Battle of Arghandab (2008)
The Battle of Arghandab (code-named Operation IBRAT by the insurgents) began on June 18, 2008, when NATO-led forces attacked Taliban militants in response to Taliban attacks in Arghandab District and Kandahar. The battle in Arghandab marked the second time in less than a year that the Taliban has tried to take control of the area. Background On June 13, 2008, Taliban fighters attacked the Sarposa Prison in a co-ordinated assault which freed the 800-900 prisoners, approximately a third of whom were believed to have past ties to the insurgency. Coalition forces swept the area for escaped convicts, leading to the deaths of 15 militants in an air strike against a farm. In the following days, it was widely reported that as many as 18 towns surrounding Kandahar had been overrun by Afghan militants, and that approximately 500 insurgents had moved into the neighbouring Arghandab District north of the city, to make use of its grape and pomegranate groves to conceal themselves while they prepared to re-take Kandahar. The insurgents warned locals to flee the area before heavy fighting began, while Coalition planes dropped leaflets suggesting that civilians remain indoors. On June 16, 2008, Afghan National Army (ANA) and Coalition forces