Angur Ada raid

Part of the War in North-West Pakistan

Date	September 3, 2008
Location	Angur Ada, South Waziristan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan
Result	American victory

Belligerents

United States

Taliban,
Hezb-e-Islami

Strength

45 U.S. Navy SEALs

Approximately 120–130 fighters

Casualties and losses

Unknown

Estimated 20 people killed, civilian number unclear

The Angur Ada raid (Pashto: د انګور اډې بريد‎) was a covert raid conducted by U.S. Navy SEALs against Taliban fighters on September 3, 2008, within the border town of Angur Ada in South Waziristan. It was the first time American Troops fought a ground-based battle against the Taliban within Pakistani borders. The raid took place at the same time as Pakistani military forces ended a four-week offensive in Bajaur, the northernmost Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of which South Waziristan is the southernmost, an offensive that has displaced approximately half a million people.

By September 2008, the trail of intelligence to find Osama bin Laden, had gone cold, and then-Vice Admiral William McRaven wanted to jump-start the effort. The target of the raid was a minor al-Qaeda facilitator. The raid was carried out by operators from DEVGRU's (also known as SEAL Team 6) Blue Squadron.

The raid occurred in the village of Mūsā Nīkə (موسی نيکه) of the Angur Ada region of South Waziristan, Pakistan, less than one mile (1.6 km) from the border of Afghanistan. The operation was executed at 3:00 AM local time (23h00 in UTC). Though the U.S. has performed missile strikes in Pakistan before, this is reportedly the first time U.S. troops have taken ground action within the country against Taliban fighters. According to some early reports, roughly twenty people, possibly including three women and four children, were killed in the raid. However, it is not clear whether these were civilians or combatants; an American official stated that the women killed were helping the hostile militants.

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