Siege of Musa Qala - Deployment of ISAF Troops

Deployment of ISAF Troops

In 2006, the ISAF mandate was expanded to include the restive provinces of Southern Afghanistan. Helmand became the responsibility of a British unit, the Helmand task force. Due to his involvement in the opium trade and links with the insurgency, the British insisted that Akhundzada be removed from his post. His replacement, Engineer Mohammad Daoud lacked local support, and as Akhundzadas militias had become inactive, the Taliban hastened to fill the power vacuum, and the situation rapidly deteriorated.

On May 18, the Afghan National Police force in Musa Qala was attacked by insurgents, leaving 20 policemen dead. The British Pathfinder Platoon was deployed to the Musa Qala for five days to assist the police before being replaced by an American unit. On June 14, they were ordered to return to Musa Qala. The 25-strong Pathfinder Platoon, commanded by Major Nick Wight-Boycott, was primarily a mobile reconnaissance unit, and thus not best suited for garrison duties. However, the Battle Group's resources were already stretched and there were no other units available.

The Musa Qala district centre was a cluster of low cement and mud buildings surrounded by a 10-foot wall. Situated in the middle of the town, it housed the local police headquarters, a prison and a clinic built by the Americans. The Pathfinders took over a building in the center of the compound and emplaced three sangars (fortified posts), one on the roof of their building, one facing east towards the market, and one on a building just outside the compound walls. The tallest building was the prison, which was soon nicknamed "the Alamo" by the Pathfinders, who sited a 50. cal machine-gun on its roof. An 80-strong Afghan National Police (ANP) detachment manned the district centre. They were hated by the local population, who accused them of thievery and pedophilia. Their leader, whose name was Abdul Wulley, was known to the British and the Talban alike as "Coco". A veteran of Afghanistan's 30 years of war, and himself a former Taliban, he regularly communicated with the insurgents, and had extensive knowledge of their movements. The Musa Qala police were, the British noted, undisciplined and slack about their duties, but they were also more than willing to fight the insurgents.

Two weeks after the arrival of the Pathfinders, an American convoy was ambushed in the nearby green zone, and several vehicles were lost. The Americans responded with massive firepower, including an airstrike from a B-1 bomber and attacks by AH-64 Apache helicopters. Following this incident, the population of Musa Qala began to flee and British intelligence suggested the Taliban had encircled the district centre. However, on the next day, coalition jets conducted low-level flyovers over the town, and no attack occurred, though some shots were fired at the base. The Pathfinders were joined by 6 Platoon, B Company, 3 PARA(the Guards Parachute Platoon), freeing them to conduct patrols through the town, and by July 1, the population had gradually returned to their homes.

On July 6, the Pathfinders were scheduled to replaced by G battery, 7 RHA, who were supposed to drive into Musa Qala through the green zone. The Pathfinders escorted the ANP contingent in their Land Rover WIMIK in order to secure the route, but when they were fired on by insurgents, the policemen broke formation to engage their enemies, and the operation broke down in confusion. After a similar attempt on the next day also failed, the Guards Parachute Platoon were flown out and a mixed force of 20 gunners from I Battery, 7 RHA, 15 engineers, 5 Danish and 10 ANA soldiers were flown in. The Engineers were put to work consolidating the defenses of the base with locally purchased materials.