![AnacondaAreaOfOperations](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/AnacondaAreaOfOperations.jpg)
The Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between
United States special operations forces and
al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
insurgents fought in March 2002, atop
Takur Ghar mountain in
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 ...
. For the U.S. side, the battle proved the deadliest entanglement of
Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda was a military operation that took place in early March 2002 as part of the War in Afghanistan. CIA paramilitary officers, working with their allies, attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. The operation took place ...
, an effort early 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 ...
to rout al-Qaeda forces from the
Shahi-Kot Valley
The Shah-i-Kot Valley (also Shahi-Kot, Shah-e-Kot and other variant spellings) is a valley in Afghanistan's Paktia province, southeast of the town of Zormat. The terrain in and around the valley is notoriously rugged, located at a mean altitude o ...
and
Arma Mountains
The Arma Mountains are a mountain range in Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and Sou ...
. The battle saw three helicopter landings by the U.S. on the mountain top, each greeted by direct assault from al-Qaeda forces. Although Takur Ghar was eventually taken, seven U.S. service members were killed and 12 others were wounded. The battle is also known as the Battle of Roberts Ridge, after the first casualty of the battle,
Navy SEAL
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...
Neil C. Roberts.
Prelude
In the evening of 3 March 2002, the Task Force 11 leadership essentially ordered the Delta Force AFO commander to pass control of the
AFO teams involved in the Operation Anaconda to the SEALs of Task Force Blue-who were moving teams in from Bagram to
Gardez
, settlement_type =City
, image_skyline =gardez_paktya.jpg
, imagesize =
, image_caption =The Bala Hesar fortress in the center of Gardez City
, image_flag =
, flag_size =
, image_sea ...
for this purpose. The SEALs were not heavily involved in the Operation up to this point but the TF11 commander bluntly ordered their deployment as well as changing the immediate command in an ongoing operation, possibly so that the SEALs could gain combat experience.
The battle
In the late evening of March 3, two SEAL teams from
DEVGRU
The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group") and commonly known as SEAL Team Six, is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often referre ...
, MAKO 30 & MAKO 21, led by Lieutenant Commander
Vic Hyder
Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...
(MAKO 21) and Senior Chief Petty Officer
Britt K. Slabinski
Britt Kelly Slabinski (born December 1, 1969) is a retired United States Navy SEAL who was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 24, 2018, for his actions during the Battle of Takur Ghar. He also participated in the highly publicized rescue mission ...
(MAKO 30), were to arrive in Gardez for immediate insertion into the Shahi-Kot Valley. MAKO 21 planned to link up with AFO team Juliet at the northern end of the valley, resupply it and then establish a hide site/observation post on the eastern ridge above Task Force Rakkasan's blocking position; whilst MAKO 30 planned to establish an observation point on the peak of
Takur Ghar, which commanded a view of the Shahi-Kot valley. Due to time constraints, a helicopter insertion would be needed for the team to reach the peak before dawn. The AFO suggested insertion at a point 1,400 meters (4,300 ft) east of the peak, but due to a delayed B-52 bomber sortie in the area, the team was told to turn back and land at the airstrip near Gardez. Further complications arose during the second lift off as they were delayed due to an air assault in proximity of the LZ. With the threat of daylight getting near, the SEALs chose the peak itself as the insertion point.
[Neville, Leigh, '' Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)'', Osprey Publishing, 2015 , p.58]
The two teams were picked up by two
MH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name, Ch ...
helicopters of the
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Razor 03 and Razor 04, at 11:23 PM on March 3. However, Razor 03 experienced engine difficulties, and two new MH-47s were dispatched to replace the original helicopters. This delay meant that the SEALs could not be inserted into the landing zone east of the peak until 2:30 AM on March 4, with not enough time to reach the peak before daylight.
An
AC-130H Spectre,
Nail 22, flew a reconnaissance mission over the peak prior to the landing and saw no enemy activity, but it was called away to support other troops before Razor 03 and 04 arrived at the landing zone; MAKO 30 team leader was uneasy at the speed with which the sweep was conducted and wondered whether they had the right mountain but he dismissed his doubts and trusted the Spectre's technology.
