Helmand province campaign
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
View from a Chinook helicopter over Kajaki district. The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
Date June 4, 2006 - Location Helmand province, Afghanistan Result Ongoing (Stalemate)
Belligerents
United Kingdom,  United States, Afghan National Army,  Denmark,  Canada,  Netherlands,  Estonia	Taliban insurgents
Commanders
Ed Butler/Charlie Knaggs(May-Nov 06) Jerry Thomas (Nov 06-Apr 07) John Lorimer(Apr-Oct 07) Andrew Mackay(Oct 07-Apr 08) Mark Carleton-Smith(current)	Mullah Dadullah ☠, Mullah Akhtar Osmani ☠, Mullah Abdul Qassim, Mullah Abdul Ghaffour ☠
Strength
7,500 (United Kingdom), 2,500 (United States), 500 (ANA), 300 (Canada), 600 (Denmark), 200 (Netherlands)	8,000-9,000 (Taliban claim)
Casualties and losses
67 killed (UK);[1] 15 killed (US);[1] 7 killed (Canada);[1] 10 killed (DK);[1] 1 killed (Czech Republic); 1 killed (Netherlands);[1] 2 killed (Estonia);[1] 74 killed (Afghan army and police)[1] Total: 177 killed	Several thousand killed (NATO claim)[1]

The Helmand province campaign is a series of military operations conducted by ISAF forces against Taliban insurgents in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Helmand ( هلمند) is one of the 34 Provinces of Afghanistan. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Afghan National Army (ANA is a service branch of the Military of Afghanistan currently being trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the lead in The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region The Taliban insurgency took root shortly after the group's fall from power following the 2001 war in Afghanistan. Charles Peter Huntley Knaggs OBE, commonly known as "Charlie" is a Colonel in the British Army. Mullah Dadullah or Dadullah Akhund ( ملا دادالله آخوند) (c Killed in action ( KIA or K I A) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani or Usmani (died December 19, 2006) was a senior leader of the Taliban, treasurer for the organization and close Killed in action ( KIA or K I A) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other Mullah Abdul Ghafour is a Taliban commander that ISAF forces claim was killed by an airstrike on February 4 2007. Killed in action ( KIA or K I A) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Afghan National Army (ANA is a service branch of the Military of Afghanistan currently being trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the lead in Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region International Security Assistance Force (10 ( ISAF) is a NATO -led security and development mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations The Taliban insurgency took root shortly after the group's fall from power following the 2001 war in Afghanistan. Helmand ( هلمند) is one of the 34 Provinces of Afghanistan. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Their objective has been to control a province that is known to be a Taliban stronghold, and a center of opium production. Opium is a Narcotic formed from the Latex (ie sap released by lacerating (or "scoring" the immature seed pods of opium poppies ( ^[2]

The deployment of international, mostly British, forces was part of the stage three expansion of the ISAF mandate, to cover the southern regions of Afghanistan. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Until then Helmand province had seen only a limited coalition presence.

Contents 1 Prelude 2 Outposts under siege 2.1 Sangin 2.2 Musa Qala 2.3 Kajaki dam 3 NATO counter-offensive 3.1 Operation Achilles 3.2 Operation Lastay Kulang 3.3 Operation Hammer 3.4 Operation Sledgehammer Hit 3.5 Battle of Musa Qala 4 Stalemate 5 Marines come into the fight 5.1 Marines take Garmsir 6 Incidents 6.1 Helmand province incident 6.2 Friendly fire 7 Political developments 8 References 9 See also 10 External links

Prelude

In 2006, a revitalised Taliban conducted a number of large-scale military offensives against coalition troops in Helmand, Kandahar and other provinces on the border with Pakistan. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and

