There have also been three videos posted in the past couple of days (although Tommy’s been staying out of sight so far):

Lashkar Gah: Inside the new Afghanistan
June 27th, 2011

NATO wants to give Lashkar Gah - the capital of the volatile Helmand province - over to the Afghans to handle security from July onward. But allegations of police brutality, Taliban prevalence and violence abound. Is this really the Afghanistan we want to leave behind. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.

Kunar, Afghanistan — Kunar province, on Afghanistan's eastern border, is as alluring to outsiders as it is unwelcoming.

It's a key transit route for militants from Pakistan. But it's also been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting for U.S. troops in the 10-year war.

In a tiny outpost, Pirtle King, troops test mortars against an insurgency that is rarely seen but frequently attacks from all sides.

Embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh captures U.S. troops in action as a military outpost in Taliban territory comes under fire Tuesday and Wednesday.

U.S. troops use mortars first on Tuesday, aiming for Taliban dug into the hills. Machine guns rattle through the air. But the incoming fire on U.S. Combat Outpost Pirtle King is very accurate. Then, four massive airstrikes, as U.S. jets strafe the hills. The Taliban falls silent.

The next morning, it starts again - mortars and RPGs pound the base, and for the second time in 24 hours the base is under attack.

On Afghanistan's eastern border, Kunar Valley is vital strategically. If the Americans leave, militants from Pakistan will flow through the valley. If they stay, then every few days, attacks like those on Tuesday and Wednesday happen.