Skirmish at Boz Qandahari

Battle at Boz Qandahari (2016)

Typical landscape on the outskirts of Kunduz

date	November 2-3, 2016
place	Boz Qandahari, Kunduz Province, Northern Afghanistan
output	Tactical victory by the Afghan and American special forces. No improvement in the general security situation.

Parties to the conflict
Coalition United States Afghanistan United States Afghanistan	Taliban
Commander
United States Major Andrew D. Byers † Team Leader ODA 0224	Mullah Zia al-Rahman Mutaqi † Mullah Zamir †
Troop strength
Coalition 12 US Special Forces Unknown number of Afghan Special Forces	Insurgents more than 30

The battle near Boz Qandahari took place on November 3, 2016 in the village of Boz Qandahari between Afghan special forces, accompanied by a US special unit, and Taliban fighters on the northern outskirts of Kunduz .

background

An Afghan unit searches the village of Boz Qandahari, Afghanistan in 2012.

The province of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan has been fiercely contested between the Afghan government and the Taliban for several years. The city of the same name, Kunduz, fell into the hands of the Taliban twice in 2015 and 2016 and had to be recaptured by Afghan security forces. To this day, the situation in the region is characterized by bomb attacks, ambushes, kidnappings and rocket / mortar fire. The area around Kunduz has been in the hands of the Taliban since 2016. The city is secured by a strong defense system of the Afghan army and police. The battle at Boz Qandahari took place a month after the Taliban briefly captured the city of Kunduz. It was a result of the Afghan government's intensified, offensive efforts to stabilize the area around the city and recapture Taliban territories.

Skirmish

Green Berets of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and their Afghan partners transport wounded soldiers to a helicopter during the fighting in Boz Qandahari, Afghanistan on November 3, 2016.

The battle began during a mixed Afghan-American access operation north of Kunduz. The aim of this operation was to stop Taliban activities, find leaders of the insurgents and attack their positions. According to Afghan sources, Mullah Zia al-Rahman Mutaqi, a senior Taliban, was to be found who was supposed to attend a Taliban meeting in Boz Qandahari with his deputy (Mullah Zamir).

The Afghan National Army later stated that the American Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 0224 was involved with 14 special forces that had planned the operation after intelligence reports predicted another major attack by the Taliban. Boz Qandahari was supposed to serve as a gathering space for the Taliban to attack Kunduz from the north. After the Afghan-American unit landed near the village in helicopters on the night of November 2, 2016 and combed the village, a gun battle broke out with the Taliban. This forced Afghans and Americans into a cul-de-sac within the village and were shot at from several sides. As a result, a forward air controller of the American air force requested several air strikes in order to fight the attacking Taliban. A spokesman for the American military in Afghanistan confirmed that Allied units are providing air support through Lockheed C-130 Hercules and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. Two American soldiers, including the ODA team leader Major Andrew D. Byers, and three Afghan special forces died in the fighting. The massive use of air strikes also resulted in a large number of civilian victims in the village.

aftermath

American special forces of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) commemorate two fallen comrades on the Kunduz airfield on November 7, 2016. Major Andrew Byers, the team leader, and Sergeant First Class Ryan Gloyer, a news specialist, were killed during the action at Boz Qandahari, Afghanistan on 2/3 Killed November 2016.

On November 5, 2016, the commander of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, General John W. Nicholson Jr. , issued a statement that American units were responsible for the civilian casualties. He then announced an investigation. However, spokesmen for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that the Taliban were responsible for the civilian victims.

A NATO investigation later put the number of civilians killed at 33. In addition, 27 civilians were injured and 26 Taliban were killed.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b 2 US Soldiers and 30 Afghans Killed in Kunduz Battle . The New York Times . November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
↑ ^a ^b ^c 2 US troops, 30 Afghan civilians dead in Kunduz, sources say . CNN . November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
↑ ^a ^b Operation killed Afghan civilians, US military says . CNN. November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
↑ ^a ^b ^c U.S. military acknowledges anti-Taliban airstrikes killed Afghan civilians . The Washington Post . November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
↑ Adam Lineham: Airman Who repelled Ambush With Multiple 'Danger Close' To Receive airstrikes Air Force Cross. In: task & purpose. September 21, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2019 .
^ US military says battle with Taliban killed 33 civilians in Afghanistan , The Boston Globe . January 12, 2017. " The investigation determined, regretfully, that 33 civilians were killed and 27 wounded, a statement from US forces in Afghanistan said of the November raid. It said that 26 Taliban fighters, including two leaders, were also killed, a claim the villagers dispute. "

[nyt-1] 2 US Soldiers and 30 Afghans Killed in Kunduz Battle . The New York Times . November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.

[cnn1-2] 2 US troops, 30 Afghan civilians dead in Kunduz, sources say . CNN . November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.

[cnn2-3] Operation killed Afghan civilians, US military says . CNN. November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.

[WP-4] U.S. military acknowledges anti-Taliban airstrikes killed Afghan civilians . The Washington Post . November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.

[5] Adam Lineham: Airman Who repelled Ambush With Multiple 'Danger Close' To Receive airstrikes Air Force Cross. In: task & purpose. September 21, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2019 .

[6] US military says battle with Taliban killed 33 civilians in Afghanistan , The Boston Globe . January 12, 2017. " The investigation determined, regretfully, that 33 civilians were killed and 27 wounded, a statement from US forces in Afghanistan said of the November raid. It said that 26 Taliban fighters, including two leaders, were also killed, a claim the villagers dispute. "