| Operation Kaika | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
Coalition: United States Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
 Taliban | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Captain Sheffield F. Ford III[1] | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
17 48[2] |
8 insurgents (AWD)[3] 200 insurgents (US Mil.)[1] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
2 killed 3 killed | 120 killed[2] | ||||||
Operation Kaika was a joint operation between American Special Forces and Afghan National Army soldiers, to establish a control base as part of the larger Operation Mountain Thrust, and clear Taliban fighters from three villages about 12 miles southwest of Kandahar, Afghanistan in June 2006.[1][4]
The battle took an unexpected twist when Afghan forces "laid siege" to the American-supported troops, "convinced they had the Americans cornered", the militants spearheaded three large assaults over the course of three days.[1] It became "one of the most sustained battles" of the war.[4]
- ^ a b c d IBD Editorials, Capt. Ford's Drive to Victory in Afghanistan Archived 2009-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, January 18, 2008
- ^ a b CBS, 60 Minutes
- ^ "(ENEMY ACTION) DIRECT FIRE RPT (Small Arms) CJSOTF-A : 2 CF KIA 1 CF WIA -- War Log Explorer".
- ^ a b Netzer, Jaime. Veterans of Foreign Wars, "Two Afghanistan Battles Demonstrate American Gallantry in Action"