The Battle of Takur Ghar

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The Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between United States special operations forces and al Qaeda insurgents fought in March 2002, at the top of the Takur Ghar Mountain in Afghanistan. The Battle proved to be the deadliest entanglement of Operation Anaconda, an effort early in the war in Afghanistan to route al Qaeda forces from the Shahi-kot Valley and Arma Mountains. The battle saw three U.S. Helicopters landing on the mountain top, each greeted by direct fire from al Qaeda forces. Although the mountain was eventually taken, seven U.S. service members were killed and many other wounded. In honor of the first casualty of this battle, Navy Seal Neil C Roberts, the battle is also known as the Battle of Roberts Ridge. In the late evening of March 3, two SEAL teams aboard two MH-47s Chinook Helicopters were to arrive in Gardez for immediate insertion into the Shahi-Kot valley. Due to time constrains, a helicopter insertion was needed for the teams to reach the peak before dawn. The two teams were picked up by the two MH-47s, around midnight but one of ...

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