The taliban and sadiq had long competed for the allegiance of fighters in kamdesh, and the u. Combat action in afghanistan, 2008 army university press. The battle of wanat took place due to a number of tactical mistakes by the u. Along with the battle of wanat, cop keating is a signature conflict of the war. Afghan civil war, angloafghan wars, soviet war in afghanistan. The battle of kadesh was fought around 1274 bc between the two leading empires of the age, these being the egyptian empire of north eastern africa and the hittite empire to its north. Basically, a battle narrative, the book is thorough and unflinching. The strategic lessons unlearned from vietnam, iraq, and afghanistan.
On october 3rd, 2009, taliban forces attacked combat outpost keating near kamdesh, afghanistan. David brostrom, a retired army colonel, said there are a lot of lessons to be learned from the battle in wanat that killed his son, 1st lt. Valor awards generated from battle of kamdesh on oct. Outnumbered and with taliban overrunning the base, clinton. An untold story of american valor is a 4 star story of a small corner of the afghanistan war that claimed so many fine young men. Nato says around 100 insurgents were killed in the battle. Battle of kadesh, 1275 bc, major battle between the egyptians under ramses ii and the hittites under muwatallis, in syria, southwest of. Both films will culminate in the battle of kamdesh, which took place oct. The remains of a building at cop keating smolder after the insurgent attack. You might not know this, but you cannot fold them in a pdf, which makes it impossible to look at them. The taliban vowed to attack such efforts as part of a campaign to discredit the afghan government.
Bloody battle at cop keating soldier of fortune magazine. The battle of kamdesh took place during the war in afghanistan 2001present. Though isolated and significantly outnumbered, the american forces were able to rely on their resilience and. Within kamdesh today a visitor can identify each of the original clans identified by sir george scott robertson in the 1890s when he visited the area outlined in his book the kafirs of the hindu kush. The attack was the bloodiest battle for us forces since the battle of wanat in july 2008, which occurred 20 miles 32 km away from kamdesh. Sadiq wanted to allow longstalled development projects to resume. Opposing ramses was the army of muwatalli ii which was encamped near kadesh. An untold story of american valor paperback october 22, 20. The battle began saturday morning, when insurgents stormed the two american base camps in the kamdesh district of nuristan province, pounding them with guns and. The battle for cop keating has come to illustrate the war in afghanistan, where the mission is often as misunderstood by the american public as the remote corner of the planet where its occurred. The contingent of 49 united states and 24 afghan national army soldiers valiantly defended their small outpost.
Kadesh is mentioned for the first time in egyptian sources when thutmose iii 14791426 bce defeated a syrian insurrection under the leadership of the prince of kadesh at megiddo in. Army releases report on battle at combat outpost keating. The attack was the bloodiest battle for us forces since. Battle of kamdesh, a 2009 battle 20 miles from wanat, the bloodiest battle for u. In one of the worlds largest chariot battles, fought beside the orontes river, pharaoh ramses ii sought to wrest syria from the hittites and recapture the hittiteheld city. In a new book, the cnn anchor tells the story of combat outpost keating.
Find all the books, read about the author, and more. It was originally in kunar province and then was moved to the newly created nuristan province in 2001. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. Kamdesh literally means place of the kom, as it is the unofficial capital for the kom tribe. The attack resulted in multiple isaf personnel casualties and.
Kadesh, modern tall annabi mind, ancient city on the orontes al. This is a video recreation of the combat action at wanat, nuristan province afghanistan, on july 2008. Jonathan brostrom, and the attack on cop keating in kamdesh. Both movies revolve around cop keating, a fishbowl of a base at the bottom of three mountains in nuristan province, built in 2006 to help stem. Armys standard infantry weapon repeatedly overheated and jammed during a bloody 2008 battle in afghanistan.
