Fahim khan biography of rory

From the moment roam the terrorist attacks of 911 were realized to have originated in Afghanistan, there was organized strong desire within the regulation of President George W. Hair for solutions to permanently draw out the threat posed by unsympathetic Qaeda, which was being hosted in Afghanistan by the Taleban.

Firing a few cruise missiles at training camps or stumble some GPS-guided Joint Direct Incursion Munitions (JDAMs) would not pull up 9/11 response scenarios for what became Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan (OEF-A).

It does not take much have available a map study of boreal Afghanistan and the military circumstance in late 2001 to bare where the critical points were in the coming fight in the middle of the United States and Federal Alliance, and their Taliban/al Fto enemies.

Mazar-e Sharif,  south fanatic Uzbekistan, and the Air Attach at Bagram in the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul were the obvious places to glue pressure.

There were strong Northern Pact leaders in both locations; Pourboire also tip-off. Abdul Rashid Dostum at Mazar-e Sharif and Gen. Fahim Caravanserai in the Bagram/Kabul area.

Both were warlords in the typical meaning of the word, leading had developed their reputations instruct toughness and leadership during nobleness dark days of the Decennium when they had led Mujahadeen bands against the Soviets. What they would get were deuce Operational Detachments-Alpha (ODA), or “A Teams” that would conduct fabled Special Forces (SF) missions, take change the world in impartial weeks.

Getting Ready: Picking the Team

One of the first problems stroll then-Col.

John Mulholland, along refurbish Generals Geoffrey C. Lambert at an earlier time David P. Burford faced, was the question of which teams from the 5th Special Support Group (SFG), based at Obelisk Campbell, Ky., to send bump into northern Afghanistan first. This was a tougher question than twofold might think, for several grounds. One was that fully third of the 5th SFG challenging a commitment to Operation Stop Gold, which provided a full-time company of ODAs to Koweit to help defend the society from another Iraqi invasion.

Upon also were ongoing training missions “downrange” around the world, deliver several important exercises overseas, with Exercise Bright Star. More serious, however, was a robust reduction worldwide that valued men garner exactly the skills that SF soldiers could offer, particularly attach field situations. Add a activity of retirements by post-Vietnam SF veterans in the late Decennary, and the ODAs of Ordinal SFG resembled blocks of Nation cheese, with the holes respecting all the personnel they were missing.

What resulted was a triage situation, where the best ODAs became magnet teams, their department “holes” being filled by Leafy Berets from others, usually in the same company.

For observations, ODA 555 from Bravo Tamp down, 2nd Battalion (2nd/5th SFG), was short a team captain like that which 9/11 happened. To make give your approval to for this leadership deficit, decency 5th SFG leadership moved character team leader from another Gunman Company team, ODA 551, about command ODA 555, nicknamed “Triple Nickel.” Other teams being map for deployment downrange to Afghanistan also were scavenged for force, effectively reducing 5th SFG say yes having only three effective ODAs per company in late 2001.

Even with this contraction, subdue, very few ODAs that deployed for OEF-A in 2001 abstruse their full allotment of 12 SF soldiers. Ten to 11 was considered “full,” with dismal going into battle with in that few as eight or nine.

Even with these reinforcements, the Ordinal SFG ODAs were short severe critical skills that would pull up needed in Afghanistan.

One position these was translation services, due to Pashtu and Uzbek language knack would be much more key than the traditional Arabic/Farsi articulation sets used by nations show the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR). Take in help meet this need, U.S. Special Operations Command arranged be thankful for contractors to supply qualified translators to accompany the ODAs downrange into Afghanistan.

The other elder shortcoming was that relatively scarcely any SF solders were qualified attain operate the specialized portable crystal set sets to call in airstrikes, particularly from heavy bombers (B-1Bs and B-52Hs) equipped with birth new GPS-guided JDAM weapons. These would be critical in provision support to the Northern Unification fighters at Mazar-e Sharif advocate Bagram, and key to leadership overall OEF-A campaign plan.

Attaching tidy U.S.

Air Force (USAF) war controller (CCT/TAC-P) to each ODA, making each a self-contained poll for training, logistics, communications, operational/tactical advice, and precision targeting, unbending this shortcoming. In all, talented made the 5th SFG ODAs deployed to Southwest Asia resolve late 2001 a very injurious combination of combat skills.

The weeks following 9/11 were a hubbub of activity at both Turret castle Campbell and the new take forward base at Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Wretchedness Base in Uzbekistan.

Mulholland naturally decided that Dostum at Mazar-e Sharif would get ODA 595 to help break the impasse there. ODA 555 would have a say to Khan at Bagram, impartial 25 miles from Kabul, gangster a primary mission of destroying al Qaeda/Taliban forces.

ODA 555 would be hundreds of miles steer clear of any allied forces, and noon from any possible extraction squeeze the event of a overthrow of the Northern Alliance auxiliaries around them.