At around 0245 hours, as Razor 03 flared to land at the LZ and was immediately fired upon by machinegun and RPGs, an RPG struck just behind the cockpit, starting a fire in the cabin. As machinegun rounds penetrated the unarmored Chinook, another
RPG, seconds after the first, hit the Chinook's right-side radar pod, which blew out all electrical power to the helicopter, particularly its miniguns and navigational systems. The Chinook was hit by a further 2 RPGs and more heavy automatic weapons fire from at least three distinct firing points (particularly from a supposedly abandoned DShK position). The Chinook set down at a slight depression, shielding the pilots from the DShK's fire.
The pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Alan Mack, made the call to take the stricken helicopter off; as he brought the Chinook back into the air, PO1 Neil C. Roberts fell out of the open ramp. SOAR crew chief Sgt. Dan Madden grabbed hold of his pack but lost his grip. Razor 03 attempted to return and retrieve him, but the damage prevented proper control and the helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in the valley about 11 kilometers (7 mi) away. Roberts fell 3 m (10 ft) into the snow covering Takur Ghar and activated his infrared strobe to mark his position. Razor 04, piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Jason Friel, returned to the peak to attempt to rescue Roberts, as the Chinook offloaded MAKO 30, they came under immediate fire from the DShK, though it was relatively unscathed and left the AO after MAKO 30 successfully disembarked.
At first, the insurgents didn't spot MAKO 30 in the early morning darkness, MAKO 30 split up into two-man pairs to conduct
bounding movements, making good ground until the enemy spotted them. One team ran across a concealed al-Qaeda bunker and killed 3 fighters before the SEALs were suppressed by other fighters with a PKM machine gun. The firefight lasted 20 minutes before the team leader decided to order his team to break contact, USAF
combat controller
United States Air Force Combat Control Teams, singular Combat Controller (CCT) ( AFSC 1Z2X1), are an elite American special operations force (specifically known as "special tactics operators") who specialize in all aspects of air-ground communi ...
Master Sergeant
John A. Chapman (then Technical Sergeant) and two SEALs were wounded. Mako 30 was forced off the peak due to its losses and requested the assistance of the quick-reaction force mainly made up of Rangers from the
1st Battalion Ranger
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
located at
Bagram Air Base
Bagram Airfield-BAF, also known as Bagram Air Base , is located southeast of Charikar in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. It is under the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Sitting on the site of the ancient Bagram at an elevation of above sea leve ...
, led by Captain
Nate Self
Nathan E. Self (born 1976) is an American author and former United States Army officer. Early life and education
From China Spring, Texas, Self graduated from West Point in 1998. At West Point, he was part of the lightweight football team. Care ...
. Master Sergeant Chapman was mistakenly believed to have been killed prior to Mako 30 withdrawing from the peak. Alone and wounded twice in the torso, facing superior numbers of enemy insurgents, drone footage showed Sergeant Chapman killing at least two of the insurgents, one who was charging at him, one in hand-to-hand combat, before being killed by small arms fire.
The
quick reaction force
In military science nomenclature, a quick reaction force (QRF) is an armed military unit capable of rapidly responding to developing situations, typically to assist allied units in need of such assistance. They are to have equipment ready to res ...
(QRF) consisted of 19 Rangers,
Tactical Air Control Party
The Tactical Air Control Party, commonly abbreviated TACP, is a small team of military personnel who provide coordination between aircraft and ground forces when providing close air support.
Australia
Australian TACPs are provided by the RAAF ...
(TACP) Staff Sergeant Kevin Vance, and a three-man USAF
special tactics team (
PJs and
Combat Controllers
United States Air Force Combat Control Teams, singular Combat Controller (CCT) ( AFSC 1Z2X1), are an elite American special operations force (specifically known as "special tactics operators") who specialize in all aspects of air-ground communi ...