In Helmand, the Afghan government only had a tenuous hold outside the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah. Lashkar Gah (alternative name Bost) is a city in southern Afghanistan, the Capital of Helmand province. The NATO presence in the province was sparse, limited to 130 American soldiers undertaking punctual anti-terrorist missions, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The North Atlantic Treaty Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF is the official name used by the U Through the month of April, a new British unit, the Helmand Task Force, was deployed in order to counter the Taliban. For the computer game see Joint Task Force (computer game. A task force (TF is a temporary unit or formation established to work The core of the fighting force was drawn from the 16th Air Assault Brigade, and in particular from the 3rd battalion, of the Parachute Regiment. The Parachute Regiment is the Airborne Infantry element of the British Army. Based out of Camp Bastion, then under construction, the task force numbered 3,300 men, though only a third of these were combat troops. Camp Bastion is the main British Military base in Afghanistan. ^[3]

During the first four months of its presence in Afghanistan, the Helmand Task Force was expected to take part in Operation Enduring freedom, and help track down Taliban and Al Qaeda extremists. It was thus placed under the command of U. S. Major General Benjamin Freakley, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force 76. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Combined Joint Task Force – 82 (CJTF-82 was a US led subordinate formation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF But being part of ISAF, it was also answerable to the ISAF Regional Command South, then led by a Canadian, Brigadier General David Fraser. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. David Fraser is a Brigadier General of the Canadian Forces. He was the commander of Multi National Brigade for Regional Command South in Afghanistan ^[4] This tangled chain of command was accompanied by a certain difficulty in defining the priority between two different and sometimes contradictory missions: either to win the support of the local population, or to fight and eliminate the Taliban. ^[5]

Outposts under siege

The initial mission of the Helmand Task Force was to carry out reconstruction and hearts and minds projects in the relatively safe area known as "the triangle", centered around Lashkar Gah and Gereshk. Gereshk is a town in Gerishk District in Helmand province on the Helmand River in central Afghanistan, some 120 km (75 However, the intensification of Taliban attacks led to a dramatic change in this strategy. In early spring 2006, Baghran District fell temporarily under insurgent control, and on May 18, a Taliban raid in Musa Qala killed some twenty Afghan policemen. Baghran is the northernmost district in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Musa Qala is a town and the district center of Musa Qala District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, at and at 1043 m altitude in the valley of Musa ^[6]

The possibility of a Taliban offensive sweeping over the entire province was taken seriously by the provincial governor, Mohammad Daoud, a personal ally and appointee of President Hamid Karzai. Engineer Mohammad Daoud was the Governor of Helmand province in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has only intermittently been a Republic - between 1973-1992 and from 2001 onwards - at other times being governed by a variety of kings Emirs Hamid Karzai ( حامد کرزي, حامد کرزي) (born 24 December 1957) is the current President of Afghanistan, since December Daoud insisted that ISAF troops be deployed in the districts that were under immediate threat of Taliban attack: Sangin, Now Zad, Musa Qala and the strategic hydroelectric installations at Kajaki. Sangin is a town in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, with population of approximately 14000 people The village of Nawzad is the center of Nawzad District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan and is located on at 1221 m altitude Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water Kajaki is a Village in southern Afghanistan. It is the district centre of Kajaki District in Helmand Province. This was the beginning of the controversial "platoon house" strategy, that saw NATO troops, mostly British, tied down in remote outstations across northern Helmand. All posts attracted sustained and intensive Taliban attacks, and remained under siege for long periods. The Task Force's limited assets became dangerously stretched, leading to difficult situations in several cases.

Sangin

Main article: Siege of Sangin

The town of Sangin (population 30,000), is an important trading center of southern Afghanistan, and is believed to be the biggest opium market in the region. The Siege of Sangin lasted between June 2006 and April 2007 during which time Taliban insurgents besieged the district centre of Sangin District in ^[7] Thus it naturally became an important objective both for the Taliban and the coalition. Before June 2006, it was believed to be largely under insurgent control. ^[5]

On June 18, 2006, Jama Gul, a former district chief, was ambushed and killed in Sangin, along with four bodyguards. When a group of his relatives went to retrieve the bodies, 25 of them were killed. ^[8] It was this incident, sometimes described as "face-off between two drug lords", that led to the deployment of ISAF troops in Sangin. ^[9] On June 21, a company of British paratroopers moved into the town, ostensibly to rescue the son of the current district chief, who had been wounded in the fight. However, after a personal intervention by Hamid Karzai, they were ordered to remain in Sangin, in order to assert the faltering authority of the central government. ^[10]

