Battle of Baghak

Last updated

Battle of Baghak
Part of the War in Afghanistan
Date4 August 2012
Location
near Dahane Baghak, Shikari Valley, Bamyan Province, Afghanistan
Belligerents
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg  Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 		Flag of the Taliban.svg  Taliban
Commanders and leaders
Flag of New Zealand.svg Maj. Craig Wilson (WIA) [1] Flag of the Taliban.svg Haji Abdullah Gardande [2]
Strength

Flag of New Zealand.svg 60+, [3] 6 NZLAVs

Flag of the United States.svg 2 HH-60 Pavehawks 		Unknown
Casualties and losses
Flag of New Zealand.svg 2 killed, 6 wounded
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg 4 killed, 9 wounded		 Flag of the Taliban.svg 3-5 killed, [4] [5] 1 captured [6]
2 civilian casualties

The Battle of Baghak was an engagement during the War in Afghanistan between elements of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) and insurgent forces near Dahane Baghak in the Shikari Valley, Bamyan Province on 4 August 2012.

Contents

New Zealand suffered its heaviest casualties since the Vietnam War. [7] The battle generated significant controversy in New Zealand, with accusations of a NZDF cover-up. [8]

Battle

Prelude

At 02:00 on 4 August 2012, the NDS began an operation in the village of Baghak to arrest a suspected bomb-maker. The NDS had confiscated several IEDs. [9] At 06:00, the NDS received fire from Taliban insurgents, taking one casualty, and again at 07:30, where one NDS soldier was killed and another six were wounded. [4] At about 08:00, Kiwi Company was informed by the NDS personnel that they had suffered a number of casualties during the operation earlier that morning. The NZDF Commanding Officer approved a request by the Officer Commanding (OC) Major Craig Wilson to deploy a three-vehicle Humvee patrol named KT4 to the scene to assist the NDS and conduct a tactical site exploitation. [6] KT1 and KT2, which consisted of three NZLAVs each, were also deployed to support KT4.

KT4 arrived at the scene at 09:46. Lance Corporal Jacinda Baker treated the wounded NDS soldiers while they were evacuated by the New Zealand troops. One of the six wounded NDS died of his wounds at the scene. A 14-man patrol dismounted from their vehicles and began clearing a compound and the high ground surrounding the contact site. KT2 and KT4 provided overwatch to the dismounted patrol. KT1 was situated at the Dahane Baghak truckstop 500 metres to the south. The NDS also commenced their own clearance operation of the high ground at the same time.

Main battle

At 12:27, shortly after the arrival of KT3 with Major Wilson, the Taliban engaged the New Zealand patrols on the road. Upon receiving word of contact, KT1 mounted up and traveled north to the contact area. The KT1 commander, Sergeant David Duncan, [10] did not know of the clearance operation being carried out by the patrol. KT3 also had little information of the situation prior to the engagement and did not know of the positions of KT4. The LAVs of KT2 started firing on suspected insurgent positions on the high ground and was then joined by KT1. KT1 started firing on positions occupied by the New Zealand clearance patrol, believing that the high ground was occupied by insurgents and that there were no friendlies on the high ground. Corporal Peter Page and another soldier were wounded by friendly fire from the NZLAVs in KT1. [11] Lance Corporal Rory Malone received a wound to his right leg which was not treated. In the process of shifting the injured Major Wilson, he received a 7.62mm round (likely from an AK-47) through his left arm and left side, killing him instantly. Another NDS member was killed and three more NDS were wounded in this time. All eight New Zealand casualties occurred in the space of 12 minutes where the heaviest fighting occurred.

