Battle of Kamdesh

Battle of Kamdesh
	Part of the Taliban insurgency within the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
	; Boeing CH-47 Chinook landing at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan's Nuristan Province, March 2007
Date	October 3, 2009
Location	Kamdesh, Afghanistan35°25′23″N 71°19′44″E / 35.4231°N 71.3289°E
Result	United States victory Tactical Coalition victory; Strategic Taliban victory;
Belligerents
United States; Afghanistan; Latvia	Taliban
Commanders and leaders
Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti; Col. Randy George (4-4ID TF Mountain Warrior); Lt. Col. Robert Brown (3-61 CAV TF Destroyer); Cpt. Stoney Portis (B Trp, 3-61 CAV); 1st Lt. Andrew Bundermann (B Trp, 3-61 CAV); Cpt. Agris Liepiņš;	Dost Muhammad; Sirajuddin Haqqani; Ghulan Faroq; Abdul-Rahman Mustaghni;
Strength
53; 42; 2	300
Casualties and losses
8 killed and 27 wounded; entire garrison wiped out	150-200 killed (US sources)
	Kamdesh class=notpageimage\| Location of Kamdesh within Afghanistan

The Battle of Kamdesh took place during the war in Afghanistan. It occurred on October 3, 2009, when a force of 300 Taliban assaulted the American Combat Outpost ("COP") Keating near the town of Kamdesh in Nuristan Province in eastern Afghanistan. The attack was the bloodiest battle for US forces since the Battle of Wanat in July 2008, which occurred 20 miles (32 km) away from Kamdesh. The attack on COP Keating resulted in 8 Americans killed and 27 wounded while the Taliban suffered 150-200 killed.^[8]^[9]

As a result of the battle, COP Keating was partially overrun and nearly destroyed.^[1]^[10]^: 531–41 Observation Post ("OP") Fritsche was attacked simultaneously, limiting available support from that position.^[11] The Coalition forces withdrew from the base shortly after the battle. A deliberate withdrawal had been planned some time before the battle began, and the closing was part of a wider effort by the top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, to cede remote outposts and consolidate troops in more populated areas to better protect Afghan civilians.^[12] The Americans "declared the outpost closed and departed—so quickly that they did not carry out all of their stored ammunition. The outpost's depot was promptly looted by the insurgents and bombed by American planes in an effort to destroy the lethal munitions left behind."^[2]

After an investigation, four officers in the chain of command were disciplined for their failure to adequately support the base. Eight aviators were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for helping defend the base. Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha and Staff Sergeant Ty Carter were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the battle.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Norland, Rob (February 5, 2010). "U.S. Military Faults Leaders in Attack on Base". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
^ ^a ^b C. J. Chivers (July 25, 2010). "Strategic Plans Spawned Bitter End for a Lonely Outpost". WikiLeaks – via The New York Times.
^ Jakob Rodgers (July 25, 2010). "Latvian, U.S. soldiers reunite after deadly battle". The Gazette. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
^ Cite error: The named reference nyt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Faeiz, Rahim (Associated Press), "Attack on Afghan outposts kills 8 soldiers Archived March 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine", Military Times, October 5, 2009.
^ Gertz, Bill (October 16, 2009). "U.S. ignored warnings before deadly Afghan attack". The Washington Times. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
^ "Courage at Keating: 2 Medals of Honor, 1 DSC, 8 Silver Stars for standout B Troop". Military Times. August 5, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "COP Keating". Medal of Honor Museum. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "COP Keating". Task & Purpose. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
^ Tapper, Jake (2012). The Outpost, An Untold Story of American Valor. Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group. ISBN 978-0-316-18539-4.
^ Roggio, Bill (February 6, 2010). "Army releases report on battle at Combat Outpost Keating battle". The Long War Journal. Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
^ Starr, Barbara; Adam Levine (October 6, 2009). "Afghan insurgents pushed into U.S. base, official says". CNN. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2010.

[nyt-report-1] Norland, Rob (February 5, 2010). "U.S. Military Faults Leaders in Attack on Base". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2010.

[wardocs-2] C. J. Chivers (July 25, 2010). "Strategic Plans Spawned Bitter End for a Lonely Outpost". WikiLeaks – via The New York Times.

[3] Jakob Rodgers (July 25, 2010). "Latvian, U.S. soldiers reunite after deadly battle". The Gazette. Retrieved January 4, 2020.

[nyt-4] Cite error: The named reference nyt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[ap-5] Faeiz, Rahim (Associated Press), "Attack on Afghan outposts kills 8 soldiers Archived March 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine", Military Times, October 5, 2009.

[watimes-6] Gertz, Bill (October 16, 2009). "U.S. ignored warnings before deadly Afghan attack". The Washington Times. Retrieved February 6, 2010.

[7] "Courage at Keating: 2 Medals of Honor, 1 DSC, 8 Silver Stars for standout B Troop". Military Times. August 5, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2020.

[moh-museum-8] "COP Keating". Medal of Honor Museum. Retrieved August 17, 2023.

[task-and-purpose-9] "COP Keating". Task & Purpose. Retrieved August 17, 2023.

[tapper-10] Tapper, Jake (2012). The Outpost, An Untold Story of American Valor. Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group. ISBN 978-0-316-18539-4.

[lwj-11] Roggio, Bill (February 6, 2010). "Army releases report on battle at Combat Outpost Keating battle". The Long War Journal. Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2010.

[cnn-12] Starr, Barbara; Adam Levine (October 6, 2009). "Afghan insurgents pushed into U.S. base, official says". CNN. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2010.

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