Mohmand Valley raid

Last updated
Mohmand Valley raid
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Date26 – 27 April 2017
Location 34°04′24.01″N70°37′52.37″E / 34.0733361°N 70.6312139°E / 34.0733361; 70.6312139
Result

U.S./Afghan operational success

Belligerents
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg  Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg ISIL-KP
Commanders and leaders
Unknown AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Abdul Haseeb Logari  
Units involved

Flag of the United States (Pantone).svg United States Armed Forces

Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg Afghan Armed Forces

Military of ISIL

  • Khorasan Province
Strength
Flag of the United States.svg 50 Army Rangers
AC-130 gunships
F-16 fighter jets
AH-64 Apache attack helicopters
Drones
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg 40 commandos
Unknown
Casualties and losses
Flag of the United States.svg 2 killed (friendly fire) [8]
1 wounded
36+ killed including several leaders (per U.S.) [9] [10]
Afghanistan physical map.svg
Red pog.svg
Achin District
Location of Achin District, where the raid took place

In the late hours of April 26, 2017, United States and Afghan special operations forces conducted an operation targeting an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan Province (ISIL-KP) compound in Achin District, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. The operation lasted into the early morning hours of the 27th and resulted in the deaths of two US Army Rangers from C and D Companies of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and the death of Abdul Haseeb Logari, the leader of ISIL-KP, alongside several leaders, and up to 35 other militants according to The Pentagon.

Contents

Background

On January 11, 2015 Hafiz Saeed Khan a former member of Tehrik-i-Taliban and the Afghan Taliban alongside other former Taliban leaders pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, forming the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province and becoming the group's emir. Seven months later the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan pledged allegiance to ISIL and claimed membership in the Khorasan group. Immediately after its formation the United States and Afghanistan targeted the group in airstrikes and raids. The group also suffered major setbacks while fighting the Taliban.

In July 2016, Hafiz was killed in a US drone strike, around eight months later in March 2017, the Afghan and US military began an offensive dubbed Operation Hamza, targeting the militant group in Nangarhar Province and Kunar Province. [11] [12]

On 8 March 2017, gunmen attacked the Sardar Daud Khan Military Hospital in Kabul, killing over 100. ISIL-KP claimed responsibility for the attack, while the Afghan government suspects the Haqqani Network. [13]

Less than two weeks before the raid on April 13, 2017, and less than a mile away from the location of the raid, the US military dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb, a GBU-43/B MOAB on an ISIL-KP tunnel network once used by the Mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War in the 80s and Osama bin Laden during the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The strike killed 96 militants according to an Afghan official. [14]

At the time of the raid, the group had been reduced to an estimated 700 fighters, down from 3,000 fighters at the group's peak, according to US officials. [15]

Target

The target of the operation was a compound in the Mohmand Valley, located less than a mile away from where the US dropped the MOAB bomb. The compound was believed to have housed Abdul Haseeb Logari, the leader of ISIL-KP. Commanders decided to conduct a ground operation over an airstrike because women and children were believed to have been present in the compound. [16] [17]

Haseeb had been the leader of ISIL-KP since July 2017 and was believed to have been in his mid-thirties at the time of the raid.

Raid

At around 10:30 on the night of 26 April, 50 U.S. Army Rangers from 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, alongside 40 Afghan commandos from the Special Security Forces (Kteh Khas), were inserted near the target site by helicopter. [18] Almost immediately after landing the force came under heavy fire from entrenched enemy positions from multiple directions, with the firefight being described as "close quarters with enemy fire coming at 360 degrees". As the joint American/Afghan force pushed through the difficult terrain under fire, they reportedly called in airstrikes from AC-130 gunships, F-16 fighter jets, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and drones.

