Convoy Attacked
The fighting began when the militants attacked an Afghan National Army re-supply convoy on Highway 611 near FOB Robinson, killing two soldiers. Although the locally-contracted convoy was unknown to Coalition troops prior to its reporting of contact with insurgents, two British Harrier aircraft were dispatched from Kandahar Airfield, along with a pair of American Apache gunships. After the militants were scattered two hours after the fighting began, the convoy was hit a short distance later by an improvised explosive device along the roadside, killing six soldiers, and was stranded 9–13 miles from the base.
At approximately 10:00 p.m., a Quick Reaction Force, made up of 38 men comprising 7 Platoon of C Company of 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was deployed from the airfield in American helicopters, to escort the convoy back to its base.
Read more about this topic: Friendly Fire Incident At Sangin
Famous quotes containing the words convoy and/or attacked:
“Pilgrim-manned, the Mayflower in a dream
Has been her anxious convoy in to shore.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“I would rather be attacked than unnoticed. For the worst thing you can do to an author is to be silent as to his works. An assault upon a town is a bad thing; but starving it is still worse.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)