Operation Mountain Thrust

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Canadian forces involved in a firefight with Taliban fighters during Operation Mountain Thrust.

Date	May 15 (Approx.), 2006 - July 31, 2006
Location	Kandahar, Helmand, Paktika, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces in Afghanistan
Result	Coalition tactical victory, Taliban strategic withdrawal.

Combatants

United States,
Canada,
UK,
Romania,
Netherlands,
Afghan National Army

Taliban insurgents,
al-Qaeda

Strength

3,300 (United Kingdom)
2,300 (United States)
2,200 (Canada)
3,500 (Afghan National Army)
Total Force: 11,000+

At least 2,000

Casualties

24 KIA , 50 WIA (U.S.)
6 KIA , 10 WIA (UK)
4 KIA , 30 WIA (Canada)
2 KIA , 1 WIA (France)
1 KIA , 4 WIA (Romania)
11 WIA (Australia)
107 KIA , 43 Captured (ANA)
Total:
144 KIA
106 WIA
43 Captured

Total:
1,134 KIA,
387 Captured

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

Operation Mountain Thrust was a US-led operation in the Afghanistan campaign, with more then 2,300 U.S. conventional and special forces, 3,300 British troops, 2,200 Canadian troops, about 3,500 Afghan soldiers and large air support. The operation was the biggest offensive since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Its objective was to quell the ongoing Taliban insurgency in the south of the country.

1 Results
2 Known Encounters
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Results

There was heavy fighting during June and July 2006, with Afghanistan seeing the bloodiest period since the fall of the Taliban regime. The Taliban showed great coordination in their attacks, even capturing two districts of Helmand province at the end of July, which were retaken a few days later. The Taliban suffered during the fighting more than 1,100 killed and close to 400 captured. Heavy aerial bombing was the main factor. But even so the coalition forces had close to 150 soldiers killed and 40 Afghan policemen captured by the Taliban. Tom Koenigs, the top U.N. official in Afghanistan, told the German news weekly Der Spiegel that the Taliban numbers of casualties do not reflect success. "The Taliban fighters reservoir is practically limitless," Koenigs told the magazine in an interview. "The movement will not be overcome by high casualty figures."

In the end the operation did not manage to quell the Taliban insurgency. Control of the region was transferred from the Americans to NATO forces. Attacks continued and even intensified. On the first day that NATO took control, August 1, a British patrol was hit by enemy fire in Helmand province; three soldiers were killed and one wounded. On the same day 18 Taliban and one policeman were killed in an anti-Taliban coalition operation in the same province and 15 Afghan policemen were captured when they surrendered in Zabul province while a Taliban force was preparing to attack their police post. Also two days later there were several incidents in and around Kandahar, including a suicide bombing which killed 21 civilians. In the other attacks in and around Kandahar four Canadian soldiers were killed and ten were wounded. These clearly showed the Taliban are still a threat. American forces still remain in the eastern provinces.