Define Battle of COP Keating Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Define Battle of COP Keating - Essay Example The battle of COP Keating occurred in October 3rd 2009 in Kamdesh, Nuristan province of eastern Afghanistan (35Ëš24ââ€" ¡36ââ€" ¡N 71Ëš20ââ€" ¡29ââ€" ¡E / 35.41ËšN71.34139ËšE) and according to Executive summary: AR 15-6 investigation re: complex attack on COP Keating--3 Oct 09 saw to a 12-hour close contact battle pitting Taliban insurgents against American military, two Latvian trainers and Afghan coalition forces that nearly became a hand to hand combat. At the time of the attack, the COP was home to approximately 60 cavalrymen from Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division and a couple stationed Afghanistan coalition officers. Commanders and leaders during the battle included Curtis Scaparrotti, Randy George, Dost Muhammed, Sirajuddin Haqqani and Ghulan Faroq (Sanders, 122). At the end of the battle, 8 United States troops had died and a further 22 were left wounded. In addition, eight Afghan soldiers were wounded, together with two Afghan private security guards. A body count by the military confirmed that about 150 to 200 Taliban insurgents died in the firefight that lasted through the day. The United States troops who lost their lives in the battle were Justin T. Gallegos (Tucson, Arizona), Christopher Griffin (Kincheloe, Michigan), Kevin C. Thomson (Reno, Nevada), Michael P. Scusa (Villas, New Jersey), Vernon W. Martin (Savannah, Georgia), Stephan L. Mase (Lovettsville, Virginia), Joshua J. Kirk (South Portland, Maine) and Joshua M. Hardt (Applegate, California). Another 10 Afghan soldiers and 4 Taliban fighters died in the period of October 5th and 6th when Coalition troops carried out operations to determine, locate and destroy the militia behind the October 3rd attack on the COP Keating. The PRT Kamdesh, newly named Camp Keating after death of First Lieutenant Ben Keating who died while transporting an armored supply track to the Naray FOB, was initially intended to be a provincial reconstruction team base (PRT); a strategic location from where supply of weaponry from the Pakistan to the Anti Coalition Militia (ACM) would be minimized and halted. However, the camp proved very difficult to defend in case of attack, as was rampant in the area. Several factors contributed significantly to the area’s threatening insecurity and unsuitability for a military camp in an area as hostile as the Camp Keating. These eventually saw to reason and subsequent planning by the US military to evacuate the area to more populated areas of Afghanistan in order to provide more security and protection to the local civilians. The Combat Outpost (COP) Keating is situated in a valley surrounded on all sides by mountains and a river meandering its way on one side. It would appear like a bowl, greatly reducing any chances of successful defense upon attack. The area is also characterized by rough terrain with sharp rocks and transport via the road was prone to attack by insurgents. The road contractors of Afghanistan had also failed to maintain the road in the area which regrettably led to the death of Lieutenant Ben Keating who had a fatal accident while on trans portation duty along the road. This together with the unsuitability of the area for any aircraft landing made any air response and aid during attacks minimal if not late. It is documented that a military chopper had earlier crushed into the terrain while attempting to land in the area killing all its passengers. A landing pad was