The Battle of Doan was a ground battle in the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) *Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...

fought in Doan Village on 9 September 2011 between forces of the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

and elements of 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 ...

accompanied by units of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

deployed under

Operation Slipper The Australian contribution to the war in Afghanistan has been known as Operation Slipper (2001–2014) and Operation Highroad (2015-2021). Australian Defence Force (ADF) operations and the size of the forces deployed have varied and ADF invo ...

. The Taliban fired harassing fire at an Australian and Afghan patrol near the village of Doan, in

Oruzgan Province Uruzgan (Dari), also spelled as Urozgan or Oruzgan, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Uruzgan is located in the center of the country. The population is 436,079, and the province is mostly a tribal society. Tarinkot serves as th ...

, causing the loss of one Australian vehicle, with one soldier wounded. One person was arrested, while casualties on the Taliban side are unknown.

Background

The village of Doan is located in the western part of Oruzgan Province which is often called the "Wild West of Oruzgan" due to the high level of violent attacks. One of the most remote outposts in Oruzgan is Patrol Base Tinsley, which is where Australians train their Afghan colleagues. Part of their training involves patrols in order to halt the advance of the Taliban. The Australians and ANA conducted a three-day joint patrol to the village of Doan. During this time, they were constantly being engaged by sporadic fire from the 'green zone'.

Battle

On 9 September 2011 a joint patrol of Australians from Combat Team Charlie, Mentoring Task Force 3 and ANA troops came under Taliban fire near Doan. The patrol made its way through the village before exchanging fire on the outskirts of Doan. RPGs and a mortar crew added to the coalition's firepower. During the battle, a Bushmaster vehicle was destroyed when it hit an IED whilst under fire, a digger was wounded and airlifted to hospital. The Taliban eventually fortified themselves on a hill and managed to counter all attacks. The fighting dragged on well into the night until an airstrike was called in and US fighter jets bombarded Taliban positions, ending the battle.

Aftermath

The Australian who was wounded was airlifted to a Coalition hospital in Tarin Kowt and treated for his injuries. A

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...

of US soldiers of the 29th Infantry Division which had been assigned as the security force for the region's Civil Affairs forces, assisted in the Quick Reaction Force (QRF), casevac, and resupply of Australian forces. Over the previous few days, US forces had conducted combat operations in the Kod Valley to the north of Doan. It is estimated that a small number of Taliban were killed during the battle, primarily due to the airstrike. During the battle, the Australians arrested a local Afghan on suspicion of aiding the Taliban. No civilians were killed or injured and the village of Doan was secured..

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doan, Battle of Conflicts in 2011 2011 in Afghanistan Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) involving Australia Urozgan Province Wars involving the Taliban Battles in 2011 September 2011 events in Afghanistan