At first, the situation inside the town remained calm, but this changed after June 27, after a failed special forces raid in the Sangin area, during which two British soldiers were killed. On June 30, the insurgents launched their first frontal attacks on the district centre, garrisoned by British troops. The attackers were driven off, after having lost at least twelve killed. ^[11] Despite this, the Taliban did not relent, and renewed their attacks every night, using small arms, RPGs, and 107mm rockets. RPG or rocket-propelled grenade, is a loose term describing hand-held shoulder-launched Anti-tank weapons capable of firing an unguided The British answered with machine guns, mortars and Javelin missiles, and by calling in artillery and airstrikes. The FGM-148 Javelin is an American -made man-portable Anti-tank guided missile. Resupply was sometimes interrupted for as long as five days, as Taliban fire would have put the helicopters at risk.

On July 15, as part of operation Mountain Thrust coalition forces conducted an offensive into Sangin district, supported by armour, in the shape of light tanks of the Household Cavalry Regiment and Canadian LAV IIIs. Operation Mountain Thrust was a US commanded Canadian and US -led operation in the Afghanistan campaign, with more than 2300 U The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and is one of two Regiments that are formed from the Household Cavalry Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The LAV III armoured vehicle (AV is the latest in the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV series built by General Dynamics Land Systems, entering service in 1999. In the face of overwhelming force, most of the Taliban retreated, and a supply convoy was escorted into the town. The garrison were able to strengthen their defenses after the arrival of an engineer unit.

After September 14, the fighting died down in Sangin. On September 21, the paratroopers occupying the government compound were replaced by a unit from 42 commando, Royal Marines. 3 Commando Brigade is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces and the main manoeuvre formation of the Royal Marines. The Royal Marines ( RM) are the marine corps and amphibious Infantry of the United Kingdom and along with the Royal Navy In March 2007, the Marines were in turn replaced by a company from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (RRF is an Infantry Regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. By this time, the Taliban had resumed their operations in the sector, and the fusiliers were attacked 79 times during their first twenty days in Sangin. ^[12]

On April 5, 2007, coalition forces launched operation Silver, as part of the wider Operation Achilles, with some 1,000 troops. Operation Achilles was a NATO operation part of the war in Afghanistan. After giving advance warning of their offensive, they advanced into Sangin, which had been mostly abandoned by the insurgents. The new governor of Helmand Assadullah Wafa, was able to install a new district governor, and ISAF claimed to have pacified the town. Assadullah Wafa is the Governor of the Afghan province of Helmand, and formerly governor of Kunar Province of Afghanistan ^[13] The Taliban claim to still control neighbouring areas. ^[14] Since the end of the siege, the district compound has still come under attack, but the British have built two new forward operating bases a few miles away that draw most of the Taliban attacks away from the town itself. A forward operating base (FOB is any secured forward position that is used to support tactical operations ^[15]

Musa Qala

After May 18, 2006, coalition troops were deployed in Musa Qala, to defend the district centre. Musa Qala is a town and the district center of Musa Qala District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, at and at 1043 m altitude in the valley of Musa Serving also as a prison and police station, the district centre was situated in the middle of the town, a situation that greatly hampered the defenders. The garrison consisted of some 80 Afghan policemen, who were more of a militia than a police force, and were very unpopular among the local population. The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service ^[16]