) carried by two Chinooks, Razor 01 and Razor 02. Due to satellite communications difficulties, Razor 01 was mistakenly directed to the "hot" LZ on the peak at . As Air Force rules prohibited AC-130 aircraft from remaining in hostile airspace in daylight after the crash of an AC-130 during the
Battle of Khafji
The Battle of Khafji was the first major ground engagement of the Persian Gulf War. It took place in and around the Saudi Arabian city of Khafji, from 29 January to 1 February 1991 and marked the culmination of the Coalition's air campaign ov ...
in the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
, the AC-130 support (callsign GRIM-32), whose protecting Mako 30 was forced to leave before Razor 01 reached the LZ. During the flight, the Ranger commander was informed that his team was to land and extract a "SEAL sniper team" that was in contact with the enemy, which was false.
[Neville, Leigh, '' Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)'', Osprey Publishing, 2015 , p.65] Further communications difficulties meant that the pilot of the AC-130, GRIM-32, was unaware that Razor 01 was incoming. At approximately 0610 hours, Razor 01, under the command of Captain Nate Self, reached the landing zone. The aircraft immediately began taking fire from RPG, DShK and small arms fire, and the right door
minigun
The M134 Minigun is an American 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute). It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an external power source, normally an electric ...
ner, Sergeant Philip Svitak, was killed and the helicopter pilots, Chief Warrant Officers Greg Calvert and Chuck Gant, were seriously wounded by the small arms fire. An RPG then hit the helicopter, destroying the right engine and forcing it to crash land. As the Rangers and special tactics team exited the aircraft, Private First Class Matt Commons (posthumously promoted to Corporal), Sergeant Brad Crose, and Specialist Marc Anderson were killed (Anderson was shot and killed inside the helicopter while Commons and Crose were gunned down on the helicopter ramp). The surviving crew and quick-reaction force took cover behind a hillock and a fierce firefight began. CPT Self decided to suppress the enemy firing points and launch a counterattack against the peak, bounding forward in subteams (one team firing while the other moved forward). They advanced about 20m before the weight of enemy fire forced them into cover.
Razor 02, which had been diverted to Gardez as Razor 01 was landing on Takur Ghar, returned with the rest of the quick-reaction force at 0625 hours. Razor 02 inserted the other half of the QRF with its force of 10 Rangers at an "offset" landing zone, down the mountain some 800 meters (2,600 ft) east and over 610 meters (2,000 ft) below the mountaintop. The Rangers' movement up the hill was a physically demanding 2-hour effort under heavy mortar fire and in thin mountain air. They climbed the 45-70 degree slope, most of it covered in a meter (3 ft) of snow, weighted down by their weapons, body armor and equipment. By 1030 am local time, the men covered half of the 50m distance to the enemy positions when they were engaged by PKM fire. They were exhausted and the enemy at the top of the hill a mere 50 meters (160 ft) from their position. Meanwhile, the Rangers on the peak called in several Danger Close gun runs from orbiting F-15E and F-16C aircraft to suppress the enemy before again attempting another ground assault. However the Ranger commander realized that what they had assumed was fallen logs and foliage was actually a fortified bunker. He ordered his Rangers to withdraw as they did not have enough men to start clearing them and other prepared positions. The attached USAF CCT, Lawrence Cain vectored in airstrikes to keep the al-Qaeda forces at bay until the rest of the Rangers arrived; the CCT directed a number of strikes on the peak, which were well within the normal safety limits and he also called in a strike from a MQ-1 Predator UAV (which was the first recorded use of the vehicle), one of the two Hellfire missiles it fired collapsed the bunker. As the ten men of Razor 02 arrived, the Rangers prepared to assault the enemy positions. As the Air Force CCT Lawrence Cain called in a last airstrike on the enemy bunkers and with two machine guns providing suppression fire, 14 Rangers stormed the hill as quickly as they could in the knee-deep snow – shooting and throwing grenades. Within minutes, the Rangers took the hill, killing several al Qaeda fighters.
