Operation Avalanche was a four-week

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

-led aggression in December 2003 designed to disrupt a resurgence in insurgent activity in the southeastern territory of

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 ...

and to establish conditions for the provision of

humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...

. Described by the U.S. government as the biggest ground operation in Afghanistan since the fall 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 ...

in late 2001, the offensive led to the capture of more than 100 suspects and the deaths of 10. Two soldiers from the US backed

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 ...

were killed. The operation was marred by the accidental killings of 15 children in raids on suspected insurgents. The operation involved 2,000 U.S. soldiers supported by Western backed Afghan troops, but failed to engage any Taliban or allied insurgents. Patrols were conducted and caves searched over a 40 square mile (100 km²) area. Little of note was discovered in the caves.

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In Afghanistan, US forces launch "Operation Avalanche"
Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) involving the United States Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) {{US-mil-operation-stub