Overwhelmingly Outnumbered Coalition Forces Repel a Complex Attack in NE Afghanistan
By JEFF EMANUEL
July 16, 2008
International newswire activity spiked two mornings ago when word came from Afghanistan that nine U.S. troops, including two from Georgia, had been killed in an attack on a remote coalition base.
"A multi-pronged militant assault on a small, remote U.S. base killed nine American soldiers Sunday in one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops since the 2001 invasion," crowed the Associated Press. "Militants fired machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars from homes and a mosque in the village of Wanat in the northeastern province of Kunar, a mountainous region that borders Pakistan."
"U.S. and Afghan troops have abandoned a remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan where militants killed nine American soldiers earlier this week," the AP cheerily reported two days later, choosing to focus reportage almost exclusively on the strengthening of the Taliban and al Qaeda in the safe havens they currently enjoy in northwestern Pakistan.
Reporters were quick to point out that this battle, which began in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday and lasted well into the day, resulted in the highest number of American casualties in Afghanistan since sixteen were killed when a helicopter was downed by RPG fire.
However, when the smoke of the battle cleared, and there was no mounting total of dead Americans to cover, news agencies lost interest, and moved along to cover other, bloodier developments in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Had those mainstream reporters continued paying attention, chances are they would have noted something remarkable about Sunday's battle.
Three days before the attack, 45 U.S. paratroopers from the 173d Airborne, accompanied by 25 Afghan soldiers, made their way to Kunar province, a remote area in the northeastern Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, and established the beginnings of a small Combat Outpost (COP). Their movement into the area was noticed, and their tiny numbers and incomplete fortifications were quickly taken advantage of.
A combined force of up to 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters quickly moved into the nearby village of Wanat and prepared for their assault by evicting unallied residents and according to an anonymous senior Afghan defense ministry official, "us[ing] their houses to attack us."
Tribesmen in the town stayed behind "and helped the insurgents during the fight," General Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh, the provincial police chief, told The Associated Press. Dug-in mortar firing positions were created, and with that indirect fire, as well as heavy machine gun and RPG fire from fixed positions, Taliban and al Qaeda fighters rushed the COP from three sides.
The attackers quickly breached the outer perimeter, and, under a withering barrage of supporting fire, a contingent of a mere 70 U.S. and Afghan soldiers combined were forced to fight for survival on their own outpost against the all-out assault from nearly 100 assailants.
The overwhelmingly outnumbered U.S. troops called in artillery, as well as fixed and rotary-wing air support, to help the repulse the attacking forces.
As recounted by the AP and other media outlets, nine U.S. paratroopers lost their lives -- a full fifth of the American contingent.
Further, fifteen U.S. and four Afghan soldiers were also wounded in the attack, meaning that, against an assault and support force of nearly 500 militant fighters, only 21 U.S. and 21 Afghan soldiers were able to fight at full strength -- and they succeeded not only in killing dozens of attackers, but in repelling the onslaught completely.
Since 2005, "U.S. forces have stepped up their presence in Kunar and neighboring Nuristan province," writes Bill Roggio in the Long War Journal, "building remote outposts and bases along established smuggling routes used by insurgent forces."
Kunar province is home to "the notorious Ghahki Pass, a narrow gorge connecting Pakistan’s Bajaur tribal agency with Kunar province" which "has remained a vital extremist infiltration route since the [Global War on Terror] began."
Roggio continues:
In October 2001, more than 1,000 Pakistani jihadists flooded through the narrow canyon into Afghanistan and joined the Taliban in their fight against Coalition forces. Seven years later, the local population remains openly hostile to both the Afghan government and US forces, making it an ideal area for extremist activity to thrive.
Extremist activity is clearly thriving in Kunar, as Sunday morning's assault on the tiny, unfinished Combat Outpost demonstrated.
