Under the cover of darkness, Platoon Leader SFC Steven Kirk from 4th Platoon Alpha Company, 1/17th Infantry 172nd Stryker BDE Ft. Wainwright, Alaska, has a smoke while scanning his target area for suspicious activity or movement while on a Small Kill Team (SKT) mission at an undisclosed location in the desert July 12, 2006, in Mosul, Iraq. 
 
Soldiers on SKT missions are randomly placed in and around the city to watch for suspicious activity or movement. The goal of the mission is to kill anti-Iraqi Forces placing IED's. Missions can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 72 hours.