Britains Small Wars - Afghanistan (2001-)

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Britains Small Wars - Afghanistan (2001-)

The War on Terror

11th September 2001
Terrorists hijack four civilian airliners and in suicide attacks, fly two into the World Trade Centre in New York, destroying both of the twin towers, while a third is flown into the Pentagon in Washington and the fourth crashed outside Shanksville, PA.
12th September 2001
Britain placed extensive military resources at the disposal of the USA for a retaliatory strike against the terrorists behind the 11th September attacks.
13th September 2001
Britain offered a Military Planning Team to the US to begin preparations for a strike against the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks of September 11th.
2nd October 2001
NATO invoked article 5 of the NATO treaty in response to the September 11th atrocities. Article five states, "An attack on any member of the Alliance is regarded as an attack on all countries of the Alliance." It is the first time the article has been invoked in NATO's history.
7th October 2001
The Coalition against terror launches its attacks on Afghanistan.
9th October 2001
NATO AEW aircraft are deployed to the USA to allow USAF assets to be deployed to theatre stations in preparation for a response to the 11th September attacks.
18-19 December 2001
Yemeni troops take action against a suspected al-Qaeda base in Yemen.
21 December 2001
SBS troops board MV Nisha, a cargo ship with a suspected cargo of anthrax or explosives. The SBS are backed up by HMS Sutherland, and the ship is moored in Sandown bay on the Isle of Wight while a search is conducted.
22 December 2001
A lone bomber is foiled in an attempt to blow up an American airlines 767. The bomber was trying to detonate a bomb in his shoe but was prevented by passengers and crew of the airliner. The airliner was then escorted By F-15s back to Boston's Logan Airport.
4th January 2002
Tony Blair arrives in India to try and prevent war between India and Pakistan, increased tensions having arisen since the suicide attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001.
6th January 2002
A teenage pilot flying a Cessna 172 aircraft crashes into a skyscraper in Tampa.
16th January 2001
NATO sends extra AWACs to guard America.
18th January 2002
The alleged shoe bomber, Richard Reid pleads not guilty in court in Boston, Massachusetts to trying to blow up a jet with explosives in his trainers on 22nd December 2001.
The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, says Osama bin Laden is probably already dead from kidney failure after being denied regular dialysis treatment.
31st January 2002
President Bush threatens countries which support terrorism and names Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an 'axis of evil'.
1st February 2002
North Korea rejects the tag of 'Axis of Evil'.
4th February 2002
Italian Defence Minister Antonio Martino says, "Italy is hopeful that the U.S. will not spread its war against terrorism beyond Afghanistan" at a NATO conference.
4th February 2002
A US Predator unmanned aircraft vehicle attacks a compound in the Zawar Kili region of southeastern Afghanistan apparently killing several white-robed men, one of whom is suspected of being an al-Qaeda leader. On 9th February US Troops are ferried in to investigate the site after bad weather.
7th February 2002
President Bush applies the Geneva convention to Taliban detainees in Camp X-Ray but refuses them the rights of prisoners of war. Al-Qaeda fighters are classified as unlawful combatants because they do not represent any country which was a signee to the Geneva Convention of 1949.
9th February 2002
A top Iranian military officer threatens to destroy the Persian Gulf oil fields if the US threatens Iran in the war on terror.
25th March 2002
HMS Illustrious returns from her seven-month deployment which included Exercise Saif Saiera II and supporting the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan.

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Australian SAS in Afghanistan

The Australian Special Air Service Regiment in Afghanistan Australian Special Forces were deployed to Afghanistan in December 2001.
28th December saw members of the SASR join US Special Forces for a three day assault on an al-Qaeda training facility located in Southern Afghanistan. The Australian SAS were largely responsible for planning, initial reconnaissance and surveillance of the site. The site was later found uninhabited and a search of the compound, caves and tunnel networks found documents relating to terrorist activities and large stocks of ammunition and explosives.
On 16th February, Sergeant Andrew Russell was killed by a landmine while on patrol late at night. Another SAS soldier, Christian Salvatore, suffered a serious foot injury from a landmine in another incident.
Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda began on 2nd March 2002 and involved some 2,000 Coalition troops, including about 900 Americans from the 10th Mountain Division and the 101st Airborne, about 1,000 Allied Afghan soldiers and 200 Allied Special Forces from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany and Norway. 100 Australian SAS were involved. The plan was for Coalition forces to attack the enemy in the Shah-i-Kot valley with a multiple prong attack originating from Gardez, Zurmat and Shah-i-Kot with Allied Afghan forces blocking suspected escape routes in the far east of the valley, near Khost and in the south near Paktika.
On 2nd March, al-Qaeda fighters and Taliban militia had suspected a Coalition assault on the Shah-I-Kot and had fled into the mountains nearby, as Coalition troops moved in by helicopter they came under heavy fire in virtually coverless terrain save for a dry creek bed. The soldiers hit the ground running and quickly dug in there, exchanging fire with the enemy fighters positioned opposite the creek on a ridge line. By the end of the afternoon a large number of wounded were packed in the creek bed.
Despite Allied air support and B-52s hammering the enemy positions, they continued to fire on the Allied troops and later in the evening US Air Force AC-130 Spectre gunships arrived to provide fire support. The two SASR liaison officers and their American company endured for 12 hours losing 30 men wounded before they were evacuated.
On 4th March 2002, A US Special Forces team was being inserted by helicopters in the south of the battle area of Operation Anaconda. The helicopters came under fire and were forced to abort their landing, one soldier fell from the aircraft and was later found to have been killed.
A quick reaction force was sent in to attempt to recover the missing soldier two hours later. One of the two helicopters involved in the recovery was also brought down by enemy fire and six US soldiers were killed and many injured in the crash.
al-Qaeda fighters surrounded the downed aircraft and it's survivors and a fierce battle ensued throughout the day. Australian SASR soldiers in an observation post nearby co-ordinated Coalition air strikes to prevent the al-Qaeda fighters from overrunning the downed aircraft. The 36 survivors, including 11 wounded, were successfully evacuated after night fall.
Operation Anaconda was originally intended to last for two days, but it lasted for fourteen days with the SASR engaged throughout the operation conducting reconnaissance and directing air strikes.
Mountain Lion
In late March 2002, a second squadron of the SASR arrived in Afghanistan. The SASR were tasked with reconnaissance in the mountains along the Pakistan border in south eastern Afghanistan to locate Taliban and al-Qaeda forces. The operations became known as Mountain Lion and included Australian, Canadian, British and American personnel. The operation concentrated around the city of Khost, 32 kilometres from the Pakistan border. The SASR were tasked to gather intelligence on suspected Taliban and al-Qaeda remnants in the area. Operating in four to six-man patrols, in an area thought to be regularly used by enemy personnel. One patrol was discovered on 30th April 2002 by an enemy groups and probably killed two of the enemy before being extracted. A 200-stong force from the US 101st Airborne Division conducted follow-up searches of the area with no contact.
Another SASR patrol ran into trouble on 1st May, resulting in a firefight and the patrol withdrew after inflicting casualties on the enemy. After this Operation Mountain Lion continued with little action in general to its conclusion.
Following Mountain Lion, SASR patrols continued to perform reconnaissance in Afghanistan by foot and in vehicles supported by Coalition air power.
The commander of the Australian Special Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Rowan Tink was awarded the US Bronze Star for the Special Forces outstanding contribution to the war on terrorism. Sergeant Matthew Bouillaut was awarded the Australian Distinguished Service Medal.
In November 2002, the first Australian SAS troops began to return to Australia.