Operation Tornado
The operation Tornado - also: Operation boron Barakai - was a member of the armed forces of the NATO Troops and Afghan units in Afghanistan , which covered a period of ten days and was on Sunday, October 26th 2008, ended. The operation took place in Uruzgan Province in the Mirabad Valley region, not far east of the provincial capital, Tarin Kowt. The purpose of the operation was to track down Taliban units , many of which were active in the region.
Troops of the operational units
Altogether more than 1000 men were involved in the operation, which was commanded by the Dutch commander Colonel Kees Matthijssen. The units consisted of 500 British soldiers from the 42nd Commando Royal Marines , 350 soldiers from the Dutch troops and 150 men from an Afghan unit. There was also operational support from a group from the Australian Special Forces and a group from the French Foreign Legion .
Weapons finds
After the operation began, the Taliban groups disappeared from the region and there was only one small exchange of fire in which one Taliban was fatally injured. About 650 kg of explosives and the corresponding accessories for the construction of more than forty bombs could be secured in a hiding place. Mortar shells , anti-tank grenade launchers and self-made explosive devices for booby traps were also found in houses .
Summary of the operation
The governor of Uruzgan Province, Hamdan, held several meetings with the population in support of the operation to demonstrate his determination for more security for the development of the villages. NATO assessed the results of the operation as positive, as the region is now quiet and there are no more Taliban weapons caches.
For the Taliban, the Mirabad Valley is of strategic importance as a connecting route between the south and north of Afghanistan. Contrary to the expectations of NATO forces, only a few Taliban were present in this region at the time of the operation. This operation was the third of its kind since mid-2006 to be carried out in this heartland of Taliban forces.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.nato.int/isaf/docu/pressreleases/2008/10-october/pr081027-562.html
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from October 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2008/10/war-in-afghanistan-news---october-27-2008.html
- ↑ http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2008/10/major_operation_in_afghanistan.php
- ↑ http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2008/10/major_operation_in_afghanistan.php
- ^ Löw., Two Americans killed in Afghanistan, Frankfurter Allgemeine, October 20, 2008
- ↑ http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/6026142/Dutch-and-allied-troops-conclude-Afghan-operation ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
