Good Friday Battle

Last updated
Good Friday Battle
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
DateApril 2, 2010
Location
Isa Khel, Kunduz Province, Afghanistan
Result Indecisive
Belligerents
Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Flag of the United States.svg United States
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2013).svg Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Flag of the Taliban.svg Taliban
Flag of Jihad.svg Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Unknown
Strength
34 paratroopers 30–40 insurgents
Casualties and losses
3 killed
8 wounded
5 killed

The Good Friday Battle was an attack by Taliban forces and Members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan on April 2, 2010, on a group of German paratroopers on a recon mission. This was the first prolonged battle of German soldiers since World War II.

Contents

Background

The Battle was part of the Counterinsurgency in Northern Afghanistan.

Battle

On Good Friday 2010, paratroopers of Battalion 373 were tasked to discover Improvised explosive devices near Isa Khel in Kunduz province. At about 13:00 local time, the group of 34 soldiers came under attack by about 30–40 insurgents. Three soldiers were wounded and reinforcement was called from the camp in Kunduz. The battle was closely watched by German EMT Luna X-2000 and Rheinmetall KZO drones. Air support was not possible due to the danger of friendly fire. Wounded soldiers were evacuated under fire by Black Hawk helicopters. During an attempt to retreat at 14:50, a Dingo was destroyed by explosives, blocking the road. The battle lasted eight to nine hours until the soldiers could be relieved. [1] [2]

Aftermath

In a speech about the battle, Minister of Defence Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg called the German engagement in Afghanistan a war, breaking a long lasting taboo. As a result of the battle, more armoured vehicles were sent to Afghanistan, including a Panzerhaubitze 2000, which came in use on July 10, 2010.

American Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason LaCrosse received the Silver Star and the Ehrenkreuz der Bundeswehr in Gold in besonderer Ausführung for his actions during the battle. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Security Assistance Force</span> NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan from 2001–2014

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386 pursuant to the Bonn Agreement, which outlined the establishment of a permanent Afghan government following the U.S. invasion in October 2001. ISAF's primary goal was to train the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and assist Afghanistan in rebuilding key government institutions; it gradually took part in the broader war in Afghanistan against the Taliban insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunduz</span> City in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan

Kunduz is a city in northern Afghanistan, the capital of Kunduz Province. The city has an estimated population of about 268,893 as of 2015, making it about the 7th-largest city of Afghanistan, and the largest city in northeastern Afghanistan. Kunduz is in the historical Tokharistan region of Bactria, near the confluence of the Kunduz River with the Khanabad River. Kunduz is linked by highways with Kabul to the south, Mazar-i-Sharif to the west, and Badakhshan to the east. Kunduz is also linked with Dushanbe in Tajikistan to the north, via the Afghan dry port of Sherkhan Bandar. This city is famous in Afghanistan for its watermelon production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taliban insurgency</span> Insurgency during the War in Afghanistan

The Taliban insurgency began after the group's fall from power during the 2001 War in Afghanistan. The Taliban forces fought against the Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai, and later by President Ashraf Ghani, and against a US-led coalition of forces that has included all members of NATO; the 2021 Taliban offensive resulted in the collapse of the government of Ashraf Ghani. The private sector in Pakistan extends financial aid to the Taliban, contributing to their financial sustenance.

<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">Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr</span> Award

The Decorations of Honour of the Bundeswehr are a series of military decorations of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. These honours and awards were introduced in 1980 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Bundeswehr by then Minister of Defence Hans Apel and subsequently approved by President of the Federal Republic Karl Carstens.

The following lists events that happened during 2002 in Afghanistan.

The following lists events that happened during 2004 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counterinsurgency in Northern Afghanistan</span> Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

The following addresses the events in Northern Afghanistan between April 2009 and 2014. While this part of the country had long been relatively peaceful compared to the all-out war zones of the south and east, tensions would flare up again in 2008 when the German soldiers deployed to the area came under attack more often, leading to the deaths of the several soldiers. Previously hindered by national caveats, the deteroriating security situation prompted the German-led Regional Command North to launch a series of operations to take on the rising insurgency. Concerted operations began after an insurgent attack on PRT Kunduz within minutes of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's departure from a visit. Within two years, the German presence would be doubled and additional reinforcements from the American ISAF contingent were called in, including heavy German armoured vehicles and US aviation assets, allowing for a more aggressive approach towards the insurgency.

Operation Oqab was a military operation conducted by ISAF and Afghan National Army troops, in July 2009, with the objective to force the Taliban out of Kunduz Province.

The 2009 Kunduz airstrike took place on Friday 4 September 2009 at roughly 2:30 am local time, 7 km (4.3 mi) southwest of Kunduz City, Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan. Responding to a call by German forces, an American F-15E fighter jet struck two fuel tankers, killing over 90 civilians in the attack.

2003 in Afghanistan. A list of notable incidents in Afghanistan during 2003

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bundeswehr Cross of Honour for Valour</span> Award

The Bundeswehr Cross of Honour for Valour is the highest military decoration of the Bundeswehr. It is the highest class of the Bundeswehr Cross of Honour. The decoration is the first combat valour award presented by Germany since World War II.

The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Afghanistan.

The 2015 Kabul Parliament attack occurred on June 22, 2015, when members of the Taliban detonated a car bomb outside the National Assembly in Kabul then attacked the building with assault rifles and RPGs. Two civilians and seven Taliban died in the attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kunduz (2015)</span>

The Battle of Kunduz took place from April to October 2015 for control of the city of Kunduz, located in northern Afghanistan, with Taliban fighters attempting to seize the city and displace Afghan security forces. On 28 September 2015, the Taliban forces suddenly overran the city, with government forces retreating outside the city. The capture marked the first time since 2001 that the Taliban had taken control of a major city in Afghanistan. The Afghan government claimed to have largely recaptured Kunduz by 1 October 2015 in a counterattack, although local sources in the city disputed the claim made by government officials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunduz hospital airstrike</span> 2015 U.S. air strike on a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan

On 3 October 2015, a United States Air Force AC-130U gunship attacked the Kunduz Trauma Centre operated by Médecins Sans Frontières in the city of Kunduz, in the province of the same name in northern Afghanistan. 42 people were killed and over 30 were injured. Médecins Sans Frontières condemned the incident, calling it a deliberate breach of international humanitarian law and a war crime. It further stated that all warring parties had been notified about the hospital and its operations well in advance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Halmazag</span> Offensive operation in Afghanistan

Operation Halmazag was an offensive operation by ISAF German-led troops in close cooperation with the Afghan security forces in the province of Kunduz, from 31 October to 4 November 2010, with the aim of building a permanent outpost near the village of Quatliam in the Char Dara district, south-west of Kunduz. The operation was the first German military ground offensive since World War II.

The following lists events that happened during 2016 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Boz Qandahari</span>

The Battle of Boz Qandahari occurred on 3 November 2016, in the village of Boz Qandahari, on the western outskirts of the Afghan city of Kunduz, between Afghan National Army Commandos alongside United States Army Special Forces against Taliban insurgents.

Events in the year 2017 in Afghanistan.

References

  1. "Karfreitagsgefecht". www.bundeswehr.de.
  2. "Das Karfreitagsgefecht".
  3. https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/29819