Battle of Ganjgal

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Battle of Ganjgal
Part of the
War in Afghanistan

U.S. Army's "Battlescape" diagram
DateSeptember 8, 2009
Location
Ganjgal village, Kunar Province, Afghanistan
Result U.S./Afghan victory
Belligerents
 United States
 Islamic Republic of Afghanistan		 Afghanistan Taliban
Commanders and leaders
 Unknown
Units involved

Joint United States/Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

No specific units
Strength
soldiers
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 30 border policemen[4]
 Approx. 150 insurgents[3]
Casualties and losses
5 killed[5]
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 8 killed		 estimated 16 killed

The Battle of Ganjgal took place during the

Navy Cross.[7][8]

Background

On September 3 an

Afghan Army and National Police forces on a patrol operation around Dam Dara, a village about a mile from Ganjgal. The villagers reacted cordially but the ETT and its Afghan allies took small arms fire upon leaving Dam Dara from a small group of men on a ridge outside the village. After the brief attack the village elders of nearby Ganjgal renounced the attackers and requested that the coalition forces return to their village to conduct a census of military age males and assist in the rebuilding of the local mosque. The original date of September 7 was pushed back by the ETT at the last minute in order to ensure that their National Police forces were adequately prepared for the coming operation.[3]

Engagement

The following day, on September 8, an alternate Training Team, ETT 2-8, set out with their allied Afghan forces to Ganjgal. During their mission planning, it was made clear that no dedicated close air support would be available for the mission but commanders promised artillery support from nearby forward bases. In addition, ETT 2-8 was told that, in case of emergency, helicopter support could be redirected from an operation in a neighboring valley within five minutes.[9] Initial intelligence available to the team indicated that Taliban forces were aware of the pending mission and were setting up ambush positions within the village with a forward force of at least 20 fighters. Concerned with both losing the initiative and the safety of the anti-Taliban village elders, ETT 2-8 decided to proceed with the mission and engage the Taliban forces.[3]

Just after dawn, after inserting into the valley and approaching Ganjgal, the Task Force came under

civilian casualties. Both an Army artillery NCO and an Air Force JTAC took immediate action to provide the ambushed US/Afghan unit with fire support, but they were overruled by the command post.[6] ETT 2-8 informed their command post that they were not near the village but were again denied fire support. ETT 2-8 began calls for emergency helicopter support but the adjacent helicopter assets were tied up and taking fire in support of another operation.[citation needed
]

The coalition forces were taking increasing fire and could observe women and children shuttling fresh ammunition to Taliban fighting positions.

flanking positions when helicopter support arrived and began to attack Taliban positions. This arrival allowed the wounded to be pulled out and for three Marines to fight their way back up the hill to retrieve fallen comrades. By the time Task Force Chosin had totally disengaged, the firefight had lasted for nearly nine hours.[10]

The position occupied by the three dead Marines and the Navy corpsman had been overrun by the enemy, who stripped the bodies of their gear and weapons. The bodies were recovered after their comrades (including Medal of Honor recipients Dakota Meyer and William D. Swenson) braved enemy fire to return to the location.[11][12]

Aftermath

After the battle, coalition forces speculated that elements within the Afghan National Police forces and local villagers had informed nearby Taliban forces of the mission's timing and location. In addition, an investigation was launched into the lack of requested fire and air support. While members of the task force publicly blamed McChrystal's new rules of engagement, which were also cited by personnel at the command post, the investigation placed most blame on the battalion leadership concluding it had been "negligent".

