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BRIEF
 Qala-i
Jangi Uprising
Sunday morning a CIA operative known only as Dave and fellow
officer Johnny Spann arrived
at Qala-i Jangi to begin interrogating the prisoners. They
arrived in separate vehicles which they parked in the north half
of the fortress near an entrance to the southern courtyard. The
prisoners were led from the cell structure into the southern
courtyard one by one. According to American Taliban John
Walker his hands were tied as they surfaced from the cells below.
This was the first big gathering of foreign prisoners in the
war to date and the CIA operatives were likely anxious to find
out whom was in the group. Dostum’s Chief of Intelligence,
Sayed Kamal, accompanied the CIA operatives into the southern
courtyard and watched as they began talking to the prisoners
including an American, John
Walker Lindh.
At some point during the interrogations, the Taliban revolted
and killed CIA officer Spann, wounded Dostum’s intelligence
chief and killed a number of Northern Alliance guards as they
took possession of the southern courtyard. The Other CIA
operative, Dave, managed to get out of the southern courtyard
and run to a main building along the north wall. Also inside
the wall were the Red Cross, who arrived to make sure the prisoners
were being fairly treated, and at least one TV crew including
German ARD TV.
An intense firefight ensued between the Taliban inside the southern
courtyard and the Northern Alliance troops guarding the prisoners. By
first person estimates, it appears that there were only about
100 Northern Alliance soldiers in the fortress when the uprising
occurred. During the struggle, Taliban insurgents set about
freeing their comrades still under restraint and found a large
caches of weapons and ammunition stored along the south side
of the wall dividing the northern and southern courtyards and
in conex containers against the western wall of the southern
half of the fortress.
Armed with mortars, RPGs and small arms, they took control of
the southern courtyard and continued a brisk exchange of fire
with Northern Alliance troops gathering along the north wall
and roof of the main building. Two Northern Alliance T-55 main
battle tanks assumed positions along the fortress’s north
wall and courtyard below, and began firing 100mm shells into
the Taliban-held southern section.
Whether or not it was lost in the melee or just left in his
vehicle, Dave was missing his communications gear and had to
rely on the German TV’s satellite phone to call for help. Around
two o’clock p.m. local time US Special Forces personnel,
designated FOB53 (5th SFG 3rd BN), and British SBS operatives,
arrived at the fortress from there bases in Mazar-i Sharif. After
conferencing briefly with Northern Alliance commanders they assumed
positions on the northwest towers and the roof of the main building
and began orchestrating combat air support.
At around 4 pm local time, FOB53 guided the first of several air
strikes on the fortress, while Dave, wounded Northern Alliance
troops and the journalists climbed over the back wall from their
position along the parapet and exited the fortress to the north
running to a near by road. Meanwhile the air strikes continued
with mixed success. A number of the ordnance missed the southern
courtyard but Northern Alliance soldiers present claimed the air
strikes were instrumental in containing the Taliban to the southern
section of the fortress despite the fact that there were a handful
of dead Taliban outside the fortress, indicating that at least
a few may have escaped the fortress compound during the havoc of
the uprising. However, in possession of the weapons facilities,
the Taliban insurrection was far from over. In fact, it was
just beginning.
Additional Afghanistan Material
by CFR:
For an inside look at reporting the uprising at Qala Jangi
see CFR’s feature length documentary Fog
and Friction. CFR Director Dodge Billingsley and TIME Magazine’s
Alex Perry were there as the battle unfolded, trying to make
sense of this watershed event in the war for Afghanistan.
Qala-i
Jangi Satellite Imagery
Spann Interrogates
John Walker at Qala-i Jangi Transcript
Suicide Attacks in
Afghanistan |