Due to conditions early in the raid, the second assault force was diverted to a backup landing zone. At the landing zone, the Rangers fast-roped out of their helicopter under small arms fire, with one suffering a fall to the ground. An investigation into the raid determined that this decision to divert to a secondary landing position placed the second assault force close to ISIL-KP fighters who were already engaged in combat with “Battle Position-south”, causing them to be caught in crossfire with friendly forces while they moved North to their objective. [19]

A team of Rangers from the primary assault force was preparing to breach the door of an enemy compound when a Ranger fell through the rooftop of the compound of which he was using to provide suppressive fire. When teammates rushed to assist, a suicide bomber detonated in a courtyard on the other side of the structure.

Following the explosion, the team of Rangers engaged in several close-quarter firefights within the compound, killing an individual referred to as “OBJ Nascent Calvia”.

Sgt. Joshua Rodgers, a Ranger team leader, suffered a gunshot wound to his leg, continuing to fight until suffering a second fatal wound. Separately, Sgt. Cameron Thomas and two other Rangers engaged the enemy from a prone position until increased enemy fire forced them to fall 10 feet onto a lower terrace. After falling, Sgt. Thomas notified his teammates that he had been wounded and was having trouble breathing. Under fire, his teammates stripped his equipment and began searching his body for wounds. [19]

Hearing of the casualties from their squads internal radio, teammates left their positions and found Sgt. Rodgers unresponsive in an irrigation channel, cutting away his weapon and aide pack before being able to pull him out of the water.

As small arms fire became more abundant and accurate, a Ranger medic was forced to complete his treatment of Thomas by using a night vision device. Examining his wounds, the medic determined that Thomas needed urgent surgical treatment and that death was likely, calling in for a nine-line medical evacuation. Investigators praised the Ranger medic for his “exceptional medical care” and for demonstrating “a high degree of physical strength” when he performed CPR on Thomas for 15 minutes.

A joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) and two forward observers called in airstrikes as a medevac helicopter reached down. After landing, a flight medic and a member of the medevac surgical team left the helicopter to help secure the casualties on the ground. The investigation into the battle reported “The environment became so kinetic that, after setting the flight plan for departure, [the pilot] was forced to roll down his window and engage approaching enemy fighters with his organic M4.” [19]

After flying out of the valley, the medevac helicopter continued to Jalalabad Airfield, carrying the remains of the two Rangers. Investigators determined the fatal wounds likely came as a result of friendly fire from U.S. forces, noting that ballistic evidence and forensic evidence were consistent with NATO ammunition. [20]

Another Ranger was grazed by a bullet but left the battle on his own choosing. [21]

The raid lasted for more than three hours up to about 3:30 a.m. and resulted in the death of the intended target with the Pentagon calling it as a success in degrading the group's ability to fight. [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30]

Casualties

Among the dead were two Army Rangers identified as 22 year old Sgt. Joshua Rodgers of Bloomington, Illinois and 23 year old Sgt. Cameron Thomas of Kettering, Ohio. Both of them enlisted in the Army out of high school and were on their third deployments. Their rewards and decorations include the Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Star, and the NATO Medal. [31] [32] [33] [34]

United States Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis honored Rodgers and Thomas in a statement, saying "The families and fellow Rangers of Sgt. Joshua 'Josh' Rodgers and Sgt. Cameron Thomas have my respect and sympathies. Fighting alongside their Afghan partners, Josh and Cameron proved themselves willing to go into danger and impose a brutal cost on enemies in their path. They carried out their operation against [the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan] in Afghanistan before making the ultimate sacrifice to defend our nation and our freedoms." [35]

Abdul Haseeb, several other ISIL-KP leaders, and about 35 other militants were killed in the raid according to the U.S. Military. [15]

Aftermath

On April 28, Afghan forces conducted an operation in the Mohmand Valley, reportedly killing 20 ISIL-KP militants according to the Afghan MoD. [36] On May 7, the US Military confirmed the death of Haseeb in a press release. [37]

Abdul Haseeb would be replaced by Pakistani militant Abu Saeed, who would be killed in a US drone strike in Kunar Province on July 11, making him the third ISIL-KP emir killed since July 2016. [38]

