Helmand province campaign

Helmand province campaign
	Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
	; American and British soldiers patrolling through a town in Helmand Province, 2007
Date	June 4, 2006 – 2014
Location	Helmand province, Afghanistan
Result	Both sides claim victory
Belligerents
ISAF List United Kingdom ; United States ; Denmark ; Canada ; Georgia (2009–2014) ; Netherlands ; Estonia ; France ; Albania; Islamic Republic of Afghanistan	Taliban Quetta Shura Local tribes and militias
Commanders and leaders
ISAF Major General John A. Toolan; List Task Force Helmand ; Ed Butler / Charlie Knaggs ; Jerry Thomas ; John Lorimer ; Andrew Mackay ; Mark Carleton-Smith ; Gordon Messenger ; Tim Radford ; James Cowan ; Task Force Leatherneck ; Lawrence D. Nicholson ; Regional Command Southwest ; Richard P. Mills ; John A. Toolan; Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Murad Ali Murad; Mohammad Gulab Mangal; List Assadullah Wafa ; Mahaiddin Ghori;	Taliban Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (POW); Mullah Dadullah †; Mullah Bakht Mohammed (POW); Mullah Akhtar Osmani †; Mullah Abdul Qassim; Mullah Abdul Ghafour †; Mullah Abdullah Zakir;
Strength
ISAF; 27,000 (July 2010); List 9,500 (United Kingdom) ; 8,500 (United States) ; 1,561 (Georgia) ; 700 (Denmark) ; 500 (Canada) ; 200 (Netherlands) ; 100 (Estonia); Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; 8,000 (ANA)	Taliban 8,000-9,000 (Taliban claim); 3,000 (independent estimate)
Casualties and losses
ISAF; 1,178 killed; List United States: 685 killed ; United Kingdom: 415 killed ; Denmark: 36 killed ; Georgia: 26 killed ; Estonia: 8 killed ; Canada: 3 killed ; France: 2 killed ; Netherlands: 1 killed ; Poland: 1 killed ; Czech Republic: 1 killed; ; Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; 4,000 killed	Taliban; 7,000 killed (2006-2008), 25,000 killed (2009-2014)

The Helmand province campaign was a series of military operations conducted by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces against Taliban insurgents and other local groups in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Their objective was to control a province that was known to be a Taliban stronghold, and a center of opium production.^[7] None of the ISAF's intended strategic and political objectives were achieved in the long term.^[8]

The deployment of international, mostly British, forces was part of the stage three expansion of the ISAF mandate, to cover the southern regions of Afghanistan. Until then Helmand province had seen only a limited coalition presence.

In the spring of 2008, a battalion of U.S. Marines arrived to reinforce the British presence. In the spring of 2009, 11,000 additional Marines poured into the province, the first wave of President Obama's 21,000 troop surge into Afghanistan.^[9]

On June 19, 2009, the British Army (with ISAF and ANA forces) launched Operation Panther's Claw and on July 2, 2009, US Marines launched Operation Khanjar, both major offensives into the province in hopes of securing the region before the Afghanistan presidential elections and turning the tide of the insurgency there.

^ Martin, Mike (2014). An intimate war : an oral history of the Helmand conflict, 1978/2012. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190237912.
^ "International Security Assistance Force (ISAF): Key Facts and Figures" (PDF). International Security Assistance Force. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
^ Evans, Michael (September 28, 2009). "Britain calls for mini-surge in Afghanistan to help train army". The Times. London. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
^ Rahmani, Waliullah (June 12, 2008). "Rotation of Coalition Forces Brings New Hope to Helmand Province". The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k "Fatalities". Operation Enduring Freedom. iCasualties.org. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
^ Smith, Michael (April 13, 2008). "Army has killed 7,000 Taleban". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 2008-07-27. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
^ Gall, Carlotta; Abdul Waheed Wafa (December 2, 2006). "Taliban Truce in District of Afghanistan Sets Off Debate". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
^ Martin, Mike (2014). An intimate war : an oral history of the Helmand conflict, 1978/2012. Oxford. ISBN 9780190237912.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Phillips, Michael M. (2009-05-23). "Stalemate in Afghanistan". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-07-04.

[1] Martin, Mike (2014). An intimate war : an oral history of the Helmand conflict, 1978/2012. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190237912.

[2] "International Security Assistance Force (ISAF): Key Facts and Figures" (PDF). International Security Assistance Force. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2011.

[3] Evans, Michael (September 28, 2009). "Britain calls for mini-surge in Afghanistan to help train army". The Times. London. Retrieved 2009-09-28.

[4] Rahmani, Waliullah (June 12, 2008). "Rotation of Coalition Forces Brings New Hope to Helmand Province". The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2008-12-04.

[icasualties-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k "Fatalities". Operation Enduring Freedom. iCasualties.org. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2011.

[6] Smith, Michael (April 13, 2008). "Army has killed 7,000 Taleban". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 2008-07-27. Retrieved 2008-12-08.

[Gall/Wafa-NYT-7] Gall, Carlotta; Abdul Waheed Wafa (December 2, 2006). "Taliban Truce in District of Afghanistan Sets Off Debate". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-23.

[8] Martin, Mike (2014). An intimate war : an oral history of the Helmand conflict, 1978/2012. Oxford. ISBN 9780190237912.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[9] Phillips, Michael M. (2009-05-23). "Stalemate in Afghanistan". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-07-04.

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