53-761: Timeline Major operations Airstrikes Major insurgent attacks 2002 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Massacres Other Operation Burnham was a joint military operation undertaken by the New Zealand Special Air Service and elements of the Afghan Crisis Response Unit and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan 's Tirgiran Valley on 21–22 October 2010. Operation Burnham became
106-600: A commando nicknamed "Mo" was wounded by falling debris from a collapsed wall. He was reportedly evacuated to the United States Air Force military hospital at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and was later awarded a medal. According to an Independent Directorate of Local Governance document cited by Hager and Stephenson, six Afghan villagers were killed during Operation Burnham on 22 August 2010; with two of
159-547: A gendarme forces also existed during the monarchy and Daoud Khan’s republic , and that personnel under the Ministry of Interior were trained by Turkey from the 1950s well into the 1970s. Additionally, both West Germany and East Germany trained those in the Ministry of Interior and on the eve of the Saur Revolution in 1978, Afghanistan’s officer corps and MoI personnel contained personnel who received training in
212-542: A joint NZ-US-Afghan operation in August 2010 had left 21 civilians dead or wounded. They also asserted that there were no insurgents in the village on the night of the operation. "Collateral Damage" also included a statement from the New Zealand Defence Force standing by its earlier 2011 press statement and that it would be making no further comment. In response to the documentary, Prime Minister Key issue
265-554: A leather pistol holster, and an AK-47 assault rifle. The NZDF report also claimed that NZSAS forces had shot an individual subsequently identified as an insurgent. The NZDF report also denied Hager and Stephenson's claims that NZDF forces had destroyed a house in Tirgiran village, deliberately set fire to houses or any personal possessions, and call in Coalition aircraft to deliberately destroy houses. As Coalition forces withdrew,
318-591: A partial timeline of the War in Afghanistan . For events prior to October 7, 2001, see 2001 in Afghanistan . The army of the United States continues to conduct missions throughout Afghanistan, began closing forward operating bases (FOB). Ministry of Interior Affairs (Afghanistan) The Ministry of Interior Affairs ( Persian : وزارت امور داخله افغانستان , Pashto : د افغانستان د کورنیو چارو وزارت )
371-850: A public statement asserting that no Afghan civilians had been killed during the 2010 NZSAS "revenge mission." Key's remarks were challenged by Stephenson, who defended his report. Timeline of the War in Afghanistan (2001%E2%80%932021) Invasion (2001): [REDACTED] Northern Alliance [REDACTED] United States [REDACTED] United Kingdom [REDACTED] Canada RS phase (2015–2021): [REDACTED] ISAF : 130,000+ (Peak Strength) [REDACTED] Afghan National Defense and Security Forces : 307,947 (Peak Strength, January 2021) [REDACTED] Resolute Support Mission : 17,178 (Peak Strength, October 2019) Defence Contractors: 117,227 (Peak Strength, Q2 2012) [REDACTED] High Council of
424-585: A raid by special forces in the village of Naik on 22 August. On 28 August, a Dari report on the Azari Radio website reported that hundreds had demonstrated in Tala wa Barfak calling for the prosecution of international forces who had killed and injured more than 20 civilians in the village of Tirgiran. In response to media coverage, the ISAF Joint command and Afghan authorities conducted an investigation into
477-515: A residence in Tirgiran Village. NZDF eventually agreed, 352 days after first claiming that "NZDF troops never operated in the two villages identified in the book. Though Coalition forces had failed to capture the insurgent "targeted for capture", they managed to seize a significant cache of weapons including one rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a bipod , five rocket propelled grenade rocket motor, several rounds of ammunition and magazines,
530-614: A result, New Zealand forces decided to hunt down the perpetrators behind O'Donnell's murder. According to Hager and Stephenson, New Zealand Defence Force and New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) intelligence officers used a mixture of local Afghan informants and an electronic eavesdropping station at Kiwi Base in Bamyan to gather intelligence on a list of nine suspected " Mujahideen " fighters: Maulawi Naimatullah, Qari Miraj, Abdullah Kalta, Qari Musa, Maulawi Alawuddin, Maulawi Anwar, Abdul Ghafar, Islmuddin, and Qari Latif. Three of
583-469: A roadside bomb while his unit was traveling through Karimak village. While there had been similar attacks in the previous two years, this one had resulted in the first New Zealand combat death in the Afghanistan War. According to Hager and Stephenson, O'Donnell's death generated an outpouring of grief, anger, and desire for retribution among New Zealand military personnel stationed in Afghanistan. As