Medals and honors

Army Ranger, Staff Sgt. Michael Young, a squad leader in C Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion, was credited with saving the lives of 22 Rangers and for destroying multiple enemy positions during the raid. He was awarded the Silver Star in April 2018 for his actions. [39] [40] [41]

In a June 2018 ceremony attended by family members of the fallen Rangers, F-16 pilots, Captain John J. Nygard and Captain Salvador A. Cruz, from the 79th Fighter Squadron, were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for their actions during the raid, when they conducted precision airstrikes on enemy positions and provided air cover during the evacuation of the casualties. Both men are credited with saving the lives of 88 soldiers during the raid. [42] [43] [6]

In December 2018, the United States Senate passed legislation introduced by Congressman Darin LaHood, to rename the U.S. post office at 200 West North Street in Normal, Illinois after Sgt. Joshua Rodgers. [44] The bill was signed by president Donald Trump on December 21. The post office was renamed in a ceremony attended by family members in early 2019. [45]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War against the Islamic State</span> Military actions against the Islamic State

Many states began to intervene against the Islamic State, in both the Syrian Civil War and the War in Iraq (2013–2017), in response to its rapid territorial gains from its 2014 Northern Iraq offensives, universally condemned executions, human rights abuses and the fear of further spillovers of the Syrian Civil War. These efforts are called the War against the Islamic State, or the War against ISIS. In later years, there were also minor interventions by some states against IS-affiliated groups in Nigeria and Libya. All these efforts significantly degraded the Islamic State's capabilities by around 2019–2020. While moderate fighting continues in Syria, as of 2024, ISIS has been contained to a manageably small area and force capability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021)</span> Coalition against the Islamic State

On 15 June 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama ordered United States forces to be dispatched in response to the Northern Iraq offensive of the Islamic State (IS) as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. At the invitation of the Iraqi government, American troops went to assess Iraqi forces and the threat posed by ISIL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Inherent Resolve</span> Military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) is the United States military's operational name for the international war against the Islamic State (IS), including both a campaign in Iraq and a campaign in Syria, with a closely related campaign in Libya. Through 18 September 2018, the U.S. Army's III Armored Corps was responsible for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF—OIR) and were replaced by the XVIII Airborne Corps. The campaign is primarily waged by American and British forces in support of local allies, most prominently the Iraqi security forces and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Combat ground troops, mostly special forces, infantry, and artillery have also been deployed, especially in Iraq. Of the airstrikes, 70% have been conducted by the military of the United States, 20% by the United Kingdom and the remaining 10% being carried out by France, Turkey, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Jordan.

The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State – Khorasan Province</span> Islamic State branch in Central and South Asia

The Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K) is a regional branch of the Islamic State terrorist group active in South-Central Asia, primarily Afghanistan. ISIS–K, like its sister branches in other regions, seeks to destabilize and overthrow existing governments of the historic Khorasan region in order to establish an Islamic caliphate under its strict, fundamentalist Islamist rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Wheeler</span> United States Army soldier (1975–2015)

Joshua Lloyd Wheeler was a United States Army soldier who was killed in Iraq during Operation Inherent Resolve. He was a master sergeant assigned to the elite Delta Force, and was the first American service member killed in action as a result of enemy fire while fighting ISIS militants. He was also the first American to be killed in action in Iraq since November 2011.

This article contains a timeline of events from January 2015 to December 2015 related to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS). This article contains information about events committed by or on behalf of the Islamic State, as well as events performed by groups who oppose them.

The following lists events that happened during 2016 in Afghanistan.

The Nangarhar offensive was a 21-day military offensive in February and March 2016, carried out by the Afghan government against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K), with the assistance of ISAF and U.S airstrikes. When the offensive ended, ISIS had reportedly lost all of its territory in Afghanistan and had been expelled from the country.

