Battle of Barawala Kalay Valley

Battle of Barawala Kalay Valley
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014)
Date31 March 2011[1]-8 April 2011
LocationKunar Province,Afghanistan
Result

Decisive American victory

  • A key Taliban supply route is shut down.
  • Taliban warlord Qari Ziaur Rahman and his fighters are driven out of Barawala Kalay Valley.[2]
Belligerents
United States United States Afghanistan Taliban insurgents
Commanders and leaders
Major General John F. Campbell
Captain Ed Bankston[3]		 Qari Ziaur Rahman[4]
Units involved
2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division[3]
Afghan National Army[5]
United States Air Force Pararescue[3]		 Taliban insurgents
Casualties and losses
6 killed[1]
7 wounded[3]		 100+ killed[1]

The Battle of Barawala Kalay Valley was a battle that took place 31 March 2011 – 8 April 2011 in Barawala Kalay Valley, Kunar Province, Afghanistan.[3] The battle was part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014). The goal was to close down the Taliban supply route through the Barawala Kalay Valley and to remove the forces of Taliban warlord Qari Ziaur Rahman from the Barwala Kalay Valley.[6]

The United States was represented by 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. The 2nd Battalion is also known as the "No Slack Battalion."[3] The 101st Airborne Division ("Screaming Eagles")[7] is a modular specialized light infantry division of the United States Army trained for air assault operations. It is one of the most famous and highly decorated divisions in the United States Army.[8] The 101st Airborne was supported by the Afghan National Army.[6]

The 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division found itself under heavy small arms fire from multiple directions from Taliban insurgents.[9] ABC News correspondent Mike Boettcher was on scene and he called it the fiercest fighting he has ever seen in his 30 years of being in war zones.[9] The Taliban would engage the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division with heavy small arms fire for five continuous hours on 31 March 2011.[9] The 101st Airborne Division's No Slack Battalion would suffer 6 soldiers killed and another 7 soldiers wounded.[9] The battalion would inflict heavy casualties upon the Taliban. The 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division would kill more than 100 Taliban insurgents.[9] There were seven Medical Evacuation flight attempts within two hours in a effort to evacuate the wounded. United States Air Force Pararescue personnel conducted the first rescue attempt but their pilot was shot in the process and their helicopter was forced to return to its base.[9] The 101st Airborne Division would eventually receive strong air support. American helicopters and bombers conducted bombing missions against Taliban positions once the weather permitted.[9] The 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division would go on to eventually secure Barawala Kalay Valley closing down a key Taliban supply route in the process. Taliban warlord Qari Ziaur Rahman and his fighters were also driven out of the valley.[9]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 http://www.longwarjournal.org
  2. ↑ http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/225941/hornets-nest-real-look-americas-heroes-arnold-ahlert
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 http://abcnews.go.com/US/101st-airborne-battalion-takes-taliban-afghanistan/story?id=13291090
  4. ↑ http://www.army.mil/article/127229/9_days_in_the__Nest___Fort_Benning_drill_sergeant_featured_in_new_documentary/
  5. ↑ http://tune.pk/video/2956333/fierce-fighting-in-barawala-kalay-afghanistan-6-us-troops-dead-many-wounded-live
  6. 1 2 Lee, Jason (2014-05-13). "Fierce Fighting in Barawala Kalay Afghanistan 6 US Troops Dead Many Wounded (Live)". Tune.pk. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  7. ↑ "Special Unit Designations". United States Army Center of Military History. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  8. ↑ Wikipedia
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 News, A. B. C. (2011-04-04). "The 101st Airborne Takes On the Taliban". ABC News. Retrieved 2016-05-05.

External links

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