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Operation Anaconda or the Battle of Shah-i-Kot was a military operation that took place in early March 2002 as part of the War in Afghanistan. CIA paramilitary officers, working with their allies, attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. The operation took place in the Shah-i-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains southeast of Zormat. This operation was the first large-scale battle in the post-2001 War in Afghanistan since the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001. This was the first operation in the Afghanistan theater to involve a large number of U.S. forces participating in direct combat activities. Between March 2 and March 18, 2002, 1,700 airlifted U.S. troops and 1,000 pro-government Afghan militia battled between 300 and 1,000 al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters to obtain control of the valley. The Taliban and al-Qaeda forces fired mortars and heavy machine guns from entrenched positions in the caves and ridges of the mountainous terrain at U.S. forces attempting to secure the area. Afghan Taliban commander Maulavi Saif-ur-Rehman Mansoor later led Taliban reinforcements to join the battle. U.S. forces had estimated the strength of the rebels in the Shah-i-Kot Valley at 200 to 250, but later information suggested the actual strength was of 500 to 1,000 fighters. Background On September 11, 2001, a group of Islamic terrorists attacked the United States. They were led by Osama bin Laden, who was the leader of a group called Al-Qaeda. It was suspected that bin Laden was hiding in Afghanistan, under the protection of the Taliban. To respond to this threat, the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom on October 7, 2001. The goal was to remove the Taliban from power and eliminate Al-Qaeda. To achieve this, the US worked together with a rebel group in Afghanistan known as the Northern Alliance. The Northern Alliance was made up of people from different ethnic backgrounds, such as Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Hazaras, who opposed the Taliban, which was primarily led by ethnic Pashtuns. The US used a combination of airstrikes and special ground forces to help the Northern Alliance in its fight against the Taliban. They were able to quickly capture Taliban strongholds, and on November 13, 2001, they successfully took control of the capital city, Kabul. Around the same time, intelligence suggested that Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda leaders had taken refuge in a training camp located in the Tora Bora mountains near Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province in Eastern Afghanistan. Unlike previous battle areas in Northern Afghanistan, this region was mainly inhabited by Pashtuns. The United States wanted the Northern Alliance to help them attack Al-Qaeda in Tora Bora, but the Tajik and Uzbek warlords of the Northern Alliance refused. They were not willing to enter the hostile Pashtun areas in the east or south. So, the United States had to find other allies for the assault. They managed to bribe Pashtun militias in the areas to join forces with them, and called this group the "Eastern Alliance." Together, they launched an attack on the Al-Qaeda training camp in Tora Bora on November 30, 2001. However, these Eastern Alliance militias proved to be far less effective than the Northern Alliance had been. They didn't have the same level of animosity towards Al-Qaeda and would leave the battlefield each night to break their Ramadan fast. Due to the lack of effective cooperation with the Eastern Alliance militias, Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda leaders escaped from the Battle of Tora Bora. After the Tora Bora operation, there was a perception that the reason Osama bin Laden escaped was because there were no US forces in place to stop Al-Qaeda from fleeing into Pakistan. The commanders on the ground had asked for 800 United States Army Rangers to be sent to block these escape routes, but CENTCOM, the military authorities, declined their request. This perceived failure to deploy blocking forces would have a significant impact on the planning of Operation Anaconda. Around mid-January 2002, US officials received intelligence reports indicating that enemy forces, including Al-Qaeda, were gathering in the Shah-i-kot valley in Paktia Province, which was located about 60 miles south of Gardez. The Lower Shah-i-kot region was close to the Pakistani tribal lands, where many Al-Qaeda fighters were thought to have fled after the Tora Bora operation. As January progressed, US military officials started considering a potential attack on the Shah-i-kot valley. The Shah-i-kot Valley, meaning 'the Place of the King' in Pashto, is about 9 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide at its widest point. It consists of two main areas, the Lower Shah-i-kot and the Upper Shah-i-kot, running roughly parallel to each other. In the lower Shah-i-kot, there are several imposing mountains, with Takur Ghar being the most prominent at the southeastern end, and Tsapare Ghar to the northeast, which controls the northern entrance to the valley. The valley is quite defendable, as its high ridges offer natural caves, crevasses, and other protected spots where guerrilla fighters can position themselves to shoot at the valley floor and access routes. During the Soviet-Afghan War, this area was also a battleground, as the Soviets fought mujahideen guerillas. The mujahideen, who opposed the Red Army in southeast Afghanistan, strategically positioned their defenses in Paktia province, mainly along the central mountain range. One critical highway between Gardez and Khost was a major supply route for the Soviet forces stationed in Khost. However, in 1981, the Afghan fighters successfully blocked this road and laid siege to Khost, forcing the Soviets to rely on airlift for resupply. The siege continued for seven years, and eventually, the Soviets were forced to retreat from the area. During the Soviet–Afghan War, Mujahideen leader Malawi Nasrullah Mansoor was in charge of the valley and invited foreign jihadists to base themselves in the Lower Shah-i-kot. Mansoor fortified the valley, digging trench systems, building bunkers and firing positions into the ridgelines, many of which would be put into effect during the operation. Malawi Nasrullah Mansoor later joined the Taliban, becoming governor of Paktia Province before being killed in a battle with a rival warlord. Using his family's connections in the region Nasrullah Mansoor's son, Saif-ur-Rehman Mansoor, became the leading Taliban commander of Zurmat District in Paktia Province by 2002. The mujahideen fighters had successfully defeated the Soviet Army twice in this valley, and the Taliban-Al-Qaeda coalition expected events here to pan out in a similar fashion. Increasing signals and human intelligence indicated a strong presence of Taliban, IMU and al-Qaeda fighters in the Shah-i-Kot Valley; approximately 200 to 250 fighters were believed to be wintering and possibly preparing for a spring offensive in the valley. The signal intelligence also raised the possibility that high-value targe.... Discover the Pete Blaber popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Pete Blaber books.