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Operation Mongoose (2003)

Operation Mongoose
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) (Operation Enduring Freedom)
Border
Top: AH-64 Apache attack helicopter called in to destroy a suspected Taliban weapons cache
Bottom: Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division on a search and destroy mission in the Adi Ghar Mountains
Date27[1] or 28[2] January – 10 or 11 February 2003 (possibly longer) (two weeks)[3]
Location
Adi Ghar Mountains, Spin Boldak District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
Result

ISAF/Afghan victory

  • Over 75 caves cleared
Belligerents
ISAF
 United States
 Norway
Afghanistan Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan		 Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin
Taliban
al-Qaeda
Commanders and leaders
Lt. Col. Charlie Flynn Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Units involved

United States United States Armed Forces
Special Forces
82nd Airborne Division

  • 307th Engineer Battalion

504th Infantry Regiment

  • 2nd Battalion 505th Infantry Regiment

United States Air Force US Air Force

Norway RNoAF[4][5]		 Insurgent militias
Strength
  300–350 soldiers[6][7]
Afghanistan Militia fighters
United States B-1 bombers
AC-130 Spectre gunships
AH-64 Apache attack helicopters
CH-47 Chinook helicopters
Norway F-16s[8]		 80 fighters (coalition estimate)[9][10]
Casualties and losses
None 22 killed, 13 captured (per coalition)[11]
18 reported killed during the Battle in the Adi Ghar Mountains[12][9]

Operation Mongoose was an American-led two week cave clearing operation in the Adi Ghar Mountains near the town of Spin Boldak in Kandahar Province. Launched on the 28 January 2003, over 350 US and coalition soldiers along with Afghan militia fighters, assisted by Apache helicopters and Norwegian F-16 fighter jets[7] participated with the objective of searching through and destroying caves used by Hezb-e Islami, Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives.[3][8][7] By the end of the operation, over 75 caves had been cleared.

  1. ^ "Hizb-i-Islami (Islamic Party)". Global Security. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ Garamone, Jim (5 February 2003). "Cave-Clearing Ops Proceed in Spin Boldak Area". American Forces Press Service. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ a b Gezari, Vanessa. "U.S. forces gain uneasy victory at Afghan caves". Chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Forvirrende om Operation Mongoose". Klassekampen.no. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Informer's Tip Leads to Afghan Mountain Battle". Associated Press. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  6. ^ "DefenseLINK News: 12 Afghans Surrender After Firefight". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "Defense.gov News Article: Cave-Clearing Ops Proceed in Spin Boldak Area". Archive.defense.gov. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Operation Enduring Freedom : 2002 - 2005" (PDF). History.army.nil. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  9. ^ a b McCarthy, Rory (29 January 2003). "US soldiers attack mountain hideout in biggest battle for a year". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Operation Mongoose: Cave Clearing Taliban Strongholds • Killing Time". Hk94.com. 26 February 2003. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  11. ^ "Suicide Attacks in Afghanistan: Why Now?". Archived from the original on 2 December 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  12. ^ "U.S. forces searching Afghan caves". Upi.com. Retrieved 16 March 2019.

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