''Operation Kaika'' was a joint operation between American Special Forces and Afghan National Army soldiers, to establish a control base as part of the larger Operation Mountain Thrust, and clear

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

fighters from three villages about 12 miles southwest of

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...

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 ...

in June 2006. The battle took an unexpected twist when Afghan forces "laid siege" to the American-supported troops, "convinced they had the Americans cornered", the militants spearheaded three large assaults over the course of three days. It became "one of the most sustained battles" of the war.Netzer, Jaime. Veterans of Foreign Wars,
Two Afghanistan Battles Demonstrate American Gallantry in Action

Opening

As the American-led force of 9 Special Forces soldiers, 8 regular American soldiers and 48 Afghan soldiers approached the villages to be "swept" for insurgents, they were surprised to find the Afghan militants had "sophisticated communications" and heavy weaponry awaiting their arrival - and were quickly surrounded. Pinned down in the city, the Americans organised a team of 20 Afghan soldiers and several Special Forces to try and penetrate the surrounding teams of militants and make it through to the village's graveyard, where it was believed the militants were being commanded. The militants allowed the small splinter group to "escape" to the graveyard, where they discovered it had been a trap and they were surrounded. American Sgt. Matthew Binney was wounded by machine gun fire in the head, shoulder and arm. Sgt. Joe Fuerst was mortally wounded by the shock of a

rocket propelled grenade A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads ar ...

and Master Sgt. Thomas Maholic was killed by a single gunshot wound in the head. The Afghan interpreter with them, dubbed "Jacob", then heard the militants yell out to him, explaining that they wanted to capture the Americans alive, and would allow him to leave unharmed. "Jacob" then radioed back to Ford's crew who were still pinned down in the village and requested permission to kill the two wounded Americans to prevent their capture. He was chastised, and Ford promised him that help was en route. American airstrikes, including close support by

AH-64 Apache The Boeing AH-64 Apache () is an American twin- turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night v ...

helicopters, allowed the US and Afghan troops to escape while inflicting heavy losses on the Taliban. Two US Army soldiers, and approximately 120 insurgents were killed.

Aftermath

Captain Sheffield Ford, Master Sgt. Thomas Maholic (posthumously), Sgt. Matthew Binney and Sgt. 1st Class Abram Hernandez were awarded the Silver Star for their actions in the battle, while Sgt. 1st Class Tony Pastor, Sgt. 1st Class Ebbon Brown, Staff Sgt. Ariel Aponte, Staff Sgt. Charles Lyles and Staff Sgt. Michael Sanabria were awarded the Bronze Star with

"V" device A "V" device is a metal capital letter "V" with serifs which, when worn on certain decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes an award for heroism or valor in combat instead of for meritorious service or achievement. ...

for valor. Master Sgt. Brendan O'Connor, was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by the United States government for his actions during the operation.Maurer, "Soldier Shed Armor To Save Wounded"

References

* Maurer, Kevin, "Soldier Shed Armor To Save Wounded", ''

Fayetteville Observer ''The Fayetteville Observer'' is an American English-language daily newspaper published in Fayetteville, North Carolina. As the oldest North Carolina newspaper, the paper was founded in 1816 as the ''Carolina Observer''. It was locally owned by ...

'', April 20, 2008. * CBS
"Green Berets Recount Deadly Taliban Ambush"
'' 60 Minutes'', April 20, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaika Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) involving the United States Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)