The force was able to consolidate its position on the peak. An enemy counterattack midday mortally wounded Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham, a pararescueman who died six hours after being hit. The wounded were refused
medical evacuation
Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...
during the daylight hours, due to risk of another downed helicopter. However,
Australian SASR soldiers, along with U.S. Air Force Combat Controller Jim Hotaling, had infiltrated nearby prior to the first helicopter crash as part of a long range reconnaissance mission. They remained undetected in an
observation post
An observation post (commonly abbreviated OP), temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers (such as in trench warfare), or to direct fire. In strict military terminology, an ...
through the firefight and CCT Jim Hotaling proved critical in co-ordinating multiple Coalition air strikes to prevent the al Qaeda fighters from overrunning the downed aircraft. This, plus the actions of the two SASR operators working with the 10th Mountain, earned the commander of the Australian SASR force in Afghanistan the U.S. Bronze Star for his unit's outstanding contribution to the war on terrorism.
At 20:15 hours, the quick-reaction force and Mako 30/21 were exfiltrated from the Takur Ghar peak.
For their actions on Takur Ghar, Chapman, Cunningham, and Technical Sergeant Keary J. Miller were awarded the
Air Force Cross, the second highest award for bravery. Chapman and Slabinski were, in 2018, awarded the highest and most prestigious personal military decoration in the US, the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
. Electronics Technician Second Class Brett Morganti was awarded the
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...
.
Fate of Roberts and Chapman
It is not certain whether Roberts died immediately or was killed by opposing fighters. There is a possibility that the sailor was captured by the
al Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...
fighters after being shot in the right leg, and executed later with a single shot to the back of the head. (One of the feeds showed a group of 8–10 fighters huddling around what appeared to be a body; both GRIM-32 and MAKO 30 noted that an
IR strobe
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...
was active, a video feed showed the fighters passing the IR strobe around.)
[Macpherson, Malcolm. ''Roberts Ridge'' Bantam Dell (New York), 2005.:] This report has not been confirmed. MG Frank Hagenbeck did confirm that al Qaeda fighters were seen (on live video feed from a
Predator
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...
drone orbiting the firefight) chasing Roberts, and later dragging his body away from the spot where he fell. Another feed from the same Predator showed a puff of heat
rom a rifle
Rom, or ROM may refer to:
Biomechanics and medicine
* Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient
* Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac
* R ...
and the indistinct figure in front of it fall.
[ Also, the quick-reaction soldiers reported fighters wearing Roberts' gear and finding "a helmet with a bullet hole in it, rom whichit was clear the last person obertsto wear it had been shot in the head".][Naylor, Sean. ''Not a Good Day to Die'' Penguin Group (New York), 2005:] Other reports have Roberts surviving for nearly an hour and inflicting serious casualties on opposing forces with his pistol and grenades before his death.
Predator drone footage also shows the possibility that Chapman was alive and fighting on the peak after the SEALs left rather than being killed outright as thought by MAKO 30. A man was seen fighting in a bunker against multiple enemies until hit by an RPG. If this man was Chapman, he succumbed to a single gunshot wound to the heart "just a mere 45 seconds before... Razor 01 appeared over the mountaintop". The White House announced on July 27, 2018, that Chapman would posthumously receive the Medal of Honor at an August 22, 2018 ceremony.
Col. Andrew N. Milani (former commander of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment) and Dr. Stephen D. Biddle noted in their 2003 United States Army War College
The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...
publication that the Predator was on station 90 minutes after Roberts had fallen; the images that were shot before the Predator had arrived were shot by GRIM-32's Infrared Cameras, although this has not been confirmed by commanders.
Presented with the Air Force analysis in 2016, Colonel Milani submitted an addendum to his paper. "With some of the original uncertainty removed, I can state that the probability now lies more in favor of Chapman surviving the original assault", he wrote.
U.S. casualties
U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU):
PO1 Neil "Fifi" C. Roberts, born 1969, Woodland
A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...
, California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
U.S. Air Force Combat Controller Team:
TSgt John A. Chapman, born 1965, Windsor Locks, CT
Windsor Locks is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,613. It is the site of Bradley International Airport, which serves the Greater Hartford-Springfield region and occupies approxim ...