The American unit present in Musa Qala was replaced on June 14 by a composite group of British troops, mostly pathfinders. The Pathfinder Platoon is an Elite unit of the British Army which provides deep Reconnaissance and offensive operations beyond the forward edge The first heavy Taliban attack was launched on July 16, and though it was repelled with heavy loss, the insurgents maintained a constant pressure on the district centre. On July 26, the Danish 1 Light Reconnaissance Squadron, known as "the griffins", arrived at Musa Qala to relieve the British troops. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information The griffin is a Legendary creature with the body of a Lion and the head and often wings of an Eagle. However, these could not be extracted until August 8, when a full battle group operation, codenamed Operation Snakebite, was required to reach the town centre. A battlegroup (British/Commonwealth term or Task force (US term in modern military theory, is the basic building block of an Army 's The griffins were equipped with 16 Eagle armoured vehicles, one lost during the fight to get in the town, most armed with a .50 calibre machine-gun. The Mowag Eagle is a wheeled armored vehicle designed by the Swiss Mowag corporation. This article is about the.50 caliber M2 machine gun For the.30-06 M2 machine gun see M1919 Browning machine gun. Their commander built a series of ramps enabling the vehicles to fire over the compound walls. With the support of a mortar team from the Royal Irish Regiment and abundant air support, the Musa Qala garrison was able to drive back all attacks, but the presence of large numbers of Taliban prevented them from venturing out of the base. For the regiment of the same name disbanded in 1922 see Royal Irish Regiment (1684-1922 The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling 83rd On the 24 August, the Danish unit were extracted and assigned to the Canadian-led Op Medusa, the Danes were replaced by a mixed British detachment of paratroopers and Royal Irish rangers, whose weapons array was considerably less powerful, having only two . 50 cal and eight GPMG machine-guns. The MAG is a Belgian 762 mm General purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale (FN by Ernest Vervier Knowing the garrison was weaker, the Taliban launched two attacks with a group of 150 men on August 26/27. Both were driven off, after which the insurgents concentrated on indirect attacks with mortars and 107 mm rockets.

By the end of September, the fighting in Musa Qala had come to a stalemate. The Taliban had suffered heavy losses and had been incapable of driving the ISAF forces out of the town. The coalition had also suffered losses: three British soldiers had been killed in Musa Qala^[17], and their control of the town didn't extend outside the compound walls. ^[18] Also, the British commanders feared that a resupply helicopter might be shot down, giving a propaganda victory to the insurgents. Both sides welcomed an initiative by the town elders, to negotiate a truce and avoid further bloodshed. The British agreed to withdraw from the city, and in return the tribesmen would deny sanctuary to the Taliban.

The agreement lasted 143 days, ending after the brother of a local Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghaffour, was killed by an airstrike from an American B-1 bomber. Mullah Abdul Ghafour is a Taliban commander that ISAF forces claim was killed by an airstrike on February 4 2007. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ^[19] The Taliban claimed this had occurred in an area covered by the truce. In retaliation a group of 200-300 insurgents stormed the town on February 1, 2007, executing the elder who had brokered the truce^[20], and jailing several others. On February 4, Mullah Abdul Ghaffour himself was killed in an airstrike. ^[21] On the same day, General David J. Richards, who had supported the truce, was replaced at the head of ISAF by General Dan K. McNeill, who favoured a more aggressive approach. General Sir David Julian Richards KCB, CBE, DSO (born 1952 is a British military commander and was the overall commander of international Dan K McNeill was a General of the United States Army and from February 1 2007 until June 3 2008 commanding officer of the International Security Assistance ^[22]

In Musa Qala, the Taliban imposed their fundamentalist interpretation of muslim law, closing down schools, restricting women's movements, levying heavy taxes, and hanging those inhabitants they suspected of being spies. Islamic fundamentalism Arabic: usul (from usul the "fundamentals"] is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the The Afghan government and the coalition refrained from retaking the town, to avoid causing civilian casualties. ^[23]

