Operation Mountain Thrust

Operation Mountain Thrust
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Date c. June 19, 2006 – c. July 31, 2006 Location Kandahar, Helmand, Paktika, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces in Afghanistan Result Taliban victory Coalition operational failure[3]
Belligerents
Coalition:  Afghanistan United Kingdom United States Canada Australia Romania Netherlands Czech Republic[1][2]	Taliban al-Qaeda
Commanders and leaders
Benjamin Freakley David Fraser Rahmatullah Raufi	Akhtar Usmani Mullah Baqi Kakar Mullah Mohammad Ibrahim Giwat (allegedly)
Strength
3,500 security forces 3,300 2,300 2,200 1,100 120 Total: 11,000+	At least 2,500 insurgents
Casualties and losses
107 killed, 43 captured 6 killed, 30 wounded 24 killed, 50 wounded 4 killed, 30 wounded 11 wounded 2 killed, 1 wounded 1 killed, 4 wounded 11 PMC killed Total: 155 killed 127+ wounded 43 captured	Heavy[4]

Operation Mountain Thrust was a joint NATO and Afghan-led military operation in the War in Afghanistan. It involved more than 3,300 British troops, 2,300 U.S. troops, 2,200 Canadian troops, along with approximately 3,500 Afghan soldiers, supported by extensive air power. Its primary objective was to quell the ongoing Taliban insurgency in the south of the country.

The operation was launched in response to a significant Taliban spring offensive led by Mullah Dadullah in the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, which had marked the most significant escalation of the war in Afghanistan since 2002. The operation was planned by Major General Benjamin Freakley. The strategy involved conducting search-and-destroy missions in the mountainous regions of Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan and Helmand.

The objective was to disrupt the Taliban's command structure and target their core leaders and fighters. The hope was that by doing so, it would dissuade less committed individuals from supporting the insurgents, thereby weakening their overall influence.^[5]