The following addresses the events in Northern Afghanistan between April 2009 and 2014. While this part of the country had long been relatively peaceful compared to the all-out war zones of the south and east, tensions would flare up again in 2008 when the German soldiers deployed to the area came under attack more often, leading to the deaths of several soldiers. Previously hindered by national caveats, the deteriorating security situation prompted the German-led Regional Command North to launch a series of operations to take on the rising insurgency. Concerted operations began after an insurgent attack on PRT Kunduz within minutes of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's departure from a visit. Within two years, the German presence would be doubled, along with a deployment by the United States Army's elite 10th Mountain Division. These additional reinforcements from ISAF were called in, which would set the pace for an extremely aggressive and bloody campaign of the war.
Initial situation
When German troops took over nominal control over Afghanistan's north in 2003, the area was counted among the safest in the whole country, with places such as Kunduz earning the nickname "Bad Kundus" (roughly: Kunduz resort and spa) among German troops due to the notable absence of greater threats to peace and security. This misjudgment was partially a result of the caveat-ridden German military's approach to keeping the peace in the area, reaching out not far enough to actually meet resistance. However, with an increasing toll from suicide and roadside bomb attacks it soon became obvious that NATO's dangerously restrained and considerably under-strength forces in the area—especially from Germany and Hungary—were not able to maintain public order in rural areas. Moreover, a Pashtun minority in several regional "pockets" began to gradually change allegiance and support opposition movements against both foreign troops and other Afghan ethnicities. These conditions would eventually facilitate the insurgency's arrival in the north and threaten a crucial line of communications between the northern border of Afghanistan and Kabul, the capital. Due to similar problems in Regional Command West's area of responsibility, other insurgent groups and bands of criminals were able to get a foothold in the far west of Regional Command North as well.
Qari Bashir Haqqani, the Taliban commander for Kunduz province, had in 2008 already vowed to increase his men's efforts against the Germans. Reluctant to engage directly, the Taliban mainly relied on guerilla tactics, killing three Germans over the year and wounding more than thirty along with causing casualties among the mountain Afghan security forces. This trend continued until 2009 (hitherto German troops had only been involved in a handful of firefights with opposing forces). In mid-2009 though, the number of direct contacts had already exceeded the total of the prior seven years. A similar development struck Faryab province and the surrounding districts: having already taken action to rout the Taliban, the Norwegian forces of PRT Meymaneh saw themselves increasingly threatened by insurgent activities.
ISAF commander Stanley McChrystal expressed his concerns about Northern Afghanistan. He described Kunduz, Baghlan and the northwest of the country as places where security was deteriorating in a particularly worrying manner, requiring the concerted actions of all allies.
With casualties rising, Berlin agreed to revise its contingent's rules of engagement. The German military immediately began joint operations with Afghan security forces in accordance with ISAF's "Afghan-face" strategy in April 2009, and continued to conduct its own operations to improve security as well as supporting other allies in their operations. Halfway through the year, three major hotspots of anti-government and anti-ISAF activity had been identified: Kunduz's Chardara district with the adjacent road to Baghlan province, Baghlan province itself, and the western Faryab province.
Following the Kunduz airstrike against two captured fuel tankers in September 2009 which killed insurgents as well as scores of civilians who had gathered to steal fuel from a Taliban-captured fuel truck, the German government finally reclassified the Afghanistan deployment in February 2010 as an "armed conflict within the parameters of international law", allowing German forces to act without risk of prosecution under German law. While the German contingent had previously relied on lightly armoured and -armed infantry mobility vehicles such as the Dingo and the Fennek armoured reconnaissance vehicle (along with unarmoured utility vehicles), heavy weapons were now brought to the area. While addressing troops in the wake of a deadly attack on April 15, 2010, then Minister of Defence Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg announced his decision to deploy Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Pzh2000 self propelled artillery to Kunduz in order to better protect troops and "max" their "punch". The military would also go on to acquire new weapons and vehicles better suited for combat in the hot and rugged Afghan countryside. Around the same time, US forces were called into Northern Afghanistan to reinforce the German contingent and provide Regional Command North with direly needed aviation and air mobility assets. ISAF's headquarters in Kabul decided to upgrade its northern presence and placed a German Major-General in command.
Order of battle
Afghan government and allied forces
- Afghan National Army
- 209th Corps (Afghanistan)
- 3 brigades (12 battalions)
- Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (22 advisors)
- Afghan National Police
- Afghan militia
- Governors' militias
- Local self-defense groups
- United States Armed Forces
- United States Army
- 10th Mountain Division
- Special Forces
- Delta Force
- 75th Ranger Regiment
- United States Air Force
- Bundeswehr
- Regional Command North (Regionalkommando Nord)
Insurgents
- Taliban
- al-Qaeda
- Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
- Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin
- Several other militant factions and militias
Operations
Concerted operations began with numerous raids and "provocative patrols" into the Taliban heartland, already dubbed "Talibania" by German troops. Four insurgents and two ANA soldiers were killed in various engagements and more than 40 insurgents were captured, with large amounts of weapons and explosives seized. German troops tried to maintain a presence even in remote areas during these weeks and were frequently attacked in the face of an overall deteriorating situation in all RC-North: On April 17, 2010, a Norwegian officer was killed when his patrol struck a roadside bomb. On April 29, German troops made a concentrated advance into Chardara district and suffered 15 casualties when they were attacked by suicide bombers and came under heavy fire by an overwhelming insurgent force. A trooper of 2nd company, 292nd Light Infantry Battalion was killed in action, marking the first time since World War II that a German soldier would fall in combat. German troops were attacked regularly during the following weeks.
