Operation Mountain Fury

Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014)

A soldier searches for weapons caches in the village of Alizai in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.

Date	September 16, 2006 – January 15, 2007
Location	Paktika, Khost, Ghazni, Paktia, Logar
Result	Coalition victory

Belligerents

Coalition:

Afghan National Army

Canada

United States

United Kingdom

Netherlands

Italy

Estonia

Taliban

al-Qaeda

Commanders and leaders

Gen. David Richards

Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani †

Strength

7,000 (4,000 Afghan and 3,000 ISAF) [1]

Unknown

Operation Mountain Fury was a NATO-led operation begun on September 16, 2006 as a follow-up operation to Operation Medusa, to clear Taliban rebels from the eastern provinces of Afghanistan. Another focus of the operation was to enable reconstruction projects such as schools, health-care facilities, and courthouses to take place in the targeted provinces.

During the operation, the Taliban suffered large losses during direct battle with NATO coalition forces; as a result, they are expected to focus more on tactics such as the use of Improvised Explosive Devices, according to sources such as NATO's top commander James L. Jones and Canadian defence minister Gordon O'Connor. Jones also linked the large-scale production of opium to increased insurgent violence.

The Canadian forces began reconstruction efforts after major combat operations of Operation Medusa had ceased. But they still encountered fierce fighting. Canadian Forces began the construction of a road, code-named "Summit", from the Panjwaii area to outlying areas including Kandahar city. But the Taliban continued to attack them both in Panjwaii and in Kandahar city with ambushes, IED attacks or suicide bombings taking the lives of Canadian soldiers along with some Americans. The Canadian involvement in operation Mountain Fury was stepped up when they mounted an operation of their own called Operation Falcon's Summit on December 15, 2006. During Falcon Summit, the Canadians gained control of several key villages and towns that were former Taliban havens, such as Howz-E Madad. During the first week of the operation, massive Canadian artillery and tank barrages were carried out in a successful attempt to clear pockets of Taliban resistance.

Meanwhile, the Americans began their combat operations against the Taliban forces that were entrenched in the mountains on the border with Pakistan in the east in the provinces of Paktika, Khost, Ghazni, Paktia, Logar and Nuristan. The 10th Mountain Division led the charge establishing many remote outposts in regions that were previously Taliban dominated. These outposts came almost under continued attacks as well as did the American combat patrols which resulted in almost 150 casualties inflicted on the Americans in two and a half months by the beginning of December.

...
Wikipedia