Key Facts
- Duration
- 30 May – 14 June 2007 (15 days)
- ISAF & ANA troops deployed
- 2,000
- Helicopter crash fatalities
- 7 (5 American, 1 British, 1 Canadian)
- Estimated Taliban drowned
- Up to 80 in two river-crossing incidents
- Objective
- Remove Taliban presence near Kajaki Sofle
Strategic Narrative Overview
Launched before dawn on 30 May 2007, ISAF and Afghan National Army personnel advanced on Kajaki Sofle while elements of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division conducted a night aerial assault on a Taliban compound. A Chinook was reportedly struck by an RPG and crashed, killing seven coalition personnel. By 2 June NATO reported surrounding pockets of Taliban fighters. Gun battles, air strikes, and two river-crossing disasters in which up to 80 Taliban fighters drowned marked the operation's middle phase.
01 / The Origins
By mid-2007 the Taliban maintained a significant presence around the village of Kajaki Sofle, roughly ten kilometres south-west of Kajaki town, threatening stability across the Lower Sangin Valley in southern Helmand Province. NATO commanders ordered a direct follow-up to Operation Achilles, which concluded simultaneously, intending to displace the insurgent force and create conditions for reconstruction and governance to take hold in the area.
03 / The Outcome
The operation concluded on 14 June 2007 without a formally declared territorial outcome. Taliban casualties included dozens killed in air strikes and gun battles, plus up to 80 drowned attempting to cross the Helmand River. Royal Engineers simultaneously began reconstruction projects such as irrigation ditches to build local support. No territorial change was formally documented, and insurgent activity in Helmand continued after the operation ended.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.