Operation Oqab
Encyclopedia
Operation Oqab was a military operation conducted by ISAF
and Afghan National Army
troops, with the objective to force the Taliban out of Kunduz Province.
on April 7, 2009 and the following months showed that the Taliban and their allies exerted heavy pressure to try and force the German troops out of Afghanistan, since involvement in the conflict is controversial in Germany.
The ISAF and Afghan forces began an offensive to reinforce the control and security of Kunduz Province before the Afghan presidential election in August
, and reduce pressure on the German forces before the German federal election in September. A second focus was to free the routes into Afghanistan from Uzbekistan
, since it was planned to change the supply routes for ISAF to a route from Uzbekistan.
The ISAF planned to change its focus to rebuilding, after the Taliban had left the province.
For the attack, 800 Afghan soldiers and 100 Afghan policemen were placed in the province. The Bundeswehr
prepared its Quick Reaction Force
(QRF), equipped with Marder
infantry fighting vehicles, Fuchs and Dingo
APCs, as well as mortar
s.
The ground troops were supported by the United States Air Force
(USAF) and its MQ-1 Predator and Fairchild A-10
close air support
aircraft.
The following day Camp Marmal
was under attack by rockets, during a counter-attack by the USAF five Taliban were killed.
The Afghan forces reported that they had control of the province on July 23. On July 24 a German patrol came under fire, one vehicle was damaged.
On July 31, German troops captured Qari Abdul Wadoud, the leader of the Taliban in the Imam Sahib District
.
On August 1 it was reported that Taliban forces reconquered the area in the Chahar Dara District
of southern Kunduz.
. The commander of the QRF, Hans-Christoph Grohmann, introduced one of his Officers as "the first Oberleutnant
to lead an Infantry Company in to battle since 1945" to the press.
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
and Afghan National Army
Afghan National Army
The Afghan National Army is a service branch of the military of Afghanistan, which is currently trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the role in land-based military operations in Afghanistan. , the Afghan National Army is divided into seven regional Corps. The strength of the Afghan...
troops, with the objective to force the Taliban out of Kunduz Province.
Background
Since April 2009, the German forces in northern Afghanistan were under pressure from the Taliban and the Jihad Union. The attack on the German forces after the visit of chancellor Angela MerkelAngela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
on April 7, 2009 and the following months showed that the Taliban and their allies exerted heavy pressure to try and force the German troops out of Afghanistan, since involvement in the conflict is controversial in Germany.
The ISAF and Afghan forces began an offensive to reinforce the control and security of Kunduz Province before the Afghan presidential election in August
Afghan presidential election, 2009
The 2009 presidential election in Afghanistan was characterized by lack of security, low voter turnout and widespread ballot stuffing, intimidation, and other electoral fraud....
, and reduce pressure on the German forces before the German federal election in September. A second focus was to free the routes into Afghanistan from Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, since it was planned to change the supply routes for ISAF to a route from Uzbekistan.
The ISAF planned to change its focus to rebuilding, after the Taliban had left the province.
For the attack, 800 Afghan soldiers and 100 Afghan policemen were placed in the province. The Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
prepared its Quick Reaction Force
Quick reaction force
Quick Reaction Force or is a military unit, generally platoon-sized in the United States Marine Corps, that is capable of rapid response to developing situations. They are to have equipment ready, to respond to any type of emergency, typically within ten minutes or less, although this is based on...
(QRF), equipped with Marder
Marder (IFV)
The Marder is a German infantry fighting vehicle operated by the German Army as the main weapon of the Panzergrenadiere from the 1970s through the present day. Developed as part of the rebuilding of Germany's armoured fighting vehicle industry, the Marder has proven to be a successful and solid...
infantry fighting vehicles, Fuchs and Dingo
ATF Dingo
The ATF Dingo is a German heavily armored military infantry mobility vehicle based on a Unimog chassis with a V-hull design, produced by the company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann . It is designed to withstand land mines, rifle fire, artillery fragments and NBC-threats. ATF stands for...
APCs, as well as mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
s.
The ground troops were supported by the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF) and its MQ-1 Predator and Fairchild A-10
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
close air support
Close air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
aircraft.
The Operation
The first attack on Taliban positions started on the morning of July 19. German forces supported by Marder tanks and mortars attacked the Taliban.The following day Camp Marmal
Camp Marmal
Camp Marmal is the largest base of the Bundeswehr outside of Germany. It is located outside of Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, at the foot of the Hindu Kush mountains. The camp was opened in September 2005...
was under attack by rockets, during a counter-attack by the USAF five Taliban were killed.
The Afghan forces reported that they had control of the province on July 23. On July 24 a German patrol came under fire, one vehicle was damaged.
On July 31, German troops captured Qari Abdul Wadoud, the leader of the Taliban in the Imam Sahib District
Imam Sahib District
Imam Sahib District is situated in the northern part of Kunduz Province, Afghanistan. It borders with Qalay-I-Zal District to the west, Tajikistan to the north , with Archi District to the east and Kunduz District to the south. The population is 204,300 - 25% Pashtun, 25% Tajik, 45% Uzbek and 5%...
.
On August 1 it was reported that Taliban forces reconquered the area in the Chahar Dara District
Chahar dara District
Chahar Dara District is one of the seven districts in Kunduz Province in northern Afghanistan...
of southern Kunduz.
Aftermath
Operation Oqab was the first German ground force offensive since the creation of the Bundeswehr and the first German ground attack since World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The commander of the QRF, Hans-Christoph Grohmann, introduced one of his Officers as "the first Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
to lead an Infantry Company in to battle since 1945" to the press.