FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) — With the Afghanistan war’s endgame approaching, the Army’s storied 1st Infantry Division is preparing to take command in the eastern provinces, where the strategy calls for a renewed push this year even as U.S. and allied forces draw down in less violent parts of the country.

After months of carefully sequenced training at Fort Riley for what will be its first Afghanistan command tour, the 1st Infantry will take over in April for the 1st Cavalry Division in a mostly mountainous sector that spans 14 provinces and includes 450 miles of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Insurgent attacks in that region increased last year even as they declined substantially in the south.