Perhaps the most important takeaway from that encounter, though, is the one that the mainstream media couldn't be bothered to pay attention long enough to learn: that, not for the first time, a contingent of American soldiers that was outnumbered by up to a twenty-to-one ratio soundly and completely repulsed a complex, pre-planned assault by those dedicated enough to their cause to kill themselves in its pursuit.
That kind of heroism and against-all-odds success is and has been a hallmark of America's fighting men and women, and it is one that is worthy of all attention we can possibly give it.
And since then the media has been touting the withdrawal of the small contingient as though it was a devastating defeat of NATO. But, as one local Afghan soldier said, they can have it for a few days until we come back in strength. How much you want to bet the media won't report it when we take it back? They never do. This happens all the time. Taliban hit an outpost, or even a village in which we have not troops and its' all over, Taliban wins! We take it back a day later, not a peep. God, I hate our media.
www.bothinonetrench.com
My basic training buddy and jump school roommate is a platoon sergeant in the 173rd now. God, I hope he's OK. I haven't seen the names released yet.
Hollywierd needs to make a blockbuster movie out of this complete with larger than life heroes and bad guys. When they do I want 5% for being the first to suggest it.
PS: Thanks for reporting on this.
Someday the drive by media will get theres for being cowards and backstabbing
traitors.
The AP has their heads so far up their asses, it will take a surgical procedure to remove them.
This is just one of the successful conclusions of battles they conveniently omit from their 'press releases'.
American casualties are foisted AP asshats as another 'check the block' in their anti-American agenda. When the US wins, they quickly lose interest.
Stay classy, AP.
It sounds like Rourke's Drift, the Brits defending themselves against Zulus. That was made into a great movie, "Zulu." This fight begs for the same heroic treatment. Maybe we could call it "Taliban."
My thoughts exactly...
This has been coming a long time. I heard tales of the Saudis (read Al Qaeda proto-types) taking over the Kunar sometime after the Soviets were driven out. The American military is pushing hard against the Pakistan border in this area and the Taliban are pushing back from their sancuaries in Pakistan. This is more evidence of agressive action by the US military. This is a good but dangerous thing.
These guys are heros forever! However, what is with our intelligence? Did we not know that there were so many enemy troops so close by? They just did not spring from the ground. Someone should be answering some very tough questions about this matter. We have the best troops in the world, it is a shame that they are wasted on a strip of land where there has been fighting since Christ was here on earth. It is turning into another Vietnam. The next time we roll into to town, you can bet that there will be some serious ass kicking.
A few comments.
Taliban and AQ fighters hardly qualify as "troops" in any meaningful sense, as they dress like civilians, attack from within crowds of civilians and from within traditionally protected locations like mosques, and generally conduct themselves in a manner that is entirely violative of the Geneva Conventions.
As far as the enemy fighters' proximity: it is and has long been known that Kunar and Nuristan provinces are home not only to large numbers of AQ and Taliban, but that they are used as infiltration routes from the large terrorist havens in northwestern Pakistan. This is why our troops are there in the first place, though they clearly should have been operating in larger numbers than they were in this case.
Afghanistan has a war-torn history, but that is far too broad a generalization. The germane conflicts there have been ongoing largely since the Mujahadeen resistance to the Soviets from the 1980s.
Do not forget, though, that the U.S. is in Afghanistan as a direct result of the 9/11/01 attacks, and that this counterinsurgency effort is ongoing for the specific purpose of preventing al Qaeda, et al from having a haven and base of operations in that same area from which to plot and carry out another massive attack against Americans and American interests.
It's amazing how quick people are to invoke that comparison, with little or no evidence that they understand what they're saying or why they're saying it. I'd greatly appreciate a little fact-based elaboration on that comment.
If you read the article above, then you know some "serious ass-kicking" *did* take place just this last weekend.
Or perhaps you have a different word to describe 42 healthy soldiers -- 21 of whom were American -- defeating 500 Taliban and AQ fighters.
And yes, I believe that when the Wanat area is retaken, it will be with even greater force.
