Battle of Tarinkot

The Battle of Tarinkot took place in 2001 during the War in Afghanistan. On November 14, 2001, ODA 574 and Hamid Karzai inserted into Uruzgan Province via 4 MH-60K helicopters[2] with a small force of guerrillas.[3] In response to the approach of Karzai's force, the inhabitants of the town of Tarinkot revolted and expelled their Taliban administrators. Karzai traveled to Tarinkot to meet with the town elders. While he was there, the Taliban marshaled a force of 500 men to retake Tarinkot. Karzai's small force plus the American contingent, which consisted of US Army Special Forces from ODA 574 and their US Air Force Combat Controller, Tech Sergeant Alex Yoshimoto,[4] were deployed in front of the town to block their advance. Relying heavily on close air support directed by Yoshimoto, the American/Afghan force managed to halt the Taliban advance and drive them away from the town.[5]

Battle of Tarinkot
Part of the United States invasion of Afghanistan
DateNovember 13–14, 2001
Location
Tarinkot, Afghanistan
Result Eastern Alliance/American victory
Belligerents
Eastern Alliance
 United States		 Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Commanders and leaders
Afghanistan Hamid Karzai
United States Jason Amerine		 Unknown
Strength
30–60
11 soldiers (ODA 574 and 1 AFSOC CCT)[1]		 500[1]
Casualties and losses
20 killed 300+ killed

The defeat of the Taliban at Tarinkot was an important victory for Karzai, who used the victory to recruit more men to his fledgling guerrilla band. His force would grow in size to a peak of around 800 men. On November 30, they left Tarinkot and began advancing on Kandahar.

The story has been told in The Only Thing Worth Dying For, by Eric Blehm, detailing the experiences of Operational Detachment Alpha 574, a U.S. Army Special Forces ODA.

References
  1. "On The Ground - The Battle Of Tarin Kowt | Campaign Against Terror | FRONTLINE | PBS". www.pbs.org.
  2. Neville, Leigh, Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military), Osprey Publishing, 2015 ISBN 978-1472807908, p.43
  3. "TIME's Asian Journey | Afghanistan: Home Free". Archived from the original on 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  4. Jon, Dwight (2012-12-16). "Eleven Men at the Gates of Kandahar - Special Operations Forces and Operation Enduring Freedom". Defense Media Network. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  5. "The United States Army in Afghanistan - Operation ENDURING FREEDOM - October 2001-March 2003". Archived from the original on 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2009-05-27.

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