Operation Mountain Fury

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Operation Mountain Fury
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Mountainfurypicture.jpg
A soldier searches for weapons caches in the village of Alizai in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.
DateSeptember 16, 2006 – January 15, 2007
Location
Paktika, Khost, Ghazni, Paktia, Logar
Result Coalition victory
Belligerents
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2013).svg Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 		Flag of the Taliban.svg Taliban
Flag of Jihad.svg al-Qaeda
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gen. David Richards Flag of the Taliban.svg Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani   †
Strength
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2013).svg 4,000
Seal of the International Security Assistance Force.svg 3,000
Total:
7,000 		Unknown
Casualties and losses
107 killed 1,131 killed

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.

Contents

During the operation, the Taliban suffered heavy losses during direct battle with NATO coalition forces; as a result, they are expected to focus more on tactics such as the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), according to sources such as NATO's top commander James L. Jones and Canadian defence minister Gordon O'Connor. Jones also linked the large-scale production of opium to increased insurgent violence.

The Canadians continue fighting in Panjwaii

The Canadian forces began reconstruction efforts after major combat operations of Operation Medusa had ceased. However, they still encountered fierce fighting. Canadian Forces began the construction of a road, code-named "Summit", from the Panjwaii area to outlying areas including Kandahar city and came under continued Taliban attacks both in Panjwaii and in Kandahar city with ambushes, IED attacks or suicide bombings taking the lives of a number of Canadian and American soldiers. The Canadian involvement in operation Mountain Fury was stepped up when they mounted an operation of their own called Operation Falcon's Summit on December 15, 2006. During Falcon Summit, the Canadians gained control of several key villages and towns that were former Taliban havens, such as Howz-E Madad. During the first week of the operation, massive Canadian artillery barrages and tank attacks were used in a successful attempt to clear pockets of Taliban resistance.

The Americans go on the offensive

Meanwhile, the Americans began their combat operations against the Taliban forces that were entrenched in the mountains on the border with Pakistan in the east in the provinces of Paktika, Khost, Ghazni, Paktia, Logar and Nuristan. The 10th Mountain Division led the charge establishing many remote outposts in regions that were previously Taliban dominated. These outposts came under continued attacks as did the American combat patrols which resulted in almost 150 casualties inflicted on the Americans in two and a half months by the beginning of December.

The British attack repelled

On December 5, 2006, the British Royal Marines attacked a Taliban-held valley in southern Afghanistan near Garmsir but withdrew after a ferocious Taliban counterattack that withstood air strikes and artillery fire. Scores of soldiers moved across a bridge over the Helmand River under a full moon shortly before daybreak and began sweeping south through wheatfields in the south of the province, the opium center of the world's major producer. Marines initially faced only sporadic resistance but when they advanced, Taliban fighters launched a ferocious, organized riposte with heavy weapons and tried to outflank the British troops. The Taliban withstood barrages of air strikes from AH-64 Apache helicopters, 500 pound bombs dropped by B-1 bombers and withering cannon fire from A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets before the British finally withdrew after a 10-hour battle. The Taliban, who say they have the expertise to defeat the strongest army, had dug sophisticated networks of trenches often leading from compound to compound. The assault was the latest in a series of battles by British forces around the bridgehead and the short road at the north end of the valley, criss-crossed by networks of ancient canals that make Helmand fertile enough to produce a third of the world's opium crop. The British said they considered the assault a success as they had cleared out areas near the "D.C.," a tiny strip of road and ruined buildings on the eastern side of the Helmand River, but without more Afghan troops to hold the ground there was little hope of doing much more.

Mullah Osmani Killed

On 19 December 2006, a NATO air strike targeted a car in a deserted area of Helmand province, killed Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani along with two other men. He was the top Taliban commander for all of their operations in southern Afghanistan.

The British attack again

The next month, an operation called Operation Clay was launched on New Year's Day. Plymouth-based 42 Commando were engaged in four days of fighting. The British had running firefights for up to four days against fairly coherent sustained attacks of small arms, rockets and indirect fire. About 110 Royal Marines carried out the operation in northern Helmand. During the operation British troops destroyed a Taliban training camp and killed dozens of insurgents, according to the military.

From the 13th to the 15th of January, 2007, Royal Marines fought Taliban forces in the south of Helmand, attacking their positions and a major base. During the fighting one Royal Marine was killed and several were wounded. The Taliban suffered at least 30 killed.

Timeline of events

See also

Related Research Articles

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

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Operation Mountain Thrust was a NATO and Afghan-led operation in the War in Afghanistan, with more than 3,300 British troops, 2,300 U.S., 2,200 Canadian troops, about 3,500 Afghan soldiers and large air support. Its primary objective was to quell the ongoing Taliban insurgency in the south of the country.

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

Operation Medusa was a Canadian-led offensive during the second Battle of Panjwaii of the War in Afghanistan. The operation was fought primarily by the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group and other elements of the International Security Assistance Force, supported by the Afghan National Army and a team from the United States Army's 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) augmented by C Company, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division. Its goal was to establish government control over an area of Kandahar Province centered in the district of Panjwayi some 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Kandahar city. A tactical victory, it resulted in the deaths of 12 Canadian soldiers; five during the major combat operations, five in bombings, and two in a mortar/RPG attack during the reconstruction phase of the operation. Fourteen British military personnel were also killed when their plane crashed. Despite suffering a brutal battlefield defeat, the Taliban retained their presence in Kandahar province and did not lose their will to fight, leading to the subsequent Operation Falcon Summit. Nonetheless, Operation Medusa was at the time the most significant land battle ever undertaken by NATO.

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

The Battle of Panjwaii was fought in mid-2006 with primarily Canadian and Afghan soldiers, supported by small elements of Dutch, American, and British forces against the Taliban. There were two separate times in which the forces were involved in heavy fighting in the region. The first phase was fought in July 2006, and the second encounter lasted from September to October 2006.

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

The following items form a partial timeline of the War in Afghanistan. For events prior to October 7, 2001, see 2001 in Afghanistan.

The following lists events that happened during 2004 in Afghanistan.

Events from the year 2007 in Afghanistan.

Operation Kamin was an offensive launched by Taliban insurgents in May 2007 which aimed to kill American-backed government forces and foreign troops in Kandahar.

Operation Nasrat was a military campaign by the Taliban insurgency in September 2007. It was focused on targeting American and Coalition forces operating in Helmand and Kabul Province.

Events from the year 2011 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 in Afghanistan</span> List of events

Events from the year 2012 in Afghanistan.

The following lists events from 2014 in Afghanistan.

The following lists events that happened in 2013 in Afghanistan.

The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Afghanistan.

The following lists events that happened during 2016 in Afghanistan.

Events in the year 2017 in Afghanistan.

Events in the year 2018 in Afghanistan.

This article summarizes the history of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021).

In a continuation of previous attacks by the Taliban in May and June, multiple clashes between Afghan security forces and the Taliban were reported. They carried out several attacks throughout Afghanistan, resulting in multiple fatalities on both sides. Both the Taliban and government forces have accused each other responsibility over the recent surge in violence across Afghanistan. The attacks come despite the signing of a peace deal with the U.S. in February that was intended to put an end to the war.

References

  1. ↑ "Online NewsHour: News Summary for September 18, 2006". PBS. 2006-09-18. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
  2. ↑ "Afghans claim netting al Qaeda plotters in Kabul raid". Dawn. 2006-09-19. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
  3. ↑ Khan, Noor (2006-09-19). "11 Suspected Afghan Taliban Killed". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
  4. ↑ "Kabul crash kills Italian soldier". CNN. 2006-09-21. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
  5. ↑ "4 Suspected Taliban Die in Afghanistan". Townhall.com. 2006-09-21. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
  6. ↑ "19 People Die in Afghan Ambush". Los Angeles Times. 2006-09-23. Retrieved 2006-12-24.[ dead link ]

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