Events in the year 2017 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Nangarhar airstrike</span> US bombing of IS-KP in Afghanistan

On 13 April 2017, the United States conducted an airstrike in Achin District, located in the Nangarhar Province of eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan. The airstrike was carried out using the largest non-nuclear bomb in the United States' arsenal, the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), with the goal of destroying tunnel complexes used by the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-KP).

Abu ‘Umayr ‘Abd al-Hasib al-Logari or Abdul Haseeb Logari was a Pakistani Islamic militant who led the Islamic State – Khorasan Province from July 2016 until his death on 27 April 2017.

Abdul Rahman Ghaleb, known as Abu Sayed Bajauri or simply Abu Sayed, was a Pakistani Islamic militant who led the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K). Abu Sayed should not be confused with the similarly-named ISIS–K leader who succeeded him, Abu Saad Erhabi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US intervention in Libya (2015–2019)</span> Military operation conducted by the United States

From November 2015 to 2019, the United States and allies carried out a large series of both airstrikes and drone strikes to intervene in Libya in its revived conflict in support of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord against the ISIL presence in the region. By 2019, the ISIL branch had been largely driven from holding Libyan territory, and US strikes ceased.

Events in the year 2018 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State–Taliban conflict</span> 2015–present armed conflict in Afghanistan

The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Islamic State and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The conflict escalated when militants who were affiliated with Islamic State – Khorasan Province killed Abdul Ghani, a senior Taliban commander in Logar province on 2 February 2015. Since then, the Taliban and IS-KP have engaged in clashes over the control of territory, mostly in eastern Afghanistan, but clashes have also occurred between the Taliban and IS-KP cells which are located in the north-west and south-west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of US intervention in the Syrian civil war</span>

The US intervention in the Syrian civil war is the United States-led support of Syrian opposition and the Federation of Northern Syria during the course of the Syrian Civil War and active military involvement led by the United States and its allies — the militaries of the United Kingdom, France, Jordan, Turkey, Canada, Australia and more — against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusra Front since 2014. Since early 2017, the U.S. and other Coalition partners have also targeted the Syrian government and its allies via airstrikes and aircraft shoot-downs.

