- Operation Kryptonite
-
Operation Kryptonite Part of Operation Achilles, War in Afghanistan (2001–present) 
The Kajakai Dam, coalition objective.Date Early February to February 12, 2007 Location Helmand province, Afghanistan Result Coalition victory; repairs on the Kajakai Dam begin. Belligerents 
Netherlands,
United Kingdom,
Afghan National Army
Taliban insurgentsCommanders and leaders Maj.-Gen. Ton van Loon was in charge of Allied forces in the area and although absent from the fighting is credited with planning most of the assault Mullah Manan†, leader of the Taliban insurgents in the areaStrength 300 total 700 fighters, mostly foreign mujahideen that were Chechens, Pakistanis and Uzbeks.
Small arms, heavy arms (RPGs, etc)Casualties and losses None 15 killed,
10 capturedLejay · Eagle Fury · Lashkar Gah · Mountain Thrust · Sangin · Mountain Fury · Now Zad · Achilles · Musa Qala I · Volcano · Kryptonite · Silver · Pickaxe-Handle · Hammer · Nasrat · Musa Qala II · Garmsir · Eagle's Summit · Red Dagger · Shahi Tandar · Diesel · Mar Lewe · Panther's Claw · Strike of the Sword · Dahaneh · Cobra's Anger · Moshtarak · Tor Shezada
Timeline
2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011
Battles and operationsCrescent Wind · Rhino · Mazari Sharif · Kunduz · Herat · Kabul · Tawin Kowt · Shawali Kowt · Sayyd Alma Kalay · Qala-i-Jangi · Kandahar · Tora Bora
Lejay · Eagle Fury · Lashkar Gah · Mountain Thrust · Sangin · Mountain Fury · Now Zad · Achilles · Musa Qala I · Volcano · Kryptonite · Silver · Pickaxe-Handle · Hammer · Nasrat · Musa Qala II · Garmsir · Eagle's Summit · Red Dagger · Shahi Tandar · Diesel · Mar Lewe · Panther's Claw · Strike of the Sword · Dahaneh · Cobra's Anger · Moshtarak · Tor Shezada
Medusa · Avalanche · Kaika · Panjwaii · Falcon Summit · Hoover · Luger · Kamin · Shah Wali Kot · 1st Kandahar · Spin Boldak · Sarposa Prison · Arghandab · Wech Baghtu · 2nd Kandahar · Nadahan wedding bombing · Kandahar
1st Kabul · Hotel Serena · 1st Indian Embassy · Uzbin · Feb 2009 Kabul raid · 2nd Indian Embassy · Bakhtar guest house · NATO headquarters · Jan 2010 Kabul raid · Feb 2010 Kabul raid · May 2010 Kabul bombing · NATO convoy
Kunduz airstrike · Oqab · Chora · Firebase Anaconda · Shewan · Balamorghab · Derapet ·
Airstrikes
Hyderabad · Sayyd Alma Kalay · Gora Prai · Azizabad · Granai · Deh Bala · Sangin · UruzganInsurgent attacks
Bagram Air Base · Baghlan · Camp ChapmanOperation Kryptonite was the name given to a joint operation including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the Afghan National Army, representing the ISAF and NATO. The operation itself was part of Operation Achilles. The intention of the operation was to clear the area around the Kajakai Dam, belonging to Taliban fighters so this important power generation station could be reopened.[1] Sporadic fighting had been occurring around the dam and the Taliban controlled the town of Musa Qala for around ten days as the Allied forces attempted to gain a foothold in the area so they could begin the offensive.
The battle
Allied Troops launched their offensive over the weekend of the 10th and 11th, little pre-raid bombing took place as to avoid damaging infrastructure in and around the dam. Destruction of the dam would have had grave results for both sides and the Afghan people.[1] This may have been a major reason for the Taliban to not destroy it as they fled. Allied troops came under heavy small arms fire and light heavy arms fire including RPGs and bombs as they advanced towards the dam. Towards the end of the battle, it became obvious that although outnumbered, the ability of allied troops to cut the enemy's supplies was more demoralizing as Taliban forces started to flee the field of battle.[1] Early Monday morning, allied forces carried out a pre-dawn bombing raid on Taliban forces located approximately in between the dam and the town, killing the Taliban commander Mullah Manan. This killing was seen as the straw that broke the camel's back, as not long after chaos ensued amongst the Taliban forces as they made a hasty retreat. This quote from Colonel Tom Collins describes the desperate Taliban retreat:
“ During this action ... Taliban extremists resorted to the use of human shields. Specifically, using local Afghan children to cover as they escaped out of the area, ” -Colonel Tom Collins, NATO spokesman.[1]
Aftermath
Although the Taliban never intended to topple the dam they still resorted to a semi-scorched earth policy. They destroyed or dismantled many of the complex mechanical components of the dam as they fled the field, to delay a NATO advance.[1] Seizing of this dam and getting it up and running again was of great importance to the Allied troops, as restoring much needed power to the area would win support for the allied troops and the Afghan mission overall from the locals, as well as provide jobs in the energy sector.
NATO reported that it suffered no casualties in the fighting, and that the number they killed or wounded is unknown. They did say however that they captured ten suspected militants during and after the battle. NATO also claims that no civilians were killed in the action (despite NATO claims that human shields were used), although this is refuted by local leaders.
External links
- ^ a b c d e "Taliban flee battle using children as shields - NATO". alertnet.org (Reuters). 2007-02-14. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP287758.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
Categories:- 2007 in Afghanistan
- NATO operations in Afghanistan
- Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) involving the United Kingdom
- Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) involving the Netherlands
- Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) involving Afghanistan
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Kryptonite (disambiguation) — Kryptonite may refer to: * Kryptonite, a fictional element from the Superman comic book series * The mineral Jadarite, nicknamed Kryptonite * Kryptonite (processor series), an antiquated term used to describe Advanced Micro Devices K series of… … Wikipedia
Operation Achilles — This article is about the NATO operation in Afghanistan. For the police investigation of the same name, see Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty. Operation Achilles Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) … Wikipedia
Opération Achilles — 32°04′24″N 64°50′02″E / 32.07333, 64.83389 … Wikipédia en Français
Operation Moshtarak — Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) U.S. Marines from 1st Batta … Wikipedia
Operation Panther's Claw — Part of the Afghan War … Wikipedia
Operation Mountain Fury — Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) A soldier searches for weapons caches in the village of … Wikipedia
Operation Eagle's Summit — Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) British troops of the Queen s Royal Lancers providing security for the … Wikipedia
Operation Mountain Thrust — Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Date c. May 15, 2006 – July 31, 2006 Location Kandahar, Helmand, Paktika, Zabul and Uru … Wikipedia
Operation Hammer (Afghanistan) — Operation Hammer Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Date July 24, 2007 July 27, 2007 Location Helmand province, Afghanistan … Wikipedia
Operation Cobra's Anger — Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Date 4 December 2009 – December 7, 2009 Location Nawzad district in Afghanistan … Wikipedia
18+© Academic, 2000-2024- Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising
Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx.
