Operation Harekate Yolo ( Persian for ''front straightening'') was a two-part military operation involving

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

ISAF The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386 according to the Bonn Agreement, which outlined t ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

government forces against the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

as part of the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

. In late October 2007, Regional Command North along with the

Afghan National Army The Islamic National Army (, ), also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the army, land force branch of the Afghan Armed Forces. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be traced back to the early 18th century when th ...

and Afghan National Security Forces launched its first major operation against hostile forces in the northern provinces. It was composed of about 2000 coalition troops from Afghanistan, Norway, Germany, Italy, Spain and Hungary; and its purpose was to oust Taliban militants from several locations in the Ghowrmach district,

Faryab Province Faryab (Dari,Pashto : فاریاب) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, which is located in the north of the country bordering neighboring Turkmenistan. It has a population of about 1,109,223, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a ...

, and Faizabad, Badakhshan Province, wherefrom they had operated and caused a number of ANA and coalition casualties since the early summer of 2007. The offensive followed threats of senior Taliban officers to expand the insurgency to the relatively peaceful north. Operation Harekate Yolo I was launched in late October and was composed of about 160 German paratroopers and 400 Afghan National Army soldiers. Its aim was to identify Taliban hideouts in the Badakhshan province and to drive the militants out of the district. The second stage of the offensive, Operation Harekate Yolo II, was launched on November 1. As announced by ISAF RC North commanding general Brig. Gen. D. Warnecke, ISAF forces detained several suspected insurgents on the first day of the operation, accused of having organized several attacks on ISAF troops, including a suicide attack which seriously injured three Germans in October. It was composed of about 900 members of the Afghan National Army, 260

Norwegian Army The Norwegian Army () is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway in 1628. The ...

troops from 2nd Battalion/Brig. N and Kystjegerkommandoen, 300 German troops, several dozen Italian troops, and some Hungarian and Spanish troops. Intelligence gathered by reconnaissance planes indicated the presence of about 300 Taliban forces in

Ghowrmach Ghormach () or Ghowrmach is a town in Badghis Province in northwestern Afghanistan. It serves as the center of Ghormach District. Climate With a mild and generally warm and temperate climate, Ghormach features a hot-summer Mediterranean climat ...

. Between November 1, and November 6, Norwegian and German ISAF forces along with Afghan security forces battled Taliban insurgents in the Ghowrmach district, Northwest Afghanistan, in what was described as "active warfare" by the Norwegian Department of Defense. The insurgents suffered a number of casualties while no casualties were reported for

/Afghan National Army force. The exact death toll had not yet been disclosed as of November 9, but according to Norwegian news reports "between 45 and 65 insurgents" were killed in action. The German Ministry of Defense verified a further 14 hostile fighters killed in action. The fighting erupted on November 3 and intensified through November 6. NATO aircraft provided

Close Air Support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

during the operation, which ended on November 6/7. During the mission, a Norwegian

sniper A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...

with the 2nd Battalion hit one of the Taliban insurgents from a distance of 1,380 meters on the first shot, using a Barret M82A1. Another Norwegian sniper team shot and killed a Taliban insurgent from a distance of approximately 2,010 meters, although not a first round hit. Several targets were engaged with the Barrett, some of them almost 3000 meters away. In the aftermath, a Norwegian soldier was killed in an IED attack in Maimana on November 8. ANA's 209th Corps took over control of the district on the same day. Subsequent to the battle, a number of soldiers from the Norwegian Military Observer Team Navy (unit made up of soldiers from the Kystjegerkommandoen) were awarded the US Army's

Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...

for their efforts in expelling the Taliban from the Ghowrmach district.Official Norwegian Defence Force Website
Norwegian soldiers honoured
Operation Harekate Yolo was the combat debut of the CV90 armoured vehicle used by the Norwegian Army.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harekate 2007 in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) NATO operations in Afghanistan Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) involving Germany Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) involving Norway Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) involving Italy Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) involving Spain Battles involving Hungary Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) involving Latvia

See also

References