Kajaki dam

The Kajaki dam is a particularly important installation, providing water for irrigation in the Helmand Valley, and electricity for the whole province. The Kajaki Dam is one of the two major Hydroelectric power Dams of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. The Helmand River (also spelled Helmend Helmund Hirmand; Pashto: fa هیرمند هلمند fa-Latn Hīrmand Helmand, Latin: Through early 2006, it came under increasing attacks by the Taliban, for whom even a brief occupation would serve as a propaganda victory. The dam was defended by a mixed force of Afghan policemen and security guards led by an American contractor. A private military company ( PMC) provides specialized expertise or services of a military nature sometimes called or classified as Mercenary ("soldiers for hire" Nightly Taliban mortar attacks demoralised the defenders, who had no heavy weapons, and were unable to retaliate. A mortar is a muzzle-loading Indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities short ranges and high-arcing ballistic trajectories In late June, a team of British paratroopers was deployed near Kajaki, and managed to ambush a Taliban mortar team, killing ten and wounding two. ^[24] Thereafter, a permanent British military presence was established at the dam, where coalition troops occupied a series of fortified posts built by the Soviets during their presence in Afghanistan. The Soviet war in Afghanistan, also known as the Soviet-Afghan War or just the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, was a nine-year conflict involving The Taliban grew more cautious, but continued their harassment attacks throughout July and the first half of August. ^[25]

In February 2007, British troops from 42 commando conducted Operation Volcano, clearing a safe zone around the dam and driving the Taliban out of mortar range. Operation Volcano was a British operation to clear a village that the Taliban were using as a command and control The main Taliban fortified position in the village of Barikju was cleared without casualties. ^[26]

Since then, the situation around the dam has stabilised. Kajaki is one of the rare occasions during the Afghanistan war where both sides use fixed positions, and an actual front line has developed. A front line is a line of confrontation in an Armed conflict, most commonly a War. ^[27]

NATO counter-offensive

In April 2007, the number of British troops in southern Afghanistan was increased from 3,300 to 5,800 men. ^[28] Heavier equipment was also deployed, namely Warrior IFVs, Mastiff protected vehicles and GMLRS multiple rocket launchers. The FV510 Warrior tracked vehicle family are a series of British armoured vehicles originally developed to replace the older FV430 series of armoured An infantry fighting vehicle ( IFV, also known as (mechanized infantry combat vehicle, (MICV) is a type of Armoured fighting vehicle (AFV The Cougar is an Armored fighting vehicle designed to be resistant to anti-vehicle mines and improvised munitions. The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (M270 MLRS is a MRL, a type of Rocket artillery. The new task force commander, Brigadier John Lorimer, also requested that Challenger 2 tanks and AS-90 self-propelled guns be deployed, but these were refused. FV4034 Challenger 2 is a Main battle tank (MBT currently in service with the armies of the United Kingdom and Oman. The AS-90 (Artillery System for the 1990s is a lightly-armoured self-propelled artillery piece used by the British Army. ^[29]

On March 6, Coalition forces began a series of large-scale operations, to systematically clear the entire province of enemy forces.

Operation Achilles

Main article: Operation Achilles

Operation Achilles was the first task force-level operation to be conducted by NATO forces in the battle for Helmand. Operation Achilles was a NATO operation part of the war in Afghanistan. More that 4,500 ISAF troops were involved, along with 1,000 Afghan personnel. NATO officials reported that, contrary to what happened in previous operations, Taliban fighters were avoiding direct confrontation in favor of guerilla tactics. The main objectives were the strategic points of Northern Helmand, including all major towns, and the Kajaki dam.

A number of sub-operations targeted specific sectors:

• Operation Kryptonite(February 12): Some 300 ISAF troops cleared the area from where the Taliban had mortared the dam in the past months. Operation Kryptonite was the name given to a joint operation including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the Afghan National Army, representing On February 14, a senior Taliban leader, Mullah Manan, was killed in an airstrike between Kajaki and Musa Qala.
• Operation Silver (April 5): A 1,000-strong group composed of a heliborne force of U. S. paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, along with an armoured column of 250 Royal Marines cleared the town of Sangin, that had been mostly abandoned by the Taliban.
• Operation Silicon (April 30): This operation was undertaken mostly by ANA troops supported by British units, moving against the Taliban in Gereshk and the lower Sangin valley. ^[30]