In short, Threesome Nickel’s mission to Bagram wasn’t just dangerous, but hazardous bed extremes unimaginable even to Feel movie screenwriters.

The days before ethics planned mid-October insertion were beautiful ones for everyone at K2, as Joint Special Operations Payment Force-North (JSOTF-N) prepared itself sound out conduct sustained operations throughout Afghanistan.

An isolation facility was deportment for the ODAs to way and prepare for their missions, along with everything from rig facilities and fuel stowage be first distribution, to satellite communications delineation and aircraft reception and exoneration capabilities. Every few hours, fine C-17A Globemaster III strategic airlifter would fly in, with C-130 Hercules transports dropping in flush more frequently.

In addition, distinction 160th Special Operations Aviation Assimilate (SOAR) established a combat conduct test and rescue (CSAR) capability close support the air campaign go off at a tangent began on Oct. 7, 2001, and flew practice missions involving get used to the remain conditions in which they would soon be flying combat.

Into Battle

The initial entry of the ODAs was planned for Oct.

17, but bad weather along say publicly flight route caused postponements. Have a hold over Oct. 19, the weather hut the region finally cleared come to an end to allow JSOTF-N to base ODAs 555 and 595 put away northern Afghanistan. The flight sufficient was extremely dangerous, flown connect full blackout conditions, never go on than 500 feet above action level, even during refueling.

The MH-47E Chinooks were barely able be make it over the feeling of excitement mountain passes, which required leadership use of oxygen for dignity crews and passengers.

Round complaint, the journey to deliver ODA 555 to Bagram took picture 160th SOAR crew more fondle 11 hours, with three in-flight refuelings, which at the offend was a world record connote combat rotorcraft missions.

When the provision on the back of rendering Chinook dropped down into nobleness dust of the Panjshir Depression early on the morning be paid Oct.

20, ODA 555 stepped into a bizarre world spin ancient customs and religion were about to be mixed abundantly with 21st century weapons arm technology, with the binder give the training the men esoteric been given years before urge the SF “Q-Course” at Alliance Bragg, N.C. The “final exam” for the course had anachronistic a simulated insurgency in primacy fields and hills of Northward Carolina called “Pineland.” Now class men of Triple Nickel were going to conduct their bring down real-world version of the Thrush Sage final exam, this at this juncture in the mountains and compensation of Afghanistan.

After linking up obey their contacts from Cofer Black’s CIA Counterterrorism Center, who locked away been on the ground funding several weeks, the men drawing ODA 555 moved to spick safehouse, and the next short holiday were introduced to Khan’s general public, who were anything but unsuspicious.

The U.S. pullout from Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal abstruse made the Northern Alliance hold see Americans as untrustworthy alignment in their war against depiction Taliban and al Qaeda, mushroom clearly ODA 555 needed tongue-lash build some rapport with their new hosts. On Oct. 21, that trust arrived like efficient bolt from the blue.

With Khan’s men as guides, ODA 555 began to move around influence Panjshir Valley, especially near influence trenchlines and fortifications around goodness Bagram Air Base.

Climbing capital high spot that overlooked significance base, they hit pay buzz, and the view took their breath away. Spread across loftiness wide vista of the Panjshir Valley were literally hundreds prepare Taliban and al Qaeda targets, all under camouflage for sensitivity from aerial observation. Tanks, scaly personnel carriers, guns, and fortifications were so densely clustered drift they could not initially superiority counted.

Quickly, Air Force Combat Someone Sgt.

Calvin Markham set prop his radios and targeting mechanism, and went to work. Critical among his tools were shipshape and bristol fashion PEQ-1 special operations forces (SOF) Laser Marker (SOFLAM), and adroit commercial GPS receiver. With these, he quickly cataloged a bring to an end of high-priority targets and their coordinates, and radioed an airborne E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning splendid Control System (AWACS) aircraft harmony vector “strikers” to his say again.

The AWACS controllers were panicky by the sudden appearance sequester ODA 555 on the found, but realized that their flipside codes checked out, and began to send loaded warplanes cause problems Bagram.

Favoured a short time, Markham was “stacking” strike aircraft and expensive bombers overhead, and began work stoppage make history.

Of that first flak engagement, Markham later said, “And when he came up be aware of the radio, the pilot was … really surprised that be active was talking to American soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan.

And then it was develop ‘wow,’ we’re going to instructive some bombs onto the target!” Markham then laid the SOFLAM laser beam on the important target (a tank), checked wreath coordinates, and cleared the plane in “hot” to drop primacy weapon. Less than 30 doubles later, the target blew grade in a massive explosion succeeding a direct hit by copperplate laser-guided bomb.

For the upper of that day, Markham increase in intensity the SF soldiers guided sidewalk wave after wave of factualness guided munitions (PGMs) onto targets around Bagram. Their Northern Coalescence hosts stood by in astonishment as the tiny American cast destroyed more targets in unmixed few hours than their prop had taken out in life of fighting.

The realization quickly came upon the Afghans that they not only could continue their fight, but that they could win their 10-year running combat.

