2009 in Afghanistan

← 2008 2007 2006 2009 in Afghanistan → 2010 2011 2012
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
See also:	Other events of 2009 List of years in Afghanistan

Events from the year 2009 in Afghanistan

January

• A supply route through Pakistan, by way of Chaman, was briefly shut down in early 2009. On January 10, tribesmen used vehicles to block the road to protest a raid by Pakistani counter-narcotics forces that left one villager dead. The protesters withdrew on January 14 after police promised to take their complaints to provincial authorities.^[1]

March

• March 30, 2009: Operation Arctic Torch II.PRT, 1st Infantry division battles with 300 Afghan fighters in Doab, Nuriatan Province.Two Americans WIA. Close air support allegedly kills100 AAF fighters.
• May 4, 2009: The Granai airstrike kills 86-145 people, mostly children when American aircraft bombed a village in Farah Province.

September

• In September, the International Council on Security and Development released a map showing that the Taliban had a "permanent presence" in 80% of the country, with "permanent presence" defined by provinces that average one (or more) insurgent attack (lethal and non-lethal) per week.^[2][3]

• On September 4, 2009, the Kunduz airstrike killed up to 179. American F-15E fighter jet struck two fuel tankers captured by Taliban insurgents; however, a large number of civilians were also killed in the attack.

October

• In October 2009, there were 72 American deaths, 8 on October 28 alone. There have been 255 American deaths in 2009, a 43% increase of last year.

November

• On November 6, 2009, Ambassador Eikenberry wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “Sending additional forces will delay the day when Afghans will take over, and make it difficult, if not impossible, to bring our people home on a reasonable timetable. An increased U.S. and foreign role in security and governance will increase Afghan dependence, at least in the short-term.”^[4]

December

• December 7 - Afghan President Karzai said it may be five years before his army is ready to take on the insurgents.^[5] Karzai also said that Afghanistan's security forces will need U.S. support for another 15 to 20 years.^[6]

• The New York Times published parts of the evaluation “A Different Kind of War” as a preview on the U.S. Army’s official history of the war in Afghanistan in the period October 2001 - September 2005, due to be published by spring 2010. According to this study major planning to create long-term political, social and economic stability in Afghanistan was lacking.^[7][8]

• The Taliban offered to give the U.S. "legal guarantees" that they will not allow Afghanistan to be used for attacks on other countries. There was no formal American response.^[9]

• In mid-December the British Army and Afghan workers begin construction of the Route Trident road in Helmand Province.^[10]

• On December 16–18, 2009, Coalition troops conducted Operation Septentrion, a 36-hour operation in the Uzbin Valley (east of Kabul).^[11][12][13] The force of 1100 troops included 800 members of the French Foreign Legion together with 200 US special forces and Afghan soldiers; during more than 90 minutes of combat^[11] several Americans were wounded,^[14] three of them seriously.^[15] Insurgents attacked with rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, and heavy machine gun fire; for the coalition forces, the French troops used shells, backed up by French Tigre and US Apache helicopters^[11] and jets.^[15] At least one Taliban fighter was killed and three injured.^[13][15] The purpose of Operation Septentrion was “reaffirming the sovereignty of Afghan security forces in the north of the Uzbeen Valley,” according to a French military spokesperson,^[15] and also to plant an Afghan flag in a key strategic village.^[11][13] (While 75% of the Uzbin Valley had been under coalition control, a corner of it had remained in Taliban hands.^[13]) The operation was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Herve Wallerand.^[15] Sixteen months previously, the Uzbin Valley ambush by the Taliban in the area of Sarobi had killed 10 French soldiers and wounded 21.^[12][15]

• On December 27, 2009 the Narang night raid killed 10 Afghan civilians mostly school children when at around 2:30 mid night US Special Forces raided Ghazi Khan Ghondi village of Narang District in Kunar province.

Deaths

In overall 2009, 520 Nato soldiers killed.317 US soldiers, 108 UK soldiers and 95 Other Nato soldiers killed in 2009.

References

See also

• 2008 in Afghanistan
• other events of 2009
• 2010 in Afghanistan
• Timeline of the War in Afghanistan (2001-present)
• Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2009

War in Afghanistan Invasion / Occupation Order of battle Operations Logistics International Security Assistance Force Taliban insurgency Drone attacks in Pakistan Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan Resolute Support Mission Casualties / Losses Afghan forces Civilian Lists 2001–06 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Coalition USA UK Canadian German Norwegian others Aircraft Events / Controversies 2001: Dasht-i-Leili massacre 2002: Guantanamo Bay 2005: Bagram torture and prisoner abuse Salt Pit 2007: Shinwar shooting Hyderabad airstrike Nangar Khel incident Helmand Province airstrikes 2008: Deh Bala wedding party airstrike Azizabad airstrike Wech Baghtu wedding party airstrike 2009: Granai airstrike Kunduz airstrike Narang night raid 2010: Khataba raid Uruzgan helicopter attack Sangin airstrike Maywand District murders Tarok Kolache 2011: Mano Gai airstrike Pakistani border attack Bin Laden raid Helmand Province incident 2012: Urination video Kapisa airstrike Quran burning protests Kandahar massacre Body pictures 2014: Herat Indian Consulate Attack Reactions Afghan War documents leak International public opinion Opposition Protests Wikinews Commons

External links

• Human Rights First; Undue Process: An Examination of Detention and Trials of Bagram Detainees in Afghanistan in April 2009 (2009)

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