A casualty collection post (CCP) was established 600m south of the contact site. 20 minutes after it was established, the CCP came under fire from the Taliban. [12]

Evacuation and retreat

Casualties were evacuated throughout the afternoon, with further smaller engagements killing one NDS soldier and wounding one other. One Afghan civilian and one Afghan National Police officer were also wounded. Most of the casualties were evacuated by two United States Air Force HH-60 Pavehawks of the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, call signs Pedro 83 and Pedro 84, [13] from the CCP at 14:26 hours. Lance Corporal Pralli Durrer was treated in the back of a NZLAV, but later died en route to hospital in aboard Pedro 83. The last two remaining New Zealand casualties were winched off the high ground by Pedro 83 at 15:58 hours. During this sequence, Pedro 83 was engaged from about 100 meters away by 5 insurgents. Pedro 83 and Pedro 84 successfully destroyed the enemy position with approximately 600 rounds of .50 cal ammunition. At 16:05 hours, a US Air Force F/A-18 Super Hornet reported seeing a group of 16 insurgents moving east away from the contact site carrying their dead and wounded.[ citation needed ]

At 19:30, the New Zealand forces regrouped at the CCP and began their withdrawal back to Forward Patrol Base Do Abe and Company Outpost Romeo. They arrived back at 04:30 hours 5 August 2012.[ citation needed ]

Aftermath

On 5 August 2012 (NZ time), New Zealand Prime Minister John Key expressed his "enormous sadness" at the loss of the two New Zealand soldiers. [14]

Awards

The crews of Pedro 83 and Pedro 84 were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor device for their actions. [13] Seven New Zealand soldiers were recommended for gallantry awards. [15] Lance Corporal Rory Malone and Lance Corporal John Luamanu were awarded the New Zealand Gallantry Medal (Malone posthumously), Sergeant David Duncan was awarded the New Zealand Gallantry Decoration, [16] and Staff Sergeant Rob McGee was awarded the New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration. [17] Private James Baldwin was awarded a Chief of Defence Force Commendation for Gallantry for his actions. [18]

Court of Inquiry

Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones released the interim findings of the Court of Inquiry on 25 April 2013. Lieutenant General Jones said that he did so to avoid "mis-information and rumour taking the place of facts". [19] The Court of Inquiry was not able to visit the site of the battle due to operational limitations and security concerns, however a US Army UH-60 helicopter later conducted a flyover of the site of the battle. [5] The Court of Inquiry did not interview any of the Afghan soldiers present at the battle. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand Special Air Service</span> Military unit

The 1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment, abbreviated as 1 NZSAS Regt, is the special forces unit of the New Zealand Army, closely modelled on the British Special Air Service (SAS). It was formed on 7 July 1955. It traces its origins to the Second World War and the famous Long Range Desert Group that New Zealanders served with.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coalition casualties in Afghanistan</span> Overview of war casualties

Throughout the War in Afghanistan, there had been 3,621 coalition deaths in Afghanistan as part of the coalition operations since the invasion in 2001. In this total, the American figure is for deaths "In and Around Afghanistan" which, as defined by the United States Department of Defense, includes some deaths in Pakistan and Uzbekistan and the deaths of 18 CIA operatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sangin</span> Town in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Sangin is a town in Helmand province of Afghanistan, with a population of approximately 20,000 people. It is located on 32°4′24″N64°50′2″E in the valley of the Helmand River at 888 m (2,913 ft) altitude, 95 km (59 mi) to the north-east of Lashkargah. Sangin is notorious as one of the central locations of the opium trade in the south of the country, and is also a town that has traditionally supported the Taliban. It was described by British newspaper The Guardian as "the deadliest area in Afghanistan" in 2010. Sangin also houses the main bazaar for Sangin District. Route 611 passes through Sangin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Mountain Fury</span> Military operation in Afghanistan

Operation Mountain Fury was a NATO-led operation begun on September 16, 2006 as a follow-up operation to Operation Medusa, to clear Taliban insurgents from the eastern provinces of Afghanistan. Another focus of the operation was to enable reconstruction projects such as schools, health-care facilities, and courthouses to take place in the targeted provinces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Forces casualties in Afghanistan since 2001</span> List of British casualties in Afghanistan since 2001

The United Kingdom was one of the first countries to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom against the Taliban regime in autumn 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Budd</span> Recipient of the Victoria Cross

Bryan James Budd, was a British Army soldier and a Northern Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Apiata</span> Victoria Cross for New Zealand medal winner

Bill Henry "Willie" Apiata, VC is an honorary warrant officer class one in the New Zealand Army Reserve Forces. As a corporal in the New Zealand Special Air Service, he became the first recipient of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand. He received the award on 2 July 2007 for bravery under fire during the War in Afghanistan in 2004, in which he carried a gravely wounded comrade across a battlefield, under fire, to safety.

