Thirty-nine North Dakota National Guard soldiers who served in Afghanistan were back home Friday.

The soldiers with the 188th Air Defense Artillery JLENS unit flew into Grand Forks, Fargo and Bismarck late Thursday night, Guard spokesman Bill Prokopyk said.

The term JLENS is short for Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor unit. The unit uses sensors to help with military security.

The soldiers who returned home were replaced in Afghanistan by 39 soldiers from another unit of the 188th, called RAID, for Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment.

A third branch of the unit - the 188th Security Forces - has been in Afghanistan since last March. Four members of the 188th have been killed since June.

- Associated Press