SECTION 10
#1732794615369636-404: A second house had been destroyed by an unattended cooking fire. The NZDF report acknowledged that one NZSAS soldier had been injured when a wall and part of a roof had fallen on him while entering the building. However, it disputed Hager and Stephenson's claim that the injury was the result of the house wall falling after being deliberately damaged by Coalition aircraft fire. At approximately 0245,
689-472: A surveillance flight over the Tirgiran valley prior to Operation Burnham. They also made arrangements for US Apache helicopter gunships to provide aerial support during the raids. According to Hager and Stephenson, Operation Burnham followed the blueprint used for many special forces operations in Afghanistan. The raid would involve encircling the target location with troops, including spotters and snipers on high lookouts, and then sending assault teams to storm
742-597: A third US Blackhawk helicopter , carrying NZSAS troops, arrived in the Tirgiran Valley as the advanced guard. According to interviews of former NZSAS and CRU personnel by Hager and Stephenson, most of the personnel involved in Operation Burnham were NZSAS personnel with the Afghan personnel being there for back up and to provide an "Afghan face" to the operation, so that it could be officially claimed that
795-559: Is the cabinet ministry of Afghanistan responsible for law enforcement , civil order and fighting crime . The ministry's headquarters is located in Kabul . The current minister of Interior Affairs is Sirajuddin Haqqani , who is also the first deputy leader of Afghanistan and the leader of the Haqqani network . During the period where Afghanistan was a Marxist-Leninist state under
848-695: The United States . Regardless, the Sarandoy had far more numbers and were more effective due to the cooperation of the Soviet MVD and its “Kobalt” units in 1981 and 1982 where 12,000 of these Sarandoy personnel were trained at MVD facilities in the Soviet Union between 1978 and 1986, many of them being junior commanders and NCOs. 2,500 of these Sarandoy personnel would be trained in Tashkent ,
901-407: The Afghan interpreter had addressed the village by loud-hailer. An ISAF information pamphlet was also circulated and the ground forces were airlifted out by 0345. The NZDF report claimed that one house had caught fire when debris from the destruction of the insurgents' weapons and ammunition had fallen on the roof, setting the highly combustible roofing material alight. The NZDF report also claimed that
954-501: The Afghan villagers withdrew from the Operation Burnham inquiry, with their lawyer Deborah Manning citing that they had become disillusioned with the inquiry process. In September 2019, the former Defence Force chief Sir Jerry Mateparae admitted that the Defence Force's briefings to the-then Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman had been inaccurate but denied that the military had engaged in a cover-up. The Burnham Inquiry's report
1007-534: The ISAF press release's that 12 armed opponents were killed. On 24 August, The New York Times 's Dexter Filkins reported that a team of investigators from the American-led coalition forces were heading to northeast Afghanistan to investigate reports by local officials that a nighttime by NATO commandos had left eight civilians and 12 wounded. Filkins also mentioned that Afghan civilians had been killed in
1060-1143: The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: 3,000–3,500 [REDACTED] Taliban : 58,000-100,000 (As of February 2021) [REDACTED] HIG : 1,500–2,000+ (2014) [REDACTED] al-Qaeda : ~300 in 2016 (~ 3,000 in 2001) [REDACTED] Fidai Mahaz : 8,000 (2013) Afghan security forces: 66,000–69,095 killed Northern Alliance: 200 killed Coalition : Dead: 3,579 Wounded: 23,536 Contractors Dead: 3,917 Wounded: 15,000+ Taliban insurgents : 52,893 killed (2,000+ al-Qaeda fighters) Civilians killed: 70,000 Total killed: 176,206 (per Brown University ) 212,191+ (per UCDP ) The continued list includes nations who have contributed fewer than 200 troops as of November 2014. Timeline Major operations Airstrikes Major insurgent attacks 2002 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Massacres Other The following items form
1113-570: The Ministry of Interior were tasked with fighting “counter-revolutionaries”, securing government and party components and ensuring the safety of important structures. As of 1982, the Ministry of Interior may have had its own intelligence agency. The Sarandoy were a centrally commanded force and companies, battalions, and brigades reported to the “Directorate of the Defense of the Revolution of the Ministry of Interior”. It should also be noted that
SECTION 20