JE
I doubt the the heroism and sacrifice of the 173rd and their Afghan comrades at Wanat is lost on the intelligent reader of the AP release. That nine of our own gave their lives was undoubtedly the lead point for the story that should be recognized by all those who are served here in the homeland.
Efforts by Mr. Emanuel help to complete the picture by going into more depth than mainstream editors, in their concern for column-space or time available between broadcast commercials, can allow.
I think we should take care, however, when we vilify, demonize or even hint at treason those members of a free press which stands, unarmed and often embedded with our soldiers. Their efforts to report the perspectives of all sides in war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in deaths among their ranks.
A free press is one of the pillars of this great nation for which our troops are fighting. Let's not contribute to our national divide by casting aspersions on those who are trying to keep us up to date with what's going on over there.
Watch Fox, read the NYT, and check sites like these for the most comprehensive picture. Then make up your own mind.
Two very brief things:
(1) Who said treason?
(2) What? There are journalists in combat zones? Who knew?
Please, spare us the "reporters are heroes!" bit. I've heard it before, and it's a loser.
With respect to the post regarding the "heroism" of embedded reporters, I can personally attest to the fact that few, if any, of the reporters in Baghdad, Iraq ever left the Green Zone during the time that I was deployed there. Most of the time, they relied on information gathered by local nationals who were credited as contributors, if they were credited at all. The reporters spent most of their time at the Al Rashid hotel - to the extent they traveled to Camp Victory, they did so on the armored "Rhino" bus. I can't say that I ever saw or heard of reporters exposing themselves to danger to gather information for stories they posted.
I agree. That's why I wrote this about that very fact.
JE
Walking the walk of the true embed. Follow the links to see some incredible photos from a guttsy civilian embedded with the 173rd in Nuristan.
http://afghanistanica.wordpress.com/2007/09/02/whatever-happened-to-that...
The Seattle Post Intelligencer (should be Pre-intelligencer) perhaps the most leftist rag in the country, today came out with an article and put a few words in it about the struggle they faced and how they beat a much larger enemy force. Of course they did it in the context of how the military screwed up, but hey, it's something.
... people aren't spitting on our soldiers when they come home this time. I always thought that was such a national disgrace.
Seems we've finally managed to separate the soldiers on the ground from politicians making decisions.
That said, it seems unfair to me that every headline shows 9 killed, as if the lives of the Afghans who are fighting for their own country to be more free are somehow less valuable.
One of my good friends was Corporal Jason Hovator, who was killed in this attack. What I would like to know is why this platoon was sent into one of, if not the most dangerous areas in Afghanistan just days before they were supposed to come home after nearly 16 months of serving their country bravely. And also why such a small force was sent into an area where it was apparent to some lower ranking members of this unit that they were about to walk into a "bloodbath" (albeit because of accidental large civilian casualties that happened very recently in this area). Was it not apparent that this area was a stronghold of taliban/insurgent supporters, who especially after the recent death of civilians would be more prone to help anyone in opposition to U.S. and other coalition forces? It just doesn't add up at the surface level.
Been there, done that in WWII. MUST comment about what continues to be the Achilles Heel for fighting men. The story notes the failure of the machine guns in the battle. It is not unusual for weapons developers to contiue providing inadequate weapons for our front line infantry. For example, in WWII we were required to face Kraut MG34's and 42's w/Ml9l9 LMG's and M1917 BAR's. Later, USA adopted some Kraut technologh,(Metalic link belts, tracers activating at 50 meters. etc). The only reason for our survival was because we had better gunners. The M16 hunkajunk was the laughing stock to Dr Kalishnakov (sp). Read, "We Were Soldiers Once, And Young" . Even Secretary MacNamara apologized for not using chrome in the chambers and bores of the M-16"s". This was a "cost saving" gesture by the "Whiz Kids" from Ford. Let the front-line infantry soldier a role in developing weapons. As far as I know, there are NO infantry weapons developed by US Ordinance people. Even the sidearms, Beretta pistols, were developed by other nations; so was the M-60 MG.
