Operation Falcon Summit

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Operation Falcon Summit
Part of the War on Terrorism, Battle of Panjwaii
A Canadian .50 cal machinegun fires on Taliban fighters while dust rises in the background.
Date December 15, 2006 - January, 2007 Location Panjwaii district, Kandahar province, Afghanistan Result NATO victory; Taliban forced out of the area.
Combatants
Canada, United Kingdom, Afghan National Army	Taliban insurgents
Commanders
Brig.-Gen. Tim Grant Lieut.-Col. Omer Lavoie	Local Taliban commanders
Strength
2,000	900
Casualties
7 wounded	60-70 killed, 20 captured

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Qala-i-Jangi – Tora Bora – Anaconda – Mountain Thrust – Panjwaii – Medusa – Mountain Fury – Falcon Summit – Achilles

Operation Falcon Summit (Pashto: Baaz Tsuka) was a Canadian-led operation in the Battle of Panjwaii and on a larger scale, the 2001-present War in Afghanistan.

NATO forces launched the operation on December 15, 2006 with the intention of expelling Taliban fighters from the Panjawi and Zhari districts of Kandahar.

Canadian troops had been fiercely battling Taliban fighters in the area for several months. Although the operation was under a British command, the majority of the movements and elements on the ground were Canadians operating from Forward Operating Bases set up in the district during the fighting of Operation Mountain Thrust and Operation Medusa.

[edit] Information Campaign

During the early morning hours of December 15, NATO aircraft attacked a Taliban command post in the area. The same day, aircraft began dropping three sets of leaflets over the region, the first warning the population of the impending conflict, the next was a plea for locals to turn their backs on the Taliban and support NATO, and the third consisting of an image of a Taliban fighter with a large X through it to warn Taliban fighters to either leave the area, or face NATO.

During the days prior to the operation, Canadian soldiers held several meetings with tribal elders to discuss reconstruction efforts that would begin, and to persuade locals to help support NATO and to help NATO keep the Taliban out of the area after the Taliban have been removed. While en-route to one of these meetings (or shuras in pashto) a Canadian soldier from le Royal vingt-deuxième régiment (The Royal 22nd Regiment) the "Vandoos" out of Quebec, stepped on a landmine. The soldier, Private Frederic Couture suffered severe but non-life threatening injuries and was med-evaced to a coalition hospital where he was stabilized. The landmine was one which had been planted the night before by two Taliban fighters who were spotted, shot and killed by Canadian soldiers. Engineers then came to clear the area of landmines, but they unfortunately missed the one that Pte. Couture set off.

[edit] Preparations for Battle

On December 14 in Helmand province there was a lot of "buzz" around British bases prior to the announcement of the operation. Soldiers were seen packing large amounts of equipment and ammunition for a long stay outside the wire and troops began moving out towards the area of operations.

Although the Canadian commanders in Afghanistan did not officially announce that the Canadian Forces in the area would take part in the operation until the Information Campaign had been all but completed, Canadian officers gave very obvious hints that Canadians would be an active participant. British commanders also stated prior to this, that if need be Canadian personnel would be called upon for the operation.

Back at the Canadian Forward Operating Bases in the Panjwaii district, soldiers could be seen preparing for battle. Troops were gathering ammunition and web-gear; and last minute checks were being conducted on Canadian armoured vehicles such as the LAV-III and Leopard C2 tanks.

[edit] Offensive Operations Begin

On December 19, the offensive operations of Falcon Summit began. A massive barrage of Canadian artillery and tank fire rained down on Taliban positions in the area of operations. The barrage lasted for forty-five minutes and was supported by heavy machinegun fire from Canadian .50 caliber guns. Shortly after the barrage ended, Canadian armoured convoys left the "protection" of being behind the wire and headed out into the AO and set up perimeters without a single shot being fired. The Canadians stationed themselves around the village of Howz-e Madad and are said to be on a "soft knock" approach with the villagers to help gain support.

Over the next few days, NATO forces secured several more objective towns with very little resistance from Taliban fighters. Canadian Leopard C2 tanks were requested for support by the head of the Afghan National Army, but were turned down due to the high number of anti-tank mines littering the ground in the area where the tanks would have been used. Commanders believe that the lack of resistance they have encountered is due to the bombardment of leaflets dropped during the Information Campaign.

Near the village of Howz-e Madad is a 10 square kilometer area full of mud walled fortresses, and 900 surrounded Taliban fighters. Canadian infantry and armour have surrounded the area which is ideal for the Taliban's style of attacks with about 30 vehicles and hundreds of soldiers. The complex build of the area the fighters are held up in makes it near impossible to escape from, and to the east of the complex is a road built by the Canadians after Operation Medusa which runs along the Arghandab River which makes it impossible for any Taliban to escape by using the road. Ten kilometers to the south of Howz-e Madad is a line of American soldiers, and to the West are more British soldiers making this a truly combined effort by the three nations to protect the Afghan people living nearby, and bring down the Taliban.

NATO forces gave the surrounded fighters two days to consider the two options they were given: Either surrender and live, or fight and die. After the 48 hours passed, the Taliban fired first. Two rockets flew past Charles Company just south of Howz-e Madad. This was responded to by a burst of machine-gun fire from the Afghan National Army, but nobody on either side of the skirmish took any casualties.

After the New Year began, on January 5th a forty-five minute firefight between about twenty members of the Royal twenty second Regiment and a force of Taliban fighters about half of that size. Small arms including automatic rifle and machinegun fire, rocket propelled grenades and mortars were used against the Canadians. The R22eR soldiers were conducting operations in the village of Lacookhal which is just south of Howz-e Madad looking for arms caches and Taliban fighters when the enemy force opened fire. By the time the fire ceased, at least two of the Taliban fighters had been killed with no Canadian or ANA casualties.