"Heading for home" can be a combat mission. The photo chronicles an "extremely tough and delicate retrograde mission" through Indian territory.

Jan 23, 2013
ANA takes control of VSP Naw Bahar

Soldiers assigned to 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Combined Task Force Raider, along with the 2nd Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 205th Corps of the Afghan army, recently completed an extremely tough and delicate retrograde mission which included the lawful transfer of authority of the Village Stability Platform Naw Bahar from coalition forces to the 1st Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 205th Corps, ANA and Afghan local police forces. The mission took place in the Naw Bahar district, Zabul province, Afghanistan, Jan. 15-20.

This multi-unit mission took a lot of time and precise planning to execute.

“This was by far the biggest mission I’ve ever had to plan,” said Maj. David Fulton, the 2-1 Cavalry, 1ABCT, 3rd ID, CTF-R operations officer and native of Yucaipa Calif. “This operation involved multiple American units and several different Afghan army units, along with two different ALP units.”

Maj. Fulton added, “Additionally during the planning phase of this operation, intelligence on enemy activity was presented by the intelligence officer of the 2nd Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 205th Corps, ANA and it was spot-on and confirmed much of what we expected.”

http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/ana-takes-control-of-vsp-naw-bahar-mission-commander-impressed-with-their-performance.html