On May 12, Mullah Dadullah, second in command of the Taliban, was killed in Gereshk district, in a raid carried out by British SBS commandos and Afghan troops. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Mullah Dadullah or Dadullah Akhund ( ملا دادالله آخوند) (c The Special Boat Service ( SBS) is the Special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. ^[31] A significant feature of the operation was the end of the siege of Sangin where British troops had been cut off for more than nine months. This time, coalition forces built a number of patrol bases, manned by British troops and Afghan security forces, establishing a permanent presence in areas from where the Taliban had been expelled. ^[32] Achilles ended on May 30, with the result that NATO forces managed to establish a foothold in enemy territory in Helmand. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following

Operation Lastay Kulang

Main article: Operation Pickaxe-Handle

On the same day that Achilles ended operation Lastay Kulang, meaning "Pickaxe-Handle" in Pashto, started. Operation Pickaxe-Handle was a British -led NATO operation in the southern Helmand province of Afghanistan. Pashto ( Naskh: پښتو‎ pəʂ'to also rendered as Pakhto, Pushto, Pukhto, Pashtu, Pushtu, also known as This operation was not as successful as the previous one. At around 4:00 local time on Wednesday, May 30, 2007, ISAF and ANSF personnel advanced towards the village of Kajaki Sofle, ten kilometres south-west of the town of Kajaki, to remove a Taliban force whose presence threatened the security and stability of the Lower Sangin Valley. Kajaki is a Village in southern Afghanistan. It is the district centre of Kajaki District in Helmand Province. Sangin is a town in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, with population of approximately 14000 people During the night, elements of the American 82nd Airborne Division mounted an aerial assault on a Taliban compound. One of the Chinook helicopters taking part in the raid was apparently hit by an RPG round and crashed, killing five Americans, a Briton and a Canadian onboard. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The RPG-7 (РПГ-7 is a widely-produced portable shoulder-launched, Anti-tank Rocket propelled grenade weapon Lastay Kulang ended on June 14, with the strategic outcome unclear. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the NATO stated that their forces cleared Sangin and Gereshk of Taliban and thus secured the Kajaki District. Kajaki is a district in the east of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. In contrast, the Taliban claimed that they still control much of Kajaki, and some of the Sangin districts. These claims were confirmed by the local residents, who complain that the Taliban returned as soon as NATO and ANA troops had left.

Operation Hammer

Main article: Operation Hammer (Afghanistan)

In late July another operation was started called operation Hammer. Operation Hammer is a British -led NATO operation in the southern Helmand province of Afghanistan. It began in the early hours of July 24, 2007 in the area between Heyderabad and Mirmandab, north-east of Gereshk. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The operation is continued the momentum towards expelling Taliban forces from areas of the Upper Gereshk Valley in Helmand province. During the initial stages of the operation, ISAF and Afghan National Security Forces advanced to secure a strategic bridge crossing over the Nahr-e-Seraj canal, clearing and searching compounds, before military engineers from 26 Engineer Regiment established a joint forward operating base. In Military science, a compound is a type of Fortification made up of walls or fences surrounding several buildings in the center of a large piece of land Sporadic fighting followed after that. And by early November operations ended with coalition troops establishing a firm frontline south of the Helmand river and were preparing for an attack towards Musa Qalah, which had been under Taliban control for eight months. Events in November All Saints' Day (formerly All Hallows Day a Christian holy day is celebrated on November 1, the day after Halloween

Operation Sledgehammer Hit

Operation Palk Wahel (Sledgehammer Hit in pashto) involved 2,500 troops, of which 2,000 are British, drawn mostly from the 1st battalion, the Royal Gurkha Rifles and from 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment. The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR is a Regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. The Mercian Regiment (MERCIAN is an Infantry Regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of four existing regiments in 2007 During this operation, Warrior IFVs, manned by the Scots Guards, made their first significant operational deployment in Afghanistan. The Scots Guards (SG form part of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Most of the remaining 500 men came from the Afghan National Army, while small contingents from Danish, Czech and American forces also participated. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, ^[33]

The objective of the operation was to dislodge the Taliban insurgents from their strongholds in the upper Gereshk valley.