#17327946153691166-489: The NZDF's account of the events at Tirgiran Valley and speculated that Mapp had either been deceptive or been deliberately misled by defence officials. On 30 June 2014, Māori Television 's current affairs programme Native Affairs aired a story called "Collateral Damage", which investigated Operation Burnham. Jon Stephenson interviewed two Afghan villagers named Said Ahmad and Mohammed Iqbal from Tirgiran village who claimed that
1219-501: The NZSAS casualty was evacuated from Tirgiran village by helicopter. While the NZDF report emphasized that NZSAS personnel were unaware of civilian casualties during the course of operation, it stated that a joint ISAF-Afghan government investigation had attributed civilian casualties to a gunsight malfunction, which had caused the rounds to miss their target and strike two buildings. The NZSAS-led strike team only sustained one casualty when
1272-527: The NZSAS had been involved in hunting down the Taliban insurgents behind Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell's death last year. In response, the New Zealand Defence Force issued a press release confirming that NZ forces had participated in a Coalition operation against insurgents in the Bamyan province. The press release claimed that nine insurgents were killed during the operation but claimed that allegations of civilian casualties were unfounded. Hager and Stephenson disputed
1325-483: The NZSAS was deployed as part of counterinsurgency operations in the greater Kabul region in support of the Afghan Interior Ministry 's Crisis Response Unit (Task Force 24). During their second deployment, NZSAS forces operated from Camp Warehouse, a military base on the eastern outskirts of Kabul. On 3 August 2010, Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell of the Bamyan provincial reconstruction team was killed by
1378-536: The New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team and remained there until 2012. The New Zealand PRT provided regular military patrols across the province, advised and supported the provincial governor, and participated in developmental projects. In addition, the elite New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) saw action during the United States –led invasion of Afghanistan between December 2001 and November 2005. According to
1431-404: The New Zealand Defence Force released an info pack outlining the NZDF's official account of the events of Operation Burnham on 14 March 2018. The NZDF claimed that Operation Burnham had taken place at Tirgiran village instead of Naik and Khak Khuday Dad as claimed by Hager and Stephenson. At 0030 on 22 August 2010, two helicopters carrying NZSAS and Afghan Crisis Response Unit personnel had landed on
1484-477: The People’s Democratic People of Afghanistan, those that worked for the Ministry of Interior (MoI) were referred to as “Sarandoy”. This label included traffic police, provinical officers and corrections/labor prison facility officers. The Ministry of Interior also had female personnel who were tasked with interacting with female civilians, such as when searching them at checkpoints. Those who worked for
1537-603: The accidental short rounds to a gun site malfunction. US Air Force Brigadier General Timothy M. Zadalis , the ISAF Joint Command director of plans and projects, expressed regret at the possible civilian loss of life or injury. While the report promised a fuller investigation, Hager and Stephenson have contended that the investigation was never conducted and the issue was covered up. On 20 April 2011, Defence Minister Wayne Mapp confirmed during an interview with Television New Zealand (TVNZ) journalist Guyon Espiner that
1590-471: The buildings in order to capture or kill the targets. Anyone who tried to escape would be picked off by the surrounding snipers or by Apache helicopter gunships. Operation Burnham's targets were the three insurgents: Maulawi Naimatullah and Abdullah Kalta of Naik; and Abdul Ghafar of Khak Khuday Dad. The authors speculated that the raid was named after Burnham Camp near Christchurch , where Lieutenant O'Donnelll had been based. Hager and Stephenson's version of
1643-635: The capital of Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic for past excellence in combat. During the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001) , Abdul Samad Khaksar (also referred to as Mohammad Khaksar in some news reports) was a Taliban deputy Minister of the Interior, who is notable because he offered to help the US deal with al-Qaeda and became an informant for the Northern Alliance . Khaksar
Operation Burnham - Misplaced Pages Continue
1696-452: The capture of weapons including a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, several rocket-propelled grenades, and several boxes of small arms ammunition. The news release claimed that two Taliban commanders had been the targets of the operation. The report also claimed that the Afghan and coalition forces were attacked by numerous insurgents upon arriving in the target area. The combined coalition forces had fought back and used loud speakers to call on
