Operation Septentrion
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| Operation Septentrion | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War in Afghanistan | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
| International Security Assistance Force | Taliban | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Lieutenant-Colonel Hervé Wallerand | Unknown | ||||
| Units involved | |||||
|
• French Army • United States Special Forces • Afghan National Army (ANA) | |||||
| Strength | |||||
|
• 750–800 (French Army) • 200 (United States Special Forces)[which?] • (Afghan National Army) | Unknown | ||||
Operation Septentrion was a 36-hour military operation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a NATO-led security mission, that took place December 16–18, 2009, in the Uzbin Valley of eastern Afghanistan.[1][2][3]
A part of the War in Afghanistan, it involved a force of 1,100 troops, including 750 to 800 French troops, 200 United States Special Forces and Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers.[1]
Sixteen months before the operation, the Uzbin Valley ambush, on August 18, 2008, by the Taliban in the area of Surobi, Afghanistan, had killed ten French soldiers and wounded twenty-one.[2][4]
Goals
The operation's purpose was "reaffirming the sovereignty of Afghan security forces in the north of the Uzbeen [sic] Valley", according to a French military spokesperson,[4] as well as to plant the Afghan flag in what was called a key strategic village.[which?][5][3] (While 75 percent of the Uzbin Valley had been under ISAF control, the rest of the valley had been under the control of the Taliban.)[3]
Fighting
During more than 90 minutes of combat,[5] several US soldiers were wounded,[6] including three serious injuries.[4] The Taliban fighters attacked with rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and heavy machine gun fire; for the coalition forces, the French troops used shells,[clarification needed] backed up by French Tigre and US Apache helicopters[5] and fighter jets.[4] At least one Taliban fighter was killed and three were injured, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Hervé Wallerand, who led the operation.[3][4][7]
Strategy
The French employed what was called the "Mikado strategy" (la stratégie du Mikado), after the game Mikado (known in North America as "pick-up sticks"),[1] because of the need to plan every move carefully with constant awareness that one wrong step could risk everything being lost.[8] In particular, the Mikado strategy emphasizes consulting with local inhabitants in a shura[1] (or consultation) to minimize the risk of local civilians conspiring against the ANA and ISAF forces.[9] For this reason the operation was preceded by "weeks of negotiations with local villagers", according to the BBC News.[2]
Aftermath
In July 2011, the Croix de la Valeur Militaire ("cross of military valour"), a French military decoration, was presented to five Americans – Cpt. Thomas Harper, Master Sgt. David Nuemer, Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Ahern, Staff Sgt. Casey Roberts and Sgt. Ryan Meister – for their service during the operation.[10][11]
