Transition from U.S. to Afghanistan military an uphill climb

Lt. Col. Kohadamani Hamidullah’s troops have struggled to defend the town of Maidan Shahr, Afghanistan, from insurgent attacks.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Afghan army soldiers head out on a mission to hunt for Taliban weapon supplies outside Maidan Shahr.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Members of the Afghan army mobilize before a mission to look for Taliban weapon supplies near Maidan Shahr.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Afghan soldiers prepare for a mission to hunt for Taliban weapons outside Maidan Shahr.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Barbed wire cordons off an area where a truck bomber hit a government and military compound in central Maidan Shahr, Afghanistan, in November, killing five people and injuring more than 100.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Part of a government and military compound in Maidan Shahr, Afghanistan, lies in ruins after a truck bomb attack in November.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

A medic with the Afghan army, Dr. Shirali Afghan, waits for three incoming soldiers wounded by a roadside bomb at their base in Maidan Shahr.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Mohammed Abdullah, left, is among a group of Afghan soldiers being treated after they were wounded by a roadside bomb in Maidan Shahr.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)