Battle of Tora Bora

Battle of Tora Bora
	Part of the invasion of Afghanistan
	; Location of Tora Bora in Afghanistan, ; 34°07′N 70°13′E / 34.117°N 70.217°E
Date	November 30 – December 17, 2001
Location	Pachir Wa Agam District, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan
Result	US-led coalition partial victory Beginning of the Taliban insurgency; Osama bin Laden escaped; Tora Bora stronghold destroyed;
Belligerents
United States; United Kingdom; Germany; Islamic State of Afghanistan	Al-Qaeda 055 Brigade; Turkistan Islamic Party; Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi
Commanders and leaders
Tommy Franks ; Dalton Fury; Gary Berntsen; Michael Boyce; Reinhard Günzel; Bismillah Khan; Hazrat Ali; Abdul Zahir Qadir; Mohammed Zaman	Osama bin Laden; Abdul Latif Nasir (POW) (alleged); Ayman al-Zawahiri; Hasan Mahsum; Sufi Muhammad
Strength
70 U.S. 1st SFOD-D members; 10 CIA SAD agents; 10 5th Special Forces Group members; 52 Special Boat Service members; 10 Secret Intelligence Service agents; Kommando Spezialkräfte ; other coalition forces (aircraft); 2,500 Afghan Eastern Shura fighters	~1,500-2,000
Casualties and losses
Coalition: None; Afghan Militias: Unknown	220 killed, 60 captured

The Battle of Tora Bora was a military engagement that took place in the cave complex of Tora Bora, eastern Afghanistan, from November 30 – December 17, 2001, during the final stages of the United States invasion of Afghanistan. It was launched by the United States and its allies with the objective to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the militant organization al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda and bin Laden were suspected of being responsible for the September 11 attacks three months prior. Tora Bora (Pashto: تورا بورا; Black Cave) is located in the Spīn Ghar mountain range near the Khyber Pass. The U.S. stated that al-Qaeda had its headquarters there and that it was bin Laden's location at the time.

^ Neville, Leigh, Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military), Osprey Publishing, 2015 ISBN 978-1-4728-0790-8, p.48
^ Malkasian 2021, p. 77.
^ Turner, Daniel. "Operational Analysis of the Battle of Tora Bora, Afghanistan, 2001". The Cove. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference How We Failed to Get Bin Laden was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Tora Bora Reconsidered: LESSONS FROM 125 YEARS OF STRATEGIC MANHUNTS" (PDF). Ndupress.ndu.edu. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
^ "Battle of Tora Bora | Afghanistan War | Britannica". Britannica.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
^ Thomas Joscelyn (July 20, 2021). "U.S. transfers Guantánamo detainee who allegedly led forces at Tora Bora". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
^ Bergen 2021, p. 172.
^ Corera, Gordon, MI6: Life and Death in the British Secret Service, W&N , 2012, ISBN 0-7538-2833-2, 978-0753828335, p.338
^ ^a ^b Weaver, Mary Anne (September 11, 2005). "Lost at Tora Bora". The New York Times.
^ Malkasian 2021, p. 78.
^ Neville, Leigh (2008). Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan (Elite). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-310-0.p.20

[1] Neville, Leigh, Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military), Osprey Publishing, 2015 ISBN 978-1-4728-0790-8, p.48

[FOOTNOTEMalkasian202177-2] Malkasian 2021, p. 77.

[3] Turner, Daniel. "Operational Analysis of the Battle of Tora Bora, Afghanistan, 2001". The Cove. Retrieved April 21, 2024.

[How_We_Failed_to_Get_Bin_Laden-4] Cite error: The named reference How We Failed to Get Bin Laden was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[5] "Tora Bora Reconsidered: LESSONS FROM 125 YEARS OF STRATEGIC MANHUNTS" (PDF). Ndupress.ndu.edu. Retrieved July 24, 2022.

[6] "Battle of Tora Bora | Afghanistan War | Britannica". Britannica.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.

[7] Thomas Joscelyn (July 20, 2021). "U.S. transfers Guantánamo detainee who allegedly led forces at Tora Bora". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved July 21, 2021.

[FOOTNOTEBergen2021172-8] Bergen 2021, p. 172.

[9] Corera, Gordon, MI6: Life and Death in the British Secret Service, W&N , 2012, ISBN 0-7538-2833-2, 978-0753828335, p.338

[Lost_at_Tora_Bora-10] Weaver, Mary Anne (September 11, 2005). "Lost at Tora Bora". The New York Times.

[FOOTNOTEMalkasian202178-11] Malkasian 2021, p. 78.

[Neville-12] Neville, Leigh (2008). Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan (Elite). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-310-0.p.20

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