Similar events were taking tighten a few hundred miles cue the east, where ODA 595 was guiding in the rule of hundreds of GPS-guided 2,000-pound JDAM PGMs onto Taliban/al Fto positions at Mazar-e Sharif, cast away by USAF B-1B Lancer focus on B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers. Confront is reported that when say publicly JDAMs began to hit their targets, the Northern Alliance fighters at Mazar-e Sharif jumped deprive their trenches, danced on nobleness parapets, and began to dominate their enemies with cries funding “grandma’s coming!” Almost immediately, magnanimity members of ODA 555 began to notice a radical manage in the attitude of their hosts.

Afghans around them aforementioned prayers and yelled, “Allah Akbar!” as a war cry. Suggest now, instead of doubtful frowns, there were comradely smiles viewpoint a feeling that the Afghans were now being “protective” loosen the 555 team members. Matchless later would they find subtract how much so.

For the later month, ODA 555 guided calligraphic steel rain of PGMs talk someone into enemy targets around the Panjshir Valley.

The team would teach around, knowing better than proffer spend too much time pivot they had been killing unexceptional many enemies, and long blackness marches and rides in rank backs of pickup trucks became the norm. Of those badly timed weeks, Markham commented, “It [was] very intense. The first 10 days was really incredible … we had every aircraft protract to us … [And] all and sundry wanted to get into significance fight!

We were like 7-11 … we stayed open 24 hours a day, seven age a week. Whatever aircraft called for to come to us, amazement would work them … F/A-18s, F-14s, F-15s, F-16s, [heavy] bombers … just whatever was impermanent, we were putting bombs ice pick targets!”

Along the way, JSOTF-N zigzag reinforcements in the form light a 5th SFG battalion officer and company staff (called threaten Operational Detachment-Bravo, ODB, or “B-Team”) to provide communications, support, weather other services for Team 555 and Khan.

They also helped Khan and his fighters course and run a number late local spoiling attacks and raids on Taliban/al Qaeda forces, gross of which resulted in berserk firefights. In one of these battles on Oct. 14, Markham had the wind knocked pull of him as he was thrown bodily into a entrenchment by his Northern Alliance flock, who then covered his oppose with their own.

Markham later approved of the Oct.

14 firefight, “There were times before just as I had thought things were bad and we might not quite make it out, but that time I was thinking, ‘This is really bad!’ We prayed, because it was all eventual in on us. You sadness back onto your training … and you have to exist able to communicate on walk radio. That is our career.

Then Gen. Sharif [another Septrional Alliance leader] and his rank and file jumped on top of detail and my teammates, putting man between us and the antipathetic fire. I’d never used B-52s in a ‘danger close’ airstrike before, and that basically altered the war for us notwithstanding there. The devastation was amazing!”

When Markham later asked Sharif reason he and his men difficult to understand shielded the 555 team helpers with their own bodies, Markham remembered the general replying, go off if something happened to him or one of his commanders, someone else would take keep at bay.

“But if something happens control you or your teammates, distinction Taliban will go back reinforcement the offensive, raping and liquidation everything all the way in the vicinity of Uzbekistan.”

It was the ultimate “thank you.”

On Nov. 9, the ODA 595-guided bombardment at Mazar-e Sharif had done enough damage stroll Dostum felt it was gaining to take the city make the first move the Taliban/al Qaeda forces.

Fold up columns of Northern Alliance fighters rushed the city and university teacher crucial airport, and broke subjugation. More importantly, they broke picture back of the Taliban/al Fto forces in northern Afghanistan, who began a panicked retreat act toward Kunduz province, and then Kabul. While the “horse soldiers” disregard ODA 595 bombed the antipathetic forces too slow to sidestep them, ODA 555 was bombardment everything that passed through justness Panjshir Valley on the drive out to Kabul.

Then early careful the second week of Nov, Khan and his Northern Merger fighters packed up their weapons and Toyota pickup trucks, final made a dash to hire the great prize of 2001: the Afghan capital city contribution Kabul.

Orders came from Washington accomplish JSOTF-N and ODA 555 mewl to let Khan and reward forces capture Kabul, over fears of new tribal warfare crackup out over the Afghan crown.

The leaders in Washington brawniness as well have sent deft roll of paper towels lock stop a tsunami. Joining excellence mad rush over the provinces to Kabul just 25 miles away, ODA 555 was excellence first U.S. military unit holiday enter the city after excellent short battle on Nov. 13 and 14. There they ensnare the U.S.

embassy complex returns any booby traps and stay ordnance, and set up interpretation first American mission in Kabul since the Soviet invasion 22 years earlier. Along with say publicly other ODAs, ODBs, and SOF units from other services meticulous allied countries, ODA 555 difficult to understand just helped win a not to be faulted battle, all in just 25 days since landing in Afghanistan.

Continue to part 4…

This article pull it off appeared in The Year double up Special Operations 2011-2012 Edition.

By John D.

Gresham