U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen:
SrA SRA may refer to:
* SRA0 to SRA4, standard paper sizes defined by ISO 217
* Satanic ritual abuse
* SRa or SRA, a type of semiregular variable star
* Senior Airman (SrA), a US Air Force rank
* Septic Reserve Area, for a septic drain field
* The Nat ...
Jason D. Cunningham, born 1975, Carlsbad, New Mexico
Carlsbad ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, Eddy County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city population was 32,238. Carlsbad is centered at the intersection of U.S. R ...
U.S. Army 75th Ranger Regiment:
CPL Matthew A. Commons, born 1981, Boulder City, Nevada
Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon ( ...
SGT Bradley S. Crose, born 1979, Orange Park, Florida
Orange Park is a town in Clay County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb of Jacksonville, in neighboring Duval County. The population was 8,412 at the 2010 census. The name "Orange Park" is additionally applied to a wider area of northern ...
SPC Marc A. Anderson, born 1972, Brandon
Brandon may refer to:
Names and people
*Brandon (given name), a male given name
* Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins
Places
Australia
*Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales
*Brandon, Q ...
, Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
U.S. Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne):
SGT Philip "Spytech" Svitak, born 1970, Neosho, Missouri
Neosho (; originally or ) is the most populous city in Newton County, Missouri, Newton County, Missouri, United States, which it serves as the county seat. With a population of 12,590 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city i ...
Injuries
* Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Stephen “Turbo” Toboz Jr., wounded in the left lower leg.
* Electronics Technician 2nd Class Brett Morganti, wounded in both legs.
* Chief Warrant Officer Donald Tabron, wounded by a single gunshot wound in the index finger.
* Sergeant First Class Cory Lamoreaux, wounded by a single gunshot wound in the abdomen.
* Staff Sergeant David Dube, wounded by a single gunshot wound in the left leg.
* Chief Warrant Officer Greg Calvert, wounded by a single gunshot wound in the left leg.
* Chief Warrant Officer Chuck Gant, wounded by a single gunshot wound in the right hand and RPG fragments.
* Captain Nate Self, wounded by RPG fragments.
* Staff Sergeant Ray DePouli, wounded by RPG fragments.
* Private First Class David Gilliam, wounded by RPG fragments.
* Specialist Aaron Totten-Lancaster, wounded by RPG fragments.
* Staff Sergeant Kevin Vance, wounded by RPG fragments.
In popular culture
*The story of the 2010 video game ''Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
'' is based on the Battle of Takur Ghar with the character "Rabbit" loosely based on Neil "Fifi"[Macpherson, Malcolm. Roberts Ridge Bantam Dell (New York), 2005. Page 39] C. Roberts.
*The captain in charge of Ranger Quick Reaction Force (QRF) on MH-47 call sign Razor 01, Nate Self
Nathan E. Self (born 1976) is an American author and former United States Army officer. Early life and education
From China Spring, Texas, Self graduated from West Point in 1998. At West Point, he was part of the lightweight football team. Care ...
, was dubbed a hero and was subsequently interviewed regarding both the battle and development of PTSD as a result of the incidents. He has written a book entitled "Two Wars" which details his experiences.
*The battle is depicted in an episode of the ''Situation Critical
''Critical Situation'' (also known as ''Situation Critical'' in the UK) is an American documentary television series. Produced in conjunction with the National Geographic Channel, the series examined various disasters or violent incidents. Th ...
'' series, as well as the History Channel series The Warfighters.
References
Bibliography
*MacPherson, M. 2005. ''Roberts Ridge: A Story of Courage and Sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan'', Delacorte,
*Naylor, S. 2005. ''Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda'', Berkley Hardcover, .
Executive Summary of the Battle of Takur Ghar (pdf)
*Self, N. 2008. ''Two Wars: One Hero's Fight on Two Fronts--Abroad and Within'', Tyndale House,
*
External links
Artist's rendition of the battle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takur
Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) involving the United States
Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) involving Australia
Operations involving American special forces
March 2002 events in Asia