1749-483: The deceased being killed in the outskirts of Naik village. The dead included a three-year-old girl named Fatima, the daughter of Khadija and Abdul Khaliq, who was killed by shrapnel from helicopter fire. In addition, fifteen villagers were wounded in Khak Khuday Dad village by either shrapnel or bullet wounds. A total of twelve houses were destroyed during Operation Burnham; with six being in Khak Khuday Dad and
1802-453: The events in Tirgiran valley. On 29 August, an ISAF press release reported that a joint assessment team had determined that several rounds of ammunition from coalition helicopters had fallen short, missing the intended target and instead striking two buildings, which it speculated may have resulted in civilian casualties. The report emphasized that insurgents were using one of the buildings as a base of operations. The ISAF press release attributed
1855-403: The events of Operation Burnham is covered in the third chapter of their 2017 book Hit & Run . On the evening 21 August 2010, 60–70 NZSAS and Afghan CRU troops traveled in two US Chinook helicopters from Camp Warehouse to Kiwi Base in Bamyan province. After midnight, the two helicopters flew to the Tirgiran Valley; with one heading to Naik and the other heading to Khak Khuday Dad. In addition,
1908-712: The first weeks of August 2010. The NZSAS's Afghan partners, the Crisis Response Unit, were briefed about the operation but were not informed about the destinations being targeted. According to Hager and Stephenson, the Chief of the NZDF Lieutenant-General Jerry Mateparae and the Defence Minister Wayne Mapp visited the NZSAS base Camp Warehouse during that period and were privy to the final stages of
1961-439: The ground assault, US Apache helicopters strafed Naik village. Hager and Stephenson have asserted that the NZSAS troops had called the helicopters in despite knowing that there were no insurgents in the village and suggest that the commandos were motivated by a desire to avenge O'Donnell's death. One of the NZSAS commandos was reportedly wounded seriously when a wall hit by an Apache rocket collapsed on him. The wounded NZSAS commando
2014-539: The insurgents. Those engagements took place in an area southwest of the landing zone. The NZDF report noted that rounds from a Coalition aircraft had missed their target and struck two buildings. The report speculated that civilian casualties may have resulted from these rounds hitting the two buildings. The NZDF report asserted that the Coalition forces had made a "callout" to the villagers through an interpreter informing them of their presence and general intention. The report also acknowledged that Coalition forces had entered
2067-544: The insurgents—Maulawi Naimatullah, Abdullah Kalta, and Maulawi Anwar—came from Naik village in the Tirgiran Valley. A fourth insurgent, Abdul Ghafar, came from Khak Khuday Dad village in the Tirgiran valley. NZSAS officers lobbied the United States military authorities to add these Afghan fighters to the Joint Prioritized Effects List , a capture or kill list for coalition personnel based in Afghanistan. Planning for Operation Burnham took place during
2120-888: The investigative journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson , the New Zealand provincial reconstruction team also gathered intelligence about groups and elements who were hostile to the International Security Assistance Force including the Taliban insurgency. While Bamyan province was relatively quiet during the early 2000s, New Zealand forces encountered a string of attacks from 2008 onwards including, roadside bombs in March and November 2008, and an ambush involving guns and rocket-propelled grenades in June 2009. Between September 2009 and 31 March 2012,
2173-609: The occupants to exit the buildings. The press release also asserted that the operation had disrupted Taliban activity in the province and maintained that no civilians had been killed or injured during the operation. The first media report on Operation Burnham was a Dari language news report by the Pajhwok News Agency on 23 August 2010 which reported that six civilians, including a woman and an infant, had been killed in an operation by international forces in Tirgiran's Tala wa Barfak District . The Pajhwok report also quoted
Operation Burnham - Misplaced Pages Continue
2226-447: The outskirts of Tirgiran village under covering fire provided by Coalition aircraft. According to the NZDF report, the Coalition aircraft soon detected several armed insurgents taking up positions on high ground and within Tirgiran village which were deemed a threat to Coalition helicopters and ground forces. At 0054, the targets were identified as direct participants in the hostilities and coalition aircraft were given permission to engage
2279-477: The preparations for Operation Burnham. Mapp and Mateparae also briefed Prime Minister John Key about the planned operation by telephone. The authors have asserted that the Prime Minister gave approval for Operation Burnham to go ahead. Lieutenant-General Mateparae and NZSAS senior officers also watched a live video of Operation Burnham. In addition, the NZSAS lobbied for a US surveillance plane to conduct
