Operation Rhino

Operation Rhino
	Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
	; Ranger parachute drop on objective "Rhino."
Date	19–20 October 2001; (1 day)
Location	Kandahar, Afghanistan30°29'12.0"N 64°31'32.0"E / 30.48741,64.5319837, 3480m ASL
Result	U.S. victory
Belligerents
United States	Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Commanders and leaders
	Colonel Joseph Votel
Strength
200 Army Rangers	Unknown
Casualties and losses
No casualties in the operation, 2 killed in a helicopter crash while on standby for CSAR.	11 killed (allegedly)

Operation Rhino was a raid led by the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment (Regimental Reconnaissance Company) and (3rd Ranger Battalion), who were led by Colonel Joseph Votel,^[1] and other SOCOM units on several Taliban targets in and around Kandahar, Afghanistan during the invasion of Afghanistan at the start of the War in Afghanistan.^[2] The operation was motivated by a desire for the White House and Tommy Franks to capture video footage of special forces parachuting deep into enemy territory. Intelligence reports at the time indicated that the targeted airfield was empty, leading them to believe that the Rangers would face no resistance from the Taliban.^[3] The operation has faced subsequent criticism for its focus on media portrayal rather than solely military objectives.

^ "CNN.com - Transcripts". transcripts.cnn.com.
^ "The United States Army in Afghanistan – Raid on Kandahar". Archived from the original on 16 February 2008.
^ Naylor, Sean (2015). Relentless strike : the secret history of Joint Special Operations Command. New York : St. Martin's Press. pp. 108–109. ISBN 978-1-250-01454-2.

[1] "CNN.com - Transcripts". transcripts.cnn.com.

[kandahar-2] "The United States Army in Afghanistan – Raid on Kandahar". Archived from the original on 16 February 2008.

[3] Naylor, Sean (2015). Relentless strike : the secret history of Joint Special Operations Command. New York : St. Martin's Press. pp. 108–109. ISBN 978-1-250-01454-2.

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