The operation began on Sept. 19 when the Scots Guards engineers threw a bridge over the Helmand river. During the early stages, coalition troops encountered heavy resistance and had to clear several compounds in close-quarter combat. An estimated 100 Taliban and at least six civilians were killed. ^[34] Three British soldiers were also killed: two in an accident and one by an IED. An improvised explosive device ( IED) is a Bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional Military action ^[17]

Battle of Musa Qala

Main article: Battle of Musa Qala

On November 1, 2007, 40 Commando Royal Marines pushed north in Viking armoured vehicles, driving across the Helmand river north of Sangin, creating a bridgehead for the Scots Guards convoy. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi There has been on and off contact with the Taliban who have attacked British forces with rockets, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Having established positions around Musa Qalah, British troops have been carrying out reconnaissance patrols. The main focus of current operations is to disrupt and confuse the Taliban and destabilize their supply routes. ^[35]

The town had become a major Taliban drug trafficking station and had been considered to be of symbolic importance to both sides. To the Taliban in the sense that they can take and hold ground in Afghanistan in defiance of the Afghan government and NATO.

On December 6, 2007, British, Afghan and U. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev S. forces started their assault on the town. Initially the British and Afghan forces attacked in the afternoon, from three directions. Several hundred US troops were later dropped from helicopters and fought on foot through the night. The Taliban defences included hundreds of mines and it was reported that the moral among the Taliban forces was high. Up to 2,000 Taliban fighters were confirmed to be in the town. One British soldier, 12 Taliban fighters and two civilian children were killed on the first day of the operation. ^[36]

By December 8, 2007, NATO troops captured two villages south of the town and advanced to within two kilometers from the outskirts. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. The Taliban were withdrawing to their defences in the town and more Taliban reinforcements were pouring into the district. The biggest problem for the coalition were mines. Both of the two fatalities sustained by the coalition at that point were the result of land mines.

On December 10, the Taliban withdrew their forces northwards into the mountains and Afghan troops entered the town, meeting little resistance. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Two Taliban leaders were reportedly captured during the battle. ^[37]

On December 12, the town finally fell to advancing coalition forces. Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian

Stalemate

By the end of December 2007, the situation on the ground reached a stalemate. December 2007 is the twelfth month of that year It began on a Saturday and 31 days later ended on a Monday A de facto border was established east of Garmsir along the banks of the Helmand River that divided British-held from Taliban-held territory. The British were outnumbered by the larger Taliban force which was receiving reinforcements from Pakistan. However the British had jets and heavy artillery on their side. Both forces were fighting in the coming months for mere yards of territory. ^[38]

Marines come into the fight

Marines take Garmsir

In early April 2008, U. International holidays and other major events April 1 - April Fools' Day April 4 - Qingming Festival (Mainland S. Marine reinforcements were sent to NATO forces in Helmand to help in the fight. After all of the troops arrived the Marines started their operations with an attack on the Taliban-held town of Garmsir on April 29. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. They met almost no resistance, because the Taliban had already observed in the previous days the movements of the Marines before the operation and expected an assault so withdrew to take up positions a few kilometers outside the town. ^[39]

The Marines quickly set up positions so to secure the mayor road through the town. For the next few days there was no contact between them and the Taliban. But, on May 1, a Marine patrol tried to push further outside of the town and almost immediately were met with machine gun and rocket fire. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. The unit was pinned down against a dirt berm for several hours. A vast field was separating the Marines from a line of three mud huts and a grove of trees from where the Taliban were firing. Soon Marine mortar fire joined in the fight and the Taliban also responded with mortar attacks on the Marine base in the town. Later in the day Marine artillery fire was also used against the militants. At the end of the day, no Marines were hurt or wounded. The Taliban casualty count was not known.

