HQ$History - United States Special Operations Command

their combat operations in southern
Afghanistan in late 2006, and throughout 2007,
to help ISAF stop the Taliban.
The Taliban planned to take and hold districts
in southern Afghanistan, and they wanted
to isolate and recapture their traditional stronghold
of Kandahar. The opium produced in
Helmand Province, made that province particularly
important to both the Taliban and the
Coalition. When 3rd SFG (A) took over the
CJSOTF in September 2006, FOB 31 in
Kandahar was responsible for southern
Afghanistan. Because, the enemy had infiltrated
a large force into Panjwayi district, about 40
kilometers west of Kandahar City, FOB 31 committed
an AOB and four ODAs to the Panjwayi
fight and wound up creating a new firebase at
Sperwan Ghar to facilitate operations.
Part of what made Panjwayi so difficult to
recapture was the vineyards in the area. The
foliage helped conceal the enemy, and the shallow
irrigation ditches between the rows of vines
provided cover for enemy fighters. The Afghans
dried their grapes in large buildings with adobe
walls more than three feet thick, and the
Taliban turned these grape drying buildings into
strong-points. Tough fighting by the ODAs and
their partnered ANA units, supported by coalition
artillery and airstrikes, killed hundreds
of enemy fighters in Panjwayi district
and helped the Canadians regain
control of the area.
While the fall and winter of 2006-07
saw unusually fierce fighting in southern
Afghanistan, there was the usual
winter decline in enemy activity in RC
East along the Pakistani border. FOB
33, in Bagram, and CJSOTF-A conducted
Operation al Hasn (Arabic for “castle”)
in the Tagab Valley northeast of
Kabul. The Taliban had used this area
to launch attacks into Kabul. Planning
for Operation al Hasn focused as much
on long-term security in the area as it
did on attacking the Taliban.
Operation al Hasn was a three-way
partnership between FOB 33, the
Afghan government, and a SOF task
force from the United Arab Emirates
(UAE). The Afghan governor of Kapisa
Province, which includes the Tagab
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Valley, was an effective partner who brought
900 Afghan policemen to the operation. The governor
worked with the population in the Tagab
Valley to gain their support for the operation
and the Afghan government. The UAE SOF
were fellow Muslims and shared other cultural
aspects making them effective in working with
the Afghans. The UAE also had streamlined
financial support, enabling them to conduct
humanitarian relief activities more rapidly than
U.S. or Afghan officials. Before kicking off
Operation al Hasn, FOB 33 assembled the materials
to establish a permanent firebase, stockpiled
humanitarian relief supplies, printed
leaflets, and pre-recorded messages to the local
population from the governor for broadcast on
local radio stations.
Operation al Hasn began with an air-assault
by the UAE and their partnered ODA; the coalition
forces captured a high-ranking Taliban
leader. ODAs and Afghan ground forces then
moved into the valley from the north and south.
The Taliban attempted to mass against the
UAE, but AC-130 and AH-64 fires destroyed
those Taliban. Humanitarian assistance and
the materials to build a firebase at the north end
of the valley followed just hours behind the initial
assault. The new firebase served as the
U.S., Afghan National Army, and UAE soldiers distribute food to
local villagers during Operation al Hasn.