Battle of Tora Bora

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Battle of Tora Bora

Part of the War on Terrorism

Date	December 2001
Location	Tora Bora mountains, Afghanistan
Result	bin Laden escapes capture.

Combatants

United States,
United Kingdom,
Afghan Northern Alliance

Taliban,
al-Qaeda

2001 war in Afghanistan
Tora Bora – Anaconda – Mountain Thrust – Panjwaii – Medusa – Mountain Fury

The Battle of Tora Bora took place in December 2001, during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. It's there that Osama bin Laden was thought to be hiding, but he escaped capture and death.

1 Background
2 The Battle
3 Aftermath
4 Further references & reading

[edit] Background

In 2001, the Tora Bora mountains were in use by al-Qaeda and were suspected to be the headquarters of Osama bin Laden. It was described variously as a multi-storeyed cave complex harnessing hydroelectric power from mountain streams, or a lower-rise dwelling with hotel-like corridors capable of sheltering more than 1,000. It was also said to contain a large cache of ammunition, such as FIM-92 Stinger missiles left over from the 1980s.

[edit] The Battle

At the end of the 2001 Invasion of Afghanistan, the foreign al-Qaeda fighters were still holding out in the mountains of Tora Bora, however. Anti-Taliban tribal militia continued a steady advance through the difficult terrain, backed by withering air strikes guided in by U.S. and British Special Forces. Facing defeat and reluctant to fight fellow Muslims, the al-Qaeda forces agreed to a truce to give them time to surrender their weapons. In retrospect, however, many believe that the truce was a ruse to allow important al-Qaeda figures, including Osama bin Laden, to escape. On December 12, the fighting flared again, probably initiated by a rear guard buying time for the main force's escape through the White Mountains into the tribal areas of Pakistan. Once again, tribal forces backed by U.S. special operations troops and air support pressed ahead against fortified al-Qaeda positions in caves and bunkers scattered throughout the mountainous region. The British SAS had taken part in the attack on the cave complex at Tora Bora, where two squadrons of the SAS went into action, a significant proportion of its total strength. Fully manned, a squadron has 64 men; not since the Second World War have so many SAS men fought in the same engagement.

By December 17, the last cave complex had been taken and their defenders overrun. A search of the area by U.S. forces continued into January, but no sign of bin Laden or the al-Qaeda leadership emerged. It was believed that they had already slipped away into the tribal areas of Pakistan to the south and east. It is estimated that around 200 of the al-Qaeda fighters were killed during the battle, along with an unknown number of anti-Taliban tribal fighters. No coalition deaths were reported.

[edit] Aftermath

Following Tora Bora, U.S. and U.K. forces and their Afghan allies consolidated their position in the country. Following a Loya jirga or grand council of major Afghan factions, tribal leaders, and former exiles, an interim Afghan government was established in Kabul under Hamid Karzai. U.S. forces established their main base at Bagram airbase just north of Kabul. Kandahar airport also became an important U.S. base area. Several outposts were established in eastern provinces to hunt for Taliban and al-Qaeda fugitives. The number of U.S-led coalition troops operating in the country would eventually grow to over 10,000. Meanwhile, the Taliban and al-Qaeda had not given up. Al-Qaeda forces began regrouping in the Shahi-Kot mountains of Paktia province throughout January and February of 2002. A Taliban fugitive in Paktia province, Mullah Saifur Rehman, also began reconstituting some of his militia forces in support of the anti-U.S. fighters. They totalled over 1,000 by the beginning of March of 2002. The intention of the insurgents was to use the region as a base area for launching guerrilla attacks and possibly a major offensive in the style of the mujahedin who battled Soviet forces during the 1980s.