BRIEF

Qala-i Jangi: Final Battle

The mood among Northern Alliance soldiers at the fortress was optimistic Tuesday morning on the heels of the AC-130 strikes.  Some Afghan soldiers suggested there might be a hand full of Taliban still alive and in fighting condition but no more than that.  Still preparations were being taken for a final assault on the southern courtyard.  Northern Alliance General Majid Rozi gave instructions to his commanders for what he said would be the final push to retake the southern courtyard and end the insurrection.  The attack was scheduled to begin at 10 am but ran late waiting for U.S. Special Operations operators from FOB 53 and their British counterparts to arrive.  Within minutes they reestablished their position on the roof of the main gate as they had the previous day.  Aircraft could be heard overhead and it appeared that the SF were prepared to call in further air strikes if the battle escalated out of control or the Northern Alliance lost the upper hand.

Northern Alliance soldiers massed inside the main gate and along the north side of the interior wall.  Additional Northern Alliance troops were positioned outside the exterior wall, just south of the fortress.  Once put into effect, the plan called for Northern Alliance troops to storm the Taliban-held area from both the northern courtyard and over the southern exterior wall.  Two Soviet era T series main battle tanks were brought into the fortress through the main gate to support the push into the Taliban controlled area while Northern Alliance troops keep the Taliban from escaping over the southern wall.
 
The fighting commenced in fits and starts and dead and wounded (including one Taliban wounded by shrapnel, whom Northern Alliance soldiers characterized as Tajik) were carried out through the main gate or over the southern exterior wall. 

By noon the Northern Alliance had penetrated the southern courtyard by way of the central alleyway, and controlled the western half the southern courtyard all the way to the pink house, as well as the parapets on the southern fortress wall.  However, the east end of the courtyard, protected by woods and various buildings, was not easy to clear and the Taliban continued to put up resistance.  Eventually Northern Alliance troops worked their way down the parapet wall and began clearing the courtyard meter by meter.

Progress was frequently interrupted by soldiers stopping to loot the dead and scavenge weapons and other valuables off the battlefield much to the angst of their commanders (Notice the black Jansport back pack one of the NA soldiers is hauling off).  The troops’ hesitancy to move forward was well founded as it seemed that just when the battle appeared over, Taliban emerged from the stables and other buildings opening fire on the advancing Northern Alliance soldiers.  This usually led to the retreat of Northern Alliance back to the parapet above and the firefight would begin all over again. 
  
Unwilling to risk more close-quarters combat, the Northern Alliance moved in the T-62 tank, and fired a series of rounds into suspected Taliban positions in the eastern part of the courtyard.  By dusk Northern Alliance forces had overrun the courtyard.  The insurrection at Qala-i Jangi was considered over.

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