Incidents

Helmand province incident

Main article: 2007 Helmand province incident

During the campaign there were numerous incidents were NATO air strikes resulted in massive casualties for the civilian population. 2007 Helmand province incident refers to the airstrikes conducted by NATO and resulted in death of at least 45 Afghan civilians One of the more notable was on June 22, 2007. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. A NATO air strike killed between 45 and 100 civilians. The Afghan and Pakistan governments condemned the attack blaming both NATO and the Taliban. NATO's reaction to the incident was just that the number of dead was less than 45 and they welcomed an investigation. But they stated that they will not change their tactic of bombing civilian centers because the Taliban use the civilians as human shields. By then up to 314 civilians were killed by Coalition troops in contrast to 279 by the insurgents.

Friendly fire

On 23 August 2007, three British soldiers from the Royal Anglian Regiment were killed, and two injured, by a U. The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN is an Infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. S. F-15 fighter. ^[40]

On 26 September 2007, two Danish soldiers were killed by a British missile in a "friendly fire" incident. Friendly fire or non-hostile fire, a term originally adopted by the United States military, refers to fire from one's own side or allied forces as ^[41] The British Ministry of Defense appointed a board of inquiry to investigate the affair. The Ministry of Defence ( MoD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters A public inquiry is an official Review of events or actions ordered by a country's state's or province's government ^[42]

Political developments

Before the arrival of ISAF troops, Helmand province was ruled by governor Sher Mohammed Akhundzada. Sher Mohammed Akhundzada was the governor of Helmand province in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban in 2001 until December 2005 when he was appointed Due to his participation in opium-dealing and alleged links with the Taliban, the British demanded that he be replaced. ^[43] In January 2006, President Karzai agreed to remove him, but the two men maintained cordial relations, and Akhundzada was appointed as a member of the National Assembly of Afghanistan. The National Assembly is Afghanistan 's national Legislature. His replacement, Mohammad Daoud, a British protégé, was obliged to accept Amir Muhammad Akhundzada, the brother of Sher Mohammed, as his deputy, in order to pacify the Akhundzada family and their important tribal following. Amir Muhammad Akhundzada is the former Deputy Governor of Helmand Province, in Afghanistan. Amir Muhammad did not collaborate with Daoud, and constantly undermined his rule, eventually driving him from power in December 2006. Daoud's removal was also attributed to the Americans and to the hawks in the Karzai government, due to their rejection of the Musa Qala accord, that was seen as a "strategic disaster". War Hawk is a term originally used to describe a member of the House of Representatives of the Twelfth Congress of the United States who advocated ^[44]

Daoud's successor is Assadullah Wafa, an elderly man with poor health, who has had little authority in Helmand. In November 2007, Sher Mohammed is said to be vying to return to power in Helmand, taking advantage of rumours of defections of an important tribe to the government. ^[45]

References

See also

• Operation Herrick

• Operation Herrick order of battle

• Opium production in Afghanistan

External links

• "Operation Achilles making progress", Press release, ISAF, 8 Mar 2007. Operation Herrick is the codename under which all British operations in the war in Afghanistan have been conducted This is the Operation Herrick order of battle, which lists the British forces that have taken part in Operation Herrick since it began in 2002 Afghanistan is as of March 2008 the greatest illicit (in Western World standards Opium producer in the world before Burma ( Myanmar) part of the so-called " Retrieved on 2007-12-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations.  

• Coghlan, Tom. "Gurkha spirit triumphs in siege of Nawzad", The Daily Telegraph, 06/10/2006. For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. Retrieved on 2007-11-23. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of  

• Helmand security. (map). The Senlis Council (June 2006). The Senlis Council The Senlis Council is an international Think tank known for its work in Afghanistan and other conflict zones such as Iraq and Retrieved on 2007-11-29. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe

• Helmand at war. The Senlis Council (June 2006). Retrieved on 2007-11-29. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe

• "AFGHANISTAN Dam Busters", News article, Newsweek, 18 April 2008. Retrieved on 2008-04-21. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date)  

• "Paras tread warily in Helmand province as they learn the skills of ‘going lethal’", News article, The Times, 21 April 2008. Retrieved on 2008-04-21. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date)  

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