2332-511: The raid was a joint Afghan and coalition operation. Around 12:30 am on 22 August, the Blackhawk helicopter landed several NZSAS sniper teams near Khak Khuday Dad and Naik villages, which moved to their lookout points. About 1 am, the first Chinook helicopter arrived at Khak Khuday Dan and landed its assault force. The NZSAS and CRU troops reportedly exchanged fire with individuals believed to be insurgents. Shortly later, Apache gunships bombarded
2385-514: The remaining houses in the village. NZSAS forces also seized some ammunition including bullets and rocket-propelled grenades and later destroyed the building they were being housed in. According to Hager and Stephenson, the insurgents had already retreated to the high pastures, following a long-standing Mujaheddin practice dating back to the Soviet–Afghan War of retreating to the mountains following hit-and-run attacks on Soviet forces. Following
2438-640: The remaining six being in Naik village. The six Afghan civilians killed were: The fifteen wounded Afghan civilians were: Following Operation Burnham, the International Security Assistance Force issued a press release on 23 August 2010 stating that Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces had conducted a combined operation in the Baghlan Province on Sunday morning resulting in 12 dead insurgents and
2491-541: The subject of the investigative journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson 's book Hit & Run: The New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan and the meaning of honour , which alleged that New Zealand forces had committed war crimes against civilians in the Naik and Khak Khudday Dad villages. Though the New Zealand Defence Force initially denied that the operation had occurred in those villages, they subsequently confirmed that NZSAS forces had entered one of
2544-499: The village's buildings. According to Hager and Stephenson, the NZSAS and CRU commandos did not attempt to stop the attack. They also did not search the houses or check if any of the inhabitants needed assistance. Instead, they received orders by radio to travel to the next target Naik. Shortly after 1 am, the second Chinook landed at the edge of Naik village. The NZSAS and CRU troops were divided into assault teams consisting of five to ten persons who were dispatched to different targets in
2597-426: The village. The assault teams assigned to Abdullah Kalta and Maulawi Naimatullah's houses found that their targets had escaped. Unable to capture or eliminate the targets, the NZSAS commandos instead destroyed the insurgents' houses and the home of Naimatullah's father, who reportedly disapproved of his son's involvement in the Taliban. The NZSAS troops found only civilians including elderly people, women, and children in
2650-780: The villages mentioned in the book. Media and public interest led to calls for an official inquiry, which was rejected by the-then Prime Minister Bill English . In April 2018, Attorney-General David Parker of the Labour-led coalition government announced that the Government would be holding an inquiry into Operation Burnham and the allegations in Hit & Run . In December 2018, the New Zealand Government confirmed that they would be holding an inquiry but that it would be held behind closed doors. In mid–June 2019,
2703-469: Was assassinated on January 14, 2006 by Taliban gunmen. Joint Task Force Guantanamo counterterrorism analysts described Khairullah Khairkhwa as a former Taliban Minister of the Interior. However, during his second annual Administrative Review Board hearing Khairullah Khairkhwa disputed this allegation. During the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021), the ministry maintained
SECTION 50
#17327946153692756-725: Was evacuated by his comrades aboard the Blackhawk helicopter. Two men fleeing Naik village were also shot down by an Apache helicopter. According to Hager and Stephenson, the Afghan CRU commandos encountered wounded civilians from Khak Khuday Dan and provided medical assistance. However, the NZSAS troops did not attempt to render medical assistance to the civilians. About two hours after 1 am, the NZSAS and CRU troops evacuated aboard their helicopters and returned to Camp Warehouse in Kabul. In response to further Official Information Act requests by The New Zealand Herald newspaper and other media,
2809-553: Was released in late July 2020. While acknowledging that five people including a child had been killed during Operation Burnham, the report concluded that the NZ Defence Force had not covered up casualties and had abided by the rules of engagement and international law. During the War in Afghanistan , elements of the New Zealand Defence Force were deployed to Afghanistan 's Bamyan Province in September 2003 as part of
#368631