Thank you for your thoughtful coverage of this, Jeff.
Thank you for continuing to Tell The Story.
Afghanistan is not a sound bite, and certainly not a numbers story.
Stars and Stripes was another outlet that carried on with interviews from some of the survivors.
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=63479&archive=tru...
Let's see how much the media covers the troops filling the footprints of the Sky Soldiers.
Hey Jeff, been awhile! I wanted to stop by and thank you for doing something that should've been done on the front pages of every paper across the country. We both know that wouldn't happen and I am so appreciative of you telling these young warriors' story.
I had the pleasure of watching Jon Ayers grow up. I coached his brother in soccer and his Dad was our team manager. Jon guested with the guys when his was old enough to run with the big boys. His grit, determination, and character in battle was really no surprise to me. He showed it on the soccer fields all over Georgia and the S.E. plus his entire family is made of the right stuff. Great, great folks. Another one of "our" boys that stood and proved his mettle eh? God Bless him!
The funeral service for Cpl Jon Ayers can only be descibed as awesome. Jon was awarded the Bronze w/ V at the service for his part on the O.P. The church was totally overflowed and luckily his brother had wired loudspeakers so those outside could hear the service. The Patriot Guard showed up at least 150 strong and most of the police forces in the county were represented. Gwinnett Fire supplied two ladder trucks to form an arch at the cemetery entrance for us to drive under. They had a huge American Flag hanging from the two buckets. The procession was miles long and the community turned out on the side of the road, at intersections, and the entrance to the cemetery. Traffic just simply stopped and pulled to the side of the road. Lights on. The outpouring of support was amazing.
The graveside service was intense. Professionally done and performed in the finest tradition of the Army. There were quite a few young vets there in everything from BDUs/cammies to civvies to full dress uniforms. Local young men and women supporting and saying goodbye to one of their own. The way these young folks in this community step up to fill the ranks of those they lose just simply bodes so well for the future. I know I'm personally proud of each and every one of them! We lost three or four to the heat but nothing an IV and some fluids didn't take care of. The service was packed with people coming from all over to attend.
The Cumming community turned to in like manner to say goodbye to Cpl Philips. I bet that procession was every bit of three miles long. Again the Patriot Guard turned out in force. What can you say about those folks? They are amazing. Cpl Philips received the hero's send-off he so justly deserved! You can stand proud of your fellow Georgians Jeff. Our people stand ready and proud.
My son's reaction when he heard the news was rather visceral. Anger and then wanting to get back in the fight. After all the buddies he lost over three tours this is the first time he's been home to bury one of his own. One that was like a little brother to him. They lose sight of the support a good deal while they are deployed and he got to witness first hand the love, grief, and support the folks back home truly have. I think it helped heal a few open wounds and that can be nothing but a good thing. He got to see past the anti-American headlines and witness the underbelly of what our support back home really is. And support it truly is. In remarkable fashion! Just don't look for it past your local news.
Although these young men were Army I pass along and old sailor's farewell to a group of real American heroes:
Fair Winds & Following Seas!
Thanks again for telling these young heroes' story Jeff.
S/F
Watt
I comment from two perspectives: 1) I spent most of my working life as a reporter for national newspapers; 2) My son is a member of the 173rd ABCT. It is simply irresponsible to say the AP "crowed" about the deaths of nine American soldiers and "cheerily" reported the outpost had been abandoned. Where's the evidence of that? Those stories simply told what happened. It absolutely was one of the deadliest attacks since the 2001 US invasion, and the outpost was subsequently abandoned. Should it have been made more clear that the outpost was a temporary bivouac? You bet. Should there have been a follow-up on the incredible bravery and tenacity of those outnumbered men? Absolutely. Stars and Stripes did it, and very well. Vilifying the press is too often the default position of people, on both the left and right, when they fail to find their own biases in print. There has been some outstanding reporting on the 173rd's deployment in Afghanistan -- in Vanity Fair, the New York Times magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post -- by reporters who invested considerable time in getting out in the field with all the attendant risks. Now it's time for some more, for an enterprising reporter to go to Vicenza, home of the 1/503 and 2/503, and talk to the Sky Soldiers about how they feel about that small unit being sent into an untenable position just days from their re-deployment. My guess is there's a feeling there that they got hung out to die.
