The Battle of Barawala Kalay Valley was a battle that took place 29 March 2011 – 8 April 2011 in Barawala Kalay Valley,

Kunar Province Kunar (Pashto: ; Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. Its population is estimated to be 508,224. Kunar's major political groups include Wahhabis or Ahl-e- Ha ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. The battle was part of the

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) The War in Afghanistan was an armed conflict that began when an Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom, international military coalition led by the United States launched United States invasion of Afghanistan, an invasion of Afghanistan, ...

. The goal was to close down the Taliban supply route through the Barawala Kalay Valley and to remove the forces of Taliban warlord

Qari Ziaur Rahman Qari Ziaur Rahman is a citizen of Afghanistan who is reported to be a leader of the Taliban's and al-Qaeda's leadership. He was believed to have been killed in March 2011 during an attack on militants by the Pakistani military, however Ziaur Ra ...

from the Barwala Kalay Valley. The United States was represented by 2nd Battalion,

327th Infantry Regiment The 327th Infantry Regiment (Bastogne Bulldogs) is an infantry regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) of the United States Army. During World War II, the 327th was a glider-borne regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. It fough ...

(2/327th Infantry) part of the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

. The 2nd Battalion is also known as the "No Slack Battalion." The 101st Airborne Division ("Screaming Eagles") is a modular specialized

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

trained for

air assault Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind e ...

operations. Most of the 101st Airborne Division's operations are conducted by highly mobile teams behind enemy lines. It is one of the most famous and highly decorated divisions in the United States Army.Wikipedia The 2/327th Infantry was supported by the

Afghan National Army Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia * Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity **Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

. The 2/327th Infantry found itself under heavy small arms fire from multiple directions from Taliban insurgents. ABC News correspondent

Mike Boettcher Mike Boettcher (born 1954) is an American journalist and war correspondent. He is often embedded in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is also a visiting professor at the University of Oklahoma. Reporting from Key West, Florida on June 1, 1980 about the M ...

was on scene and he called it the fiercest fighting he has ever seen in his 30 years of being in war zones. The Taliban would engage the 2/327th Infantry with heavy small arms fire for five continuous hours on 29 March 2011. The 2/327th Infantry would suffer 6 soldiers killed and another 7 soldiers wounded. The 2/327th Infantry would inflict heavy casualties upon the Taliban, killing more than 100 Taliban insurgents. There were seven Medical Evacuation flight attempts within two hours in an effort to evacuate the 2/327th Infantry's wounded.

United States Air Force Pararescue Pararescuemen (also known as PJs) are United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and Air Combat Command (ACC) operators tasked with recovery and medical treatment of personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. These speci ...

personnel conducted the first rescue attempt, but their pilot was shot in the process and their helicopter was forced to return to its base. The 101st Airborne Division would eventually receive strong air support. American helicopters from Task Force Six Shooters and bombers conducted bombing missions against Taliban positions once the weather permitted. The 2/327th Infantry would go on to eventually secure Barawala Kalay Valley closing down a key Taliban supply route in the process. Taliban warlord Qari Ziaur Rahman and his fighters were also driven out of the valley.

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* * * * * * {{coord missing, Afghanistan 2011 in Afghanistan Barawala Kalay Valley Barawala Kalay Valley March 2011 events in Afghanistan April 2011 events in Afghanistan