. Ever since Task Force 180–as the Afghanistan operation is called–“leaked” a coming offensive to crush the final pockets of terrorist holdouts in the country and along the porous border with Pakistan, eyes have begun to shift eastward.