1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, out of Fort Drum, New York, had exhibited "negligent leadership" which had directly contributed to the loss of life in the battle. Two of the three officers, Major Peter Granger and Captain Aaron Harting, were given formal reprimands.[11][13]

In September 2012, a

201st Corps who had been present at the battle. The Afghan soldiers disputed portions of the US Marine Corps's account of the battle, stating that the Taliban did not charge Meyer's vehicle and that only two dead Taliban were found after the battle. The Afghan soldiers stated that it was the belated arrival of attack helicopters which finally chased away the Taliban, not the actions of any of the U.S. soldiers or Marines on the ground. The Afghans added that the three Marines and naval corpsman, 1st Lt. Michael Johnson, Staff Sgt. Aaron Kenefick, Gunnery Sgt. Edwin W. Johnson, and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class James Layton, were killed after remaining behind to cover the withdrawal of the Afghan soldiers from the ambush site.[14][15]
Marine First Sergeant Christopher Garza suffered a near-total loss of hearing and a serious concussion from a rocket-propelled grenade explosion.

Several members of ETT 2-8 were cited for valor with several Bronze Stars and a single Medal of Honor was awarded to Meyer. Two Marines, Captain Ademola D. Fabayo, 30, and Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, 34, were awarded the

Navy Cross for their actions during the battle.[11]

William D. Swenson

Due to his actions during the battle, former Army Captain

inspector general inquiry due to the delay.[22] Swenson was awarded the Medal of Honor on October 15, 2013.[23]

References

  1. ^ "Official Citation". army.mil. United States Army. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  2. ^ "Ademola D. Fabayo". militarytimes.com. Gannett. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e Dan Lamothe. "Heroism in ambush may yield top valor awards". Marine Corps Times. Archived from the original on 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  4. ^ "Battlescape". army.mil. United States Army. Retrieved 29 August 2014. The overall column consisted of 106 personnel, which included 60 Afghan National Army, or ANA, soldiers, 14 ANA mentors, 30 Afghan Border Police, or ABP, members, and U.S. Army Soldiers Capt. William Swenson and Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Westbrook, both advisors to the ABP.
  5. ^ a b Dan Lamothe. "Rep. wants answers on Ganjgal ambush probe". Military Times.
  6. ^ a b c Dan Lamothe. "Report: Army denied aid to team under fire". Marine Corps Times. Archived from the original on 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  7. ^ Dan Lamothe. "Ambush survivor up for Medal of Honor". Navy Times.
  8. ^ Army News Service. "Army Ranger to be awarded Medal of Honor". Stars and Stripes.
  9. ^ a b Jonathan S. Landay. "'We're pinned down:' 4 U.S. Marines die in Afghan ambush". McClatchy. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02.
  10. ^ a b Jonathan S. Landay. "Deadly Afghan ambush shows perils of ill-supplied deployment". McClatchy. Archived from the original on 2011-09-15. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
  11. ^ a b c Lamothe, Dan (10 June 2011). "Marines receive Navy Cross for Ganjgal heroics". Marine Corps Times. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  12. ^ "Official Citation: Captain William D. Swenson". U.S. Army. 2013. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013.
  13. ^
    Military Times
    , 20 August 2012, p. 20
  14. McClatchy News Service
    , 13 September 2012
  15. ^ Afghan soldiers recount 4 U.S. troops’ heroic deaths at Ganjgal
  16. Seattle Times
    . Retrieved 15 March 2012. The Wall Street Journal reported that Swenson has been recommended for the medal by Gen. John Allen, the top commander in Afghanistan, who last month reopened an investigation into the battle.
  17. Time Warner
    . Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  18. ^ Dan Lamothe (13 September 2011). "Afghan ambush heroics go unrecognized". Army Times. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  19. McClatchy News Service
    ), 7 August 2012
  20. ^ Dan Lamothe (14 August 2012). "Congressman links Swenson, Peralta MoH cases". Army Times. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  21. ^ Dan Lamothe (16 January 2013). "Congressman: Medal of Honor probe complete". Marine Corps Times. Gannett Government Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  22. ^ "Lawmaker may seek probe into delay on Medal of Honor". Klamath Falls Herald and News. McClatchy News Service. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  23. ^ "Official Citation / Captain William D. Swenson". U.S. Army. 2013.

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