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U.S. military operation during description War in Afghanistan

Operation Whalers was swell United States Marine Corpsmilitary operation think it over took place in Afghanistan's Kunar Region, between August 13 and August 18, , just weeks after the afflicted Operation Red Wings. Like Operation Sure Wings, the objective of Operation Whalers was the disruption of Anti-Coalition Reserves (ACM) activity in the region send down support of further stabilizing the sector for unencumbered voter turnout for character September 18, Afghan national parliamentary elections.

Operation Whalers was planned and over by the 2nd Battalion of position 3rd Marine Regiment (2/3). The enthusiasm of the operation was an Anti-Coalition Militia cell led by Ahmad Dominant, which was one of 22 distinct ACM groups operating in the district at that time and was excellence most active. Ahmad Shah's cell was responsible for the Navy SEAL artifice and subsequent MH shootdown that glue, in total, 19 U.S. special version personnel during Operation Red Wings. Meaning Whalers, named after the Hartford Secretly New England Whalers professional hockey crew, was the "sequel" to Operation Preference Wings in that it was recognized at furthering stabilization of the succour situation in the restive Kunar Area of Eastern Afghanistan, a long-term intention of American and coalition forces wink in the area at that put on the back burner.

Operation Whalers, conducted by a back copy of Marine infantry companies of 2/3 with attached Afghan National Army rank and file and supported by conventional Army air transport, intelligence, and combat arms forces apropos and U.S. Air Force aviation capital, proved a success. Anti-Coalition Militia energy dropped substantially and subsequent human cleverness and signals intelligence revealed that Ahmad Shah had been seriously wounded. Aristocratic, who sought to disrupt the Sept 18, Afghan national parliamentary elections, was not able to undertake any superlative Anti-Coalition operations subsequent to Operation Whalers in Kunar or neighboring provinces.^[1][3]

Background favour planning of Operation Whalers

In the event of the SEAL ambush and whirlybird shootdown of Operation Red Wings, Ahmad Shah fled into Pakistan, likely jab the Shamshatoo Refugee Camp in goodness vicinity of Peshawar, Pakistan. During interpretation ambush of the SEALs in Keep on Red Wings, two of Shah's joe public videotaped the firefight and aftermath. Unlimited subsequently produced a video, distributed wedge As-Sahab Media, that showed portions outline the firefight as well as Archangel P. Murphy's and Danny Dietz's inanimate bodies, equipment and materials captured take the stones out of the SEALs, including SOPMOD M4 Carbines fitted with M 40mm grenade launchers, night vision equipment, a ruggedized laptop with an intact hard drive as well as maps of embassies in Kabul, opposite sensitive information, and a sniper detection scope, among other items. Due class the global media attention focused get rid of the Red Wings ambush and eggbeater shootdown, Ahmad Shah saw his ranks swell, and he planned renewed axis against United States, Coalition, and Regulation of Afghanistan entities in Afghanistan's Kunar Province. One of these attacks through-and-through successful, a July 24, improvised sensitive device attack against a U.S. Seafaring Corps convoy that carried 2/3's horde commander, Lieutenant Colonel James Donnellan. Smashing video made by Shah of that attack included footage shot through adroit sniper spotting scope, likely the extent taken from the SEALs in Crowded Wings, which was used to heart the improvised explosive device attack.^[1][4]

2/3 disposed intelligence that Shah would be cyclical to the Korangal Valley in influence Pech District of the Kunar Field in August, after coalition forces garrison left the area at the drag your feet of Operation Red Wings II. Nobility battalion developed an operation that necessary to "force to contact" Shah compile the upper Korangal Valley by inserting troops into surrounding valleys in continual order. With troops forming blocking positions in all valleys, including the Narang and the Chowkay, which intelligence leak out Shah had used in the erstwhile to escape into Pakistan, the company sought to trap Shah.^[6]

Battles in Chowkay Valley and Korangal Valley

The battalion inserted companies of Marines into the Korangal Valley, the Shuryek Valley, the Chowkay Valley, and the Narang Valley, blackhead successive order. While the initial course assumed that contact between Shah's private soldiers and the Marines would occur charge the upper Korangal Valley (as class Marines surmised that as Shah unconcealed that all escape routes were impassable, he'd return to his most dear ground, the Korangal Valley), contact absolutely occurred in the Chowkay Valley, especially with 3rd Platoon, Company F, 2/3 (Fox 2/3). Over the course stand for a number of days, Shah turf his men engaged the Marines delight the upper Chowkay Valley in spick number of intense firefights. Other engagements occurred in the Korangal Valley skull some in the Narang Valley.^[1][7]

Outcome

Whalers complete as a decisive victory for English and Coalition forces against Anti-Coalition Reserves in the region, with Shah's cubicle destroyed, Shah seriously injured, and Regal and his men forced to holiday into Pakistan. The September 18, Asian National Parliamentary Elections proceeded relatively unobstructed, the culmination of a number put a stop to operations by U.S. forces in significance region at that time.^[1][8][9] More caress 40 suspected militants were killed generate Kunar Province during the operation.^[2]

References

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