There is a very good story here: http://www.battlefieldtourist.com
It claims the US had pre-knowledge of the attack and is told from a villager's perspective.
I received this on email today. I get suspicious when there are no dates and someone identifies themselves as having no political affiliation.
This is what was added to the story. Jeff was credited with breaking the story of the fight, but I can't find this anywhere-
The next target was the FOB's observation post, where nine soldiers were positioned on a tiny hill about 50 to 75 meters from the base. Of those nine, five died, and at least three ot he rs -- Spc. Tyler Stafford among them
-- were wounded.
When the attack began, Stafford grabbed his M-240 machine gun off a north-facing sandbag wall and moved it to an east-facing sandbag wall.
Moments later, RPGs struck the north-facing wall, knocking Stafford out of the fighting position and wounding another soldier.
Stafford thought he was on fire so he rolled around, regaining his senses.
Nearby, Cpl. Gunnar Zwilling, who later died in the fight, had a stunned look on his face.
Immediately, a grenade exploded by Stafford, blowing him down to a lower terrace at the observation post and knocking his helmet off. Stafford put his helmet back on and noticed how badly he was bleeding.
Cpl. Matthew Phillips was close by, so Stafford called to him for help.
Phillips was preparing to throw a grenade and shot a look at Stafford that said, 'Give me a second. I gotta go kill these guys first.'
&nb sp;
This was only about 30 to 60 seconds into the attack.
Kneeling behind a sandbag wall, Phillips pulled the grenade pin, but just after he threw it an RPG exploded at his position. The tail of the RPG smacked Stafford's helmet. The dust cleared. Phillips was slumped over, his chest on his knees and his hands by his side. Stafford called out to his buddy three or four times, but Phillips never answered or moved.
'When I saw Phillips die, I looked down and was bleeding pretty good, that's probably the most scared I was at any point,' Stafford said. 'Then I kinda had to calm myself down and be like, 'All right, I gotta go try to do my job.' '
The soldier from Parker, Colo., loaded his 9 mm handgun, crawled up to their fighting position, stuck the pistol over the sandbags and fired.
Stafford saw Zwilling's M-4 rifle nearby so he loaded it, put it on top of the sandbag and fired. Another couple R PGs struck the sandbag wall Stafford used as cover. Shrapnel pierced his hands.
Stafford low-crawled to another fighting position where Cpl. Jason Bogar, Sgt. Matthew Gobble and Sgt. Ryan Pitts were located. Stafford told Pitts that the insurgents were within grenade-tossing range. That got Pitts'
attention.
With blood running down his face, Pitts threw a grenade and then crawled to the position from where Stafford had just come. Pitts started chucking more grenades.
The firefight intensified. Bullets cut down tree limbs that fell on the soldiers. RPGs constantly exploded.
Back at Stafford's position, so many bullets were coming in that the soldiers could not poke their heads over their sandbag wall. Bogar stuck an
M-249 machine gun above the wall and squeezed off rounds to keep fire on the insurgents. In about five minutes, Bogar fired about 600 rounds, causing the
M-249 to seize up f rom heat.
At another spot on the observation post, Cpl. Jonathan Ayers laid down continuous fire from an M-240 machine gun, despite drawing small-arms and RPG fire from the enemy. Ayers kept firing until he was shot and killed Cpl.
Pruitt Rainey radioed the FOB with a casualty report, calling for help. Of the nine soldiers at the observation post, Ayers and Phillips were dead, Zwilling was unaccounted for, and three were wounded. Additionally, several of the soldiers' machine guns couldn't fire because of damage. And they needed more ammo.