The Friendly fire incident at Sangin was a military incident that took place on March 29, 2006. Afghan insurgents mounted an assault on a forward operating base in Helmand province near the town of Lashkar Gah, which had been opened only six weeks earlier and was staffed by 100 ANA soldiers and their American trainers, using small arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortars.

Do Ab is a village in Bamiyan Province in central Afghanistan. It is located in a pass in a mountainous region North East of Barmiyan town on the Ghandak highway 10 km from the border with Baghlan Province. It has a bazaar, a coal weigh station built in 2007 and a police check point. Do Abe is the centre of a coal mining industry that employed manual methods to extract coal from shafts in sacks. Coal seams visible on the surface are followed deep underground. The shaft roof is unsupported so accidents are common. From 2009/10 a contract was to be let to a Chinese coal mining group to extract the coal using mechanized equipment. Prior to the establishment of the weigh station coal smuggling across the border into Baghan province was rife. Kiwi 5 patrol of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team spent time in Do Abe in 2008 training the ANP in order to stop coal smuggling. This area is subject to attacks by roadside bombs. It was near Do Ab, close to the Ish Pesta ANP check point that a New Zealand soldier was later killed in a roadside bomb blast. After the IED exploded the 3 vehicles were attacked by RPGs and automatic gun fire. This led to a combined NZ/US attack on the Taliban group responsible that resulted in 13 terrorists being killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Musa Qala</span>

The siege of Musa Qala took place between July 17 and September 12, 2006 in Afghanistan's Helmand province. A small force of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops and Afghan security forces were besieged by Taliban insurgents inside the district centre of Musa Qala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Wali Kot Offensive</span>

The Shah Wali Kot Offensive was a five-day joint operation during the War in Afghanistan, conducted by Australian special forces and the Afghan National Army with US air support, between 10 and 14 June 2010. The operation took place in the Shah Wali Kot District of Kandahar Province, occurring in preparation for the coalition clearance of the province and resulting in heavy insurgent casualties.

The Battle of Derapet was fought near the village of Derapet in the Tangi Valley in Deh Rahwod, Orūzgān Province, southern Afghanistan, between a combined Australian Army and Afghan National Army patrol and Taliban forces on 24 August 2010. Australian forces had only recently taken over responsibility for Deh Rahwod as part of a major expansion of their area of operations which took place following the Dutch withdrawal from Afghanistan in August. The combined coalition patrol included 20 Australians and 20 Afghan National Army troops. The small Australian force from 1st Mentoring Task Force (MTF-1) based in Tarin Kowt included two sections of dismounted infantry and two ASLAV-25 guncars and was tasked with a fighting patrol to find and inflict damage on insurgent forces known to be in the area.

The First and Second Battles of Kakarak were fought near the village of Kakarak in the West Dorafshan district of Orūzgān Province, in southern Afghanistan. The fighting took place between Australian forces from the 1st Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force (MRTF-1) and Taliban fighters, with the area considered to be one of the last Taliban outposts in the area. During the first action on the morning of 16 March a six-man Australian Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) operating with Afghan National Army (ANA) troops was contacted by a numerically superior Taliban force near the village. In the ensuing battle one Australian was killed before close air support from Dutch AH-64D Apache helicopter gunships and US aircraft allowed them to withdraw after inflicting heavy casualties on the Taliban insurgents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Kristopher Smith</span> New Zealand soldier (1978–2011)

Leon Kristopher Smith, was a New Zealand Army soldier who was posthumously awarded the New Zealand Gallantry Decoration and the Charles Upham Bravery Award for his actions when attempting to resuscitate a mortally wounded colleague, while responding to an insurgent attack on the British Council Offices in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2011. Smith, who was a member of the New Zealand Special Air Service, was himself mortally wounded during a later operation in Afghanistan.