Another attempt to regain control over Chardara was initiated on May 7. By late noon, a large group of insurgents assaulted a German infantry detachment reconnoitering the district's borders. Responding reinforcements surrounded the attackers and battled them for more than a day in a fierce engagement which also involved allied close air support and Afghan forces, of whom one police officer was wounded in action. At least seven insurgents were killed, 14 more wounded and numerous captured. On the same day, troops of PRT Faizabad conducted an operation to detain notable leaders of the insurgency in Northern Afghanistan; A high-profile arrest was made when German special forces operatives arrested Abdul Razeq, the Taliban commander for Northeast Afghanistan. One KSK operative suffered minor wounds.
Additionally reinforcements were deployed to PRT Kunduz, almost doubling the garrison there. The security situation had turned notably worse. All girl schools in Chardara had to be closed for fear of imminent terrorist attacks. Manpower shortages did not allow German forces to uphold a permanent deterrence against armed militias, crippling the long-term effect of their actions. However, German and Afghan troops increased their efforts to take on the Taliban in different operations of various character. On May 15, ANSF killed Qari Sidiqulla, a Taliban district commander for Imam Sahib, in Imam Sahib's Sharawan region. Three of his fighters were also killed. In the same week, the Taliban tried to assassinate Mohammad Omar, the Governor of Kunduz. He and his bodyguard were slightly wounded. On July 1, four ANSF personnel were killed in Chahardara.
Operation Sahda Ehlm
On June 4, German forces including the quick reaction element of Regional Command North undertook another concentrated advance into rebellious Chardara district after a patrol had been ambushed close to a bordering wetlands. German troops encountered resistance and killed at least ten militants in heavy fighting. During the fighting, Master Sergeant Daniel Seibert, a squad leader with 2nd company, 212th mechanized infantry battalion and Master Sergeant Jan Hecht, a squad leader with 2nd Company, 391st Mechanized Infantry Battalion led a daunting counterattack to save the lives of a German recce party in distress and were later awarded Germany's highest military award.
Later on, a German unit was ambushed at the same places as it tried to recover a vehicle disabled by hostile fire. Two Germans were wounded in the attack, while at least one attacker was killed and two were wounded. For having evacuated a critically wounded German while under hostile fire that day, Sergeant First Class Steffen Knoska, a squad leader with 2nd Company, 1st Air Assault Regiment would also be awarded for valor.
Prolonged fighting continued between the Taliban and various coalition forces. Two Afghan National Army soldiers were killed, and two Afghan soldiers and a Belgian soldier wounded in action. Four American soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb on June 7. A local Afghan official was murdered by the Taliban in Shir Khan on June 17.
Another heavy engagement took place on June 23 – this time only a few kilometres off the outskirts of Kunduz – when 2nd Company, 391st Mechanized Infantry Battalion and 1st Company, 263rd Airborne Battalion as well as Afghan troops clashed with insurgent forces. At least three Taliban were killed in action and three German soldiers were killed when their armored personnel carrier attempting to evade RPG fire slid down a bank, fell into an irrigation ditch and rolled over. Regular fighting and hostile attacks continued over the following days but resulted in few or no casualties among allied troops. PRT Kunduz and adjacent government facilities in Kunduz were now regularly attacked with mortars and unguided rockets. Potential disaster was only narrowly avoided when a 122 mm rocket hit the PRT's mess building, piercing a wall but failing to detonate.
Operation Oqab (Eagle)
"Thank God (...) the Marders came and suppressed the enemy."
- A German mechanized infantry soldier during the campaign's Operation Oqab, marking the first time ever the Marder IFV saw combat service.
July's joint Afghan-German efforts led to more fierce confrontations from July 18 onward. For the first time in the war, the Germans would deploy infantry fighting vehicles and artillery, killing a large number of insurgents on July 19; in addition to the heavy weaponry's first use in earnest, American A-10 Warthogs flew several close air support sorties. On one occasion a Belgian-mentored Afghan unit was trapped and had to be relieved by the German mechanized infantry; at least 16 Taliban were killed, 12 wounded and 14 captured. Fighting erupted once more on July 20 when two Afghan civilians, mistaken for hostile individuals, were also among the killed. The Taliban murdered approximately 20 civilians in two separate incidents as retaliation on July 22.
By the end of July, Chardara had almost been cleared of Taliban.