The battle of kadesh or battle of qadesh took place between the forces of the new kingdom of egypt under ramesses ii and the hittite empire under muwatalli ii at the city of kadesh on the orontes river, just upstream of lake homs near the modern lebanonsyria border the battle is generally dated to 1274 bc from the egyptian chronology, and is the earliest battle in recorded history for. The illfated american military base was in a remote afghan valley, and. Thirtythree hundred years ago, below the sundrenched walls of kadesh, the egyptian and hittite empires fought for control of the land now known as syria in the first battle about which modern man has detailed contemporary accounts. At the time of the battle of kadesh, muwatalli ii was king. On that day, the men of company c, 2d battalion, 503d parachute infantry regiment, endured four hours of intense close quarters combat and mounting casualties. The washington times reported last week on the reported failure of the m4 carbine during the fierce firefight in wanat, during which the taliban nearly overran an army outpost. Battle of kamdesh military wiki fandom military wikia. The battle took place on a remote hilltop in quang tin province during the latter days of vietnamization, when open defiance of orders was common among gis. The fighting at cop keating, which is also known as the battle of kamdesh, involved an attack by over 400 insurgents against the combat outpost, which was slated to be dismantled. The battle of kamdesh took place during the war in afghanistan. The battle of kamdesh, which netted two medals of honor, is coming. Ceremonial axes have also been found in burial contexts, often made of metal hafted to a wooden shaft. The battle for cop keating has come to illustrate the war in afghanistan, where the mission is often as misunderstood by the american public as.
It occurred on october 3, 2009, when a force of 300 taliban assaulted the american combat outpost cop keating near the town of kamdesh of nuristan province in eastern afghanistan. An assault by 300 taliban fighters resulted in eight americans killed and 22 wounded, and prompt withdrawal from nearly destroyed base. The axe has a long history in egyptian warfare and iconography, used in the battle of kadesh and various other contests. The outpost was manned by 54 american personnel from b troop, 3rd squadron, 61st cavalry regiment, who faced greater than seventoone odds in the battle. A true story of american valor is a compelling minutebyminute retelling of the battle of keating, that took place during the afghan war, october 3, 2009. Combat outpost cop keating, originally established as a base for a provincial reconstruction.
The study focuses on the july, 2008, battle in afghanistans waigal valley during which nine american soldiers died and 27 were wounded defending their. The strategic studies institute ssi is part of the u. For the first 100 generations of its recorded history, the kingdom of egypt had been very. The attack on cop keating resulted in eight americans killed. The contemporary history on the battle of wanat is a study written by the combat studies institute at fort leavenworth, kan. What happened at firebase mary ann the night of march 2728, 1971, was, according to the author of this riveting account, the u. A medal of honor was just awarded to ssgt romesha for his actions in. The attack was the bloodiest battle for us forces since the battle of wanat in july 2008, which occurred 20 miles 32 km away from.
Pitts, who received the medal of honor for his actions during the battle of wanat. While were on the subject of books, an interesting novel i read earlier this year is the valley by john renehan. In an effort to deceive ramses, he planted two nomads in the path of the egyptian advance with false information regarding the armys location and shifted his camp behind the city to east. The local police chief was also captured by the attackers and executed, said maj. Battles of the war in afghanistan involving afghanistan. The battalion commander traveled to kamdesh to meet.
Romesha will be awarded the medal of honor at the white house on feb. The battle of wanat study 12 november focus at the u. River valley outside kamdesh, afghanistan, where the battle of kamdesh occurred, an assault that loosely serves as the basis for part of john renehans novel, the valley. Posts tagged battle of kamdesh army vet receiving medal of honor for afghan fight. The battle of kadesh is a battle that occurred nearly three thousand years ago and helped shape the strategic position of the hittite empire. The battle of kamdesh would be one of the costliest battles for the americans of the entire afghanistan conflict as it saw an american outpost partially overrun after an attack by over 300 taliban fighters. The site is located about 15 miles 24 km southwest of homs. Deadly attack on remote posts highlights afghan risks. The battle of kamdesh a true story of american valor. After battle of kamdesh, more coin diana west home. Battle of kamdesh, ana soldiers hid under their beds or looted the american.
The battle of kamdesh, which netted two medals of honor. What marine recruits go through in boot camp earning the title making marines on parris island duration. Perspectives on the battle of wanat rand corporation. General petraeus, commander of us forces in afghanistan, the army and marine counterinsurgency field manual fm 324 would convert the. When the daylong battle was over, eight american soldiers were dead and over 20 wounded in the relentless attack on combat outpost keating. According to soldiers who called the outpost home, being at keating was like being in a fishbowl or fighting from the bottom of a paper cup. A direct descendant of the vietnam warera m16, the more compact m4 is. Afghanistan blends theory and practice in an effort to adapt to war in.
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