References

  1. Barbara Starr and Ralph Ellis (May 7, 2017). "ISIS leader in Afghanistan was killed in raid, US confirms". CNN.
  2. "Head of Islamic State in Afghanistan confirmed killed". Reuters. May 8, 2017 via www.reuters.com.
  3. "ISIS Afghanistan head Abdul Hasib killed: US, Afghan officials". May 8, 2017.
  4. "Leader of ISIS in Afghanistan killed in April raid, Pentagon says". ABC News.
  5. "A top ISIS commander in Afghanistan was killed in raid that left two Army Rangers dead". NBC News.
  6. 1 2 "The Painful Story of the Mahmand Valley Ranger Raid: How Two Rangers Died, and Two F-16 Pilots Saved the Rest". May 25, 2020.
  7. Trevithick, Joseph (9 May 2017). "This Shadowy Afghan Unit Fights Alongside America's Most Elite Forces". The Drive.
  8. Sisk, Richard (31 October 2017). "Two Army Rangers Possibly Killed by Friendly Fire in Afghanistan". Military.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  9. Munoz, Carlo (May 8, 2017). "Pentagon confirms Abdul Hasib, head of ISIS in Afghanistan, killed by U.S., Afghan special forces". The Washington Times.
  10. "Isis commander in Afghanistan killed by special forces, US and Afghan officials say". The Independent. May 7, 2017.
  11. "The Battle for Mamand: ISKP under strain, but not yet defeated". Afghanistan Analysts Network - English. May 23, 2017.
  12. "Islamic State in Afghanistan: Is US assault working?". The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
  13. Mashal, Mujib; Abed, Fahim (March 8, 2017). "After Deadly Attack on Kabul Hospital, 'Everywhere Was Full of Blood'". The New York Times via NYTimes.com.
  14. Woody, Christopher. "The 'Mother of All Bombs' blast site is still off-limits, but here's who it may have killed". Business Insider . Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  15. 1 2 Phippen, J. Weston (May 8, 2017). "U.S. Confirms the Death of ISIS Leader in Afghanistan". The Atlantic.
  16. Mashal, Mujib (May 7, 2017). "Leader of Afghanistan Branch of ISIS Killed in Special Forces Raid". The New York Times via NYTimes.com.
  17. Bucher, Chris (May 8, 2017). "Sheikh Abdul Hasib Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".
  18. Trevithick, Joseph (9 May 2017). "This Shadowy Afghan Unit Fights Alongside America's Most Elite Forces". The Drive. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  19. 1 2 3 Rempfer, Kyle (September 15, 2020). "Inside a fatal Ranger raid that killed an ISIS-K emir in Afghanistan". Army Times.
  20. "Mattis honors Army Rangers killed in Afghanistan". Army.mil. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  21. "Two U.S. Army Rangers killed in anti-ISIS raid in Afghanistan". NBC News.
  22. "The Pentagon Investigates Possible Friendly Fire Deaths In Afghanistan". NPR.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  23. "2 Army Rangers killed in Afghanistan". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  24. Hennigan, W. J. "Pentagon says two Army Rangers may have been killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  25. deGrandpre, Meghann Myers, Andrew (7 August 2017). "Army Rangers killed in Afghanistan were possible victims of friendly fire". Army Times. Retrieved 11 January 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. "Friendly fire may have killed 2 Army Rangers in Afghanistan". PBS NewsHour. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  27. "Friendly fire may have killed Army Rangers during ISIS raid in Afghanistan". CBS News. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  28. "Pentagon says friendly fire may have killed two US soldiers in Afghanistan, not Isis". The Independent . 28 April 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  29. "Two U.S. Army Rangers killed in anti-ISIS raid in Afghanistan". NBC News. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  30. Cooper, Helene (27 April 2017). "2 U.S. Service Members Killed in Afghanistan, Pentagon Says". New York Times. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  31. Barrie Barber. "For Kettering Army Ranger, service was 'all he lived and breathed'". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  32. "Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas| Military Times". thefallen.militarytimes.com.
  33. LENORE SOBOTA. "Bloomington soldier killed in Afghanistan praised". Pantagraph.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  34. Nordland, Rod (11 June 2017). "All 6 U.S. Combat Deaths in Afghanistan in 2017 Were in Fight Against ISIS". New York Times. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  35. "Mattis Honors Army Rangers Killed in Afghanistan". U.S. Central Command.
  36. "20 Daesh Militants Killed In Nangarhar". TOLOnews.
  37. "Afghanistan IS head killed in raid - US and Afghan officials". BBC News. May 8, 2017.
  38. "Head of Islamic State in Afghanistan killed: Pentagon". Reuters. July 14, 2017 via www.reuters.com.
  39. "Michael Young - Recipient -". valor.militarytimes.com.
  40. South, Todd (April 13, 2018). "Ranger's heroic actions saved dozens, led to Silver Star medal". Army Times.
  41. "Army Ranger awarded Silver Star for actions in deadly, 'terrifyingly chaotic' fight in Afghanistan". Stars and Stripes.
  42. "Two Shaw Airmen earn DFC saving 88 lives". Shaw Air Force Base.
  43. Scarlett, Emily (July 11, 2018). "'It's what we've trained for:' 2 Shaw AFB pilots awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for saving 88 lives overseas". wistv.com.
  44. "Legislation to Honor Fallen Army Ranger Joshua Rodgers Passes U.S. Senate". Representative Darin LaHood. December 13, 2018.
  45. Cullen, Mary (26 April 2019). "Fallen Ranger Remembered And Honored With Post Office Naming". www.wglt.org.