Cameron Stewart Baird, was a soldier in the Australian Army who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia, the highest award in the Australian honours system. Baird was the fourth person to receive the Victoria Cross for Australia during Operation Slipper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Leakey</span> British soldier, Victoria Cross recipient

Colour Sergeant Joshua Mark Leakey is a British soldier currently serving in the Parachute Regiment. In 2015, Leakey was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in the British and Commonwealth armed forces, for his involvement in a joint UK–US raid in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on 22 August 2013. He was the only living British soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross for the War in Afghanistan and the last person to receive it from Queen Elizabeth II.

Operation Burnham was a joint military operation undertaken by the New Zealand Special Air Service and elements of the Afghan Crisis Response Unit and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan's Tirgiran Valley on 21–22 October 2010. Operation Burnham became the subject of the investigative journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson's book Hit & Run: The New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan and the meaning of honour, which alleged that New Zealand forces had committed war crimes against civilians in the Naik and Khak Khudday Dad villages.

The 2007 New Zealand gallantry awards were announced via a Special Honours List on 2 July 2007, and recognised four New Zealand military personnel for actions while serving in Afghanistan in 2004. The identities of three of the four award recipients were not released for operational security reasons. Willie Apiata was awarded the Victoria Cross for New Zealand, the first and so far only time the decoration has been awarded since its inception in 1999.

Baghak is a village near the Shakari valley in Bamyan Province, Afghanistan.

References

  1. ↑ Gower, Patrick (3 October 2018). "How an SAS technique kept shot Kiwi soldier Craig Wilson alive". Newshub. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  2. ↑ "Taliban commander behind Kiwi deaths killed". Otago Daily Times. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 Eugene Bingham; Paula Penfold (20 August 2017). "The untold story of the fatal Battle of Baghak". Stuff. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 Byers, Kurt (13 June 2013). "NZDF release footage of fatal military attack". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Afghanistan August 2012 Court of Inquiry documents" (PDF). New Zealand Defence Force. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 "The shambles that left two NZ soldiers dead". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  7. ↑ Bayer, Kurt (3 October 2018). "The Big Read: Commander of NZ troops slain during Battle of Baghak tells his story for first time". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  8. ↑ Bingham, Eugene; Penfold, Paula; Longbottom, Toby (6 September 2017). "The NZ Defence Force manipulated the Battle of Baghak video". Stuff. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  9. ↑ Wilson, Craig (2018). Bravo Kiwi: New Zealand Soldiers, Afghanistan and the Battle of Baghak. David Bateman Limited. p. 178. ISBN   978-1-86953-856-9.
  10. ↑ Doyle, Dan (12 January 2021). "How New Zealand Forces In The Battle Of Baghak Valley Worked With U.S. Airmen To Get Out Alive". The Veterans Site. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  11. ↑ "Kiwi commander writing book on 'Battle of Baghak'". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  12. ↑ Bingham, Eugene (8 August 2020). "The untold story of an Army nurse who risked his life to save others at the Battle of Baghak: 'There was a firefight going on around me'". Stuff. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  13. 1 2 Schanz, Marc (1 February 2014). "Distinguished Rescue". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  14. ↑ "Two NZ soldiers killed and six injured in action in Afghanistan". Beehive. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  15. ↑ "Comrade backs 'Soldier F'". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  16. ↑ "Special Honours List 3 December 2015 (Gallantry Awards)". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 December 2015.
  17. ↑ "Afghanistan bravery award for Burnham officer Rob McGee". Stuff. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  18. ↑ Hurley, Bevan (27 August 2017). "Battle of Baghak war hero abandoned after post-traumatic stress diagnosis". Stuff. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  19. ↑ Small, Vernon; Watkins, Tracy (26 April 2013). "'Friendly fire' wounded NZ troops". Stuff. Retrieved 25 January 2023.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.