Rainey, Bogar and another soldier jumped out of their fighting position with the third soldier of the group launching a shoulder-fired missile.
All this happened within the first 20 minutes of the fight.
Platoon leader 1st Lt. Jonathan Brostrom and Cpl. Jason Hovater arrived at the observation post to reinforce the soldiers. By that time, the insurgents had breach ed the per imeter of the observation post. Gunfire rang out, and Rainey shouted, 'He's right behind the sandbag.' Brostrom could be heard shouting about the insurgent as well.
More gunfire and grenade explosions ensued. Back in the fighting position, Gobble fired a few quick rounds. Gobble then looked to where the soldiers were fighting and told Stafford the soldiers were dead. Of the nine soldiers who died in the battle, at least seven fell in fighting at the observation post.
The insurgents then started chucking rocks at Gobble and Stafford's fighting position, hoping that the soldiers might think the rocks were grenades, causing them to jump from the safety of their fighting hole. One rock hit a tree behind Stafford and landed directly between his legs. He braced himself for an explosion. He then realized it was a rock.
Stafford didn't have a weapon, and Gobble was low on ammo.
Gobble told Stafford t hey had to get back to the FOB They didn't
realize that Pitts was still alive in another fighting position at
the observation post. Gobble and Stafford crawled out of their
fighting hole. Gobble looked again to where the soldiers had been
fighting and reconfirmed to Stafford that Brostrom, Rainey, Bogar
and others were dead
Gobble and Stafford low-crawled and ran back to the FOB. Coming into the FOB, Stafford was asked by a sergeant what was going on at the observation post. Stafford told him all the soldiers there were dead. Stafford lay against a wall, and his fellow soldiers put a tourniquet on him.
From the OP, Pitts got on the radio and told his comrades he was alone.
Volunteers were asked for to go to the OP.
SSG Jesse Queck sums up the reaction to the call: 'When you ask for volunteers to run across an open field to a reinforced OP that almost everybody is injured at, and ev erybody volunteers, it feels good. There were a lot of guys that made me proud, putting themselves and their lives on the line so their buddies could have a chance.'
At least three soldiers went to the OP to rescue Pitts, but they suffered wounds after encountering RPG and small-arms fire, but Pitts survived the battle.
At that time, air support arrived in the form of Apache helicopters, A-10s and F-16s, performing bombing and strafing runs.
The whole FOB was covered in dust and smoke, looking like something out of an old Western movie.
'I've never seen the enemy do anything like that,' said Sgt. Jacob Walker, who was medically evacuated off the FOB in one of the first helicopters to arrive. 'It's usually three RPGs, some sporadic fire and then they're gone .... I don't where they got all those RPGs. That was crazy.'
Two hours after the first shots were fired, Stafford ma de his way - - with help -- to the medevac helicopter that arrived.
'It was some of the bravest stuff I've ever seen in my life, and I will never see it again because those guys,' Stafford said, then paused. 'Normal humans wouldn't do that. You're not supposed to do that -- getting up and firing back when everything around you is popping and whizzing and trees, branches coming down and sandbags exploding and RPGs coming in over your head ... It was a fistfight then, and those guys held ' em off.'
Stafford offered a guess as to why his fellow soldiers fought so hard.
While I enjoy Jeff's column, I'm not sure if he is "credited" with breaking this story. The site mentioned above had the story early July 13, three days before this post.
http://www.battlefieldtourist.com/content/2008/07/13/civilians-join-the-...
I am a huge McCain/Palin supporter. I don't even understand how Obama ever came this far in politics. People are talking about change with Obama and I really think it is the worst kind of change this Country will ever know. The one thing that is really scary about Obama is the fact he voted against the infant born alive protection act. This really bothers me that someone who calls himself a leader and has "moral values" would even consider this and vote four times for this. America needs to wake up and see that Obama is the wrong choice for this Great Awesome Country that I love!!!!
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