The Canadian-led Battle of Panjwaii was a battle fought during two preiods in the summer of 2006 primarily involving Canadian and Afghan soldiers being supported by Dutch, American, and British forces. There were two separate times in which the forces were involved in heavy fighting in the region.
The First Battle of Panjwaii. Operation Mountain Thrust
In mid July of 2006, Canadian and Afghan forces involved with Operation Mountain Thrust came into the Panjwaii area to help clear the area of Taliban strongholds. For three days on and around July 12 heavy fighting in mud wall complexes broke out. Canadian and Afghan forces on the offensive quickly gained control of the battlefield while heavy fighting was still ongoing.
During this time, Canadian forces were called upon to help relieve a group of British soldiers who were being pinned by Taliban militants in a fierce battle. But because of the distance the British were from the Canadian forces at the time, it slowed the process of Canadian operations in the area of operations in the Panjwaii region. After days of heavy fighting, and a Canadian soldier killed in action, the area was effectively cleared of Taliban militants operating in large groups.
Operation Medusa Panjwaii Combat
After the fighting in July, Canadian and Afghan forces left the Panjwaii region and it once again became a Taliban stronghold and a thorn in the side of Canadian forces in Kandahar province when the Taliban once again poured into the district. The beginning of September saw the beginning of more, much more intense fighting in the Panjwaii region again. And once again it was Canadians spearheading the Operation. Canadian forces on the first day strategically surrounded the Taliban and called in heavy artillery and air strikes while taking no casualties themselves. On the second day Canadians took a big loss though. Four soldiers were killed in two attacks. Three were killed while assaulting a Taliban position and one was killed in a bomb attack. The day after was another bad day, a Canadian soldier was killed and more than thirty others were wounded when an American A-10 accidentally strafed Canadian troops who called in air support while fighting the Taliban. For the next few weeks there was more heavy fighting on a daily basis and the Taliban who had begun fighting the battle in a conventional way of trenches started to retreat from the battlefield. Canadian forces then faced sporadic resistance until the Panjwaii was once again taken under Canadian control. But casualties did not stop there. Reconstruction efforts began immediately and small cells of Taliban fighters returned to their deadly tactics of suicide and roadside bombings.
"The Road to Panjwaii"
After major combat operations of Operation Medusa had ceased, the reconstruction efforts began. One project in particular has become a deadly and dangerous effort to help the local economy grow. Canadian Forces began the construction of a road from the Panjwaii area to outerlying areas including Kandahar city. The purpose of this road was to help the local economy grow by making access to the region much easier. Roadside bombs, booby traps and ambushes targeting Canadian soldiers constructing the road cost the lives of six Canadians. On October 3rd, two Canadians, Sgt. Craig Gillam and Cpl. Robert Mitchell were killed when the Taliban ambushed an Observation Post which had been set up in the area. Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan have said that the quick thinking of Sgt. Gillam helped save the lives of numerous more Canadians during the attack.
Civilian toll
The Battle of Panjwaii was very light on the side of civilian casualties. Many of the civilians left the area before Canadian and Afghan troops moved in. The fact that the fighting during Operation Medusa was a much more conventional way of fighting (trenches and "spider holes") the civilians were out of the combat zones for the most part. This did not stop the Taliban from using houses belonging to civilian populations for cover and it resulted the the destruction of several homes. In late October though, a British unit operating in the area called in an airstrike on a comfirmed Taliban gathering and NATO jets attacked. The bombs killed more that sixty people, most of which the Taliban fighters claimed were civilians intentionally targeted by NATO. This claim was disputed by NATO commanders in Afghanistan who after a short investigation of the site came to their own conclusion that the majority of those killed were, in fact Taliban fighters. NATO did however confirm that a large number of civilians were killed in the attack and quickly made a public apology for the deaths.
 | This article about a battle is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |