Faulty intelligence and an imperative to pursue suspected terrorists led to a commando raid gone badly wrong last month in Afghanistan, according to a U.S. military investigation disclosed Thursday.
The midnight assault by two teams of U.S. Army Rangers on two adjacent compounds near the Afghan village of Hazar Qadam left 16 Afghans dead and 27 captured.
“The compounds were believed to be leadership sites for Al Qaeda or senior Taliban,” the report by the U.S. Central Command stated. “Subsequently it was determined that the compounds likely were controlled by friendly Afghan forces under the leadership of Jan Mohamud.”
Despite the magnitude of the error, the Pentagon and Central Command insisted Thursday that the raid was properly conducted and that no disciplinary action or formal apologies to the Afghan government would result.
“Why would there be?” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asked when questioned on the possibility of disciplinary action.
Central Command, the military headquarters in charge of the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan, approved the raid based on observation of the compounds over several weeks.
“The mission itself was conducted in a professional and disciplined manner,” the report stated. ” . . . There were no systemic errors in the targeting process, mission planning or mission execution.”
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld made clear that senior officers and U.S. commandos operating in Afghanistan are under pressure to find and capture senior members of the militant Islamic Al Qaeda group believed responsible for the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the U.S., and of the ousted Taliban, which gave Al Qaeda a haven in Afghanistan.
“They have instructions from me and from their commanders to be leaning forward, not back, that we do have a high interest in finding Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists,” Rumsfeld said.
The unclassified summary of the Central Command investigation that was released to the press provides an unusually detailed window into the planning and execution of commando raids that have unfolded under a shroud of secrecy since the campaign began in October.
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The compounds near Hazar Qadam, a village some 60 miles north of Kandahar in central Afghanistan, “had been the subject of some of the most thorough intelligence collection efforts for these types of targets.”
The area was known as a Taliban redoubt; activity at the compounds followed a known pattern for Taliban and Al Qaeda forces.
Despite the intense focus, the military was unable to determine the nature of the compounds and allegiance of the people there “with sufficient certainty to justify an air strike.” That left Army Gen. Tommy Franks, head of Central Command, with two options, the report said: bypass the stronghold and risk missing an opportunity to capture senior terrorist commanders, or conduct a ground assault.
The compounds were given the code names Objective Kelly and Objective Brigid. At the first target resistance was minimal, with most of the Afghans surrendering while two were killed. At Objective Brigid, however, the Afghans unleashed heavy small-arms fire on the approaching Americans. One Afghan surrendered; 14 were killed.
“Circumstances on the ground in Afghanistan are difficult. It’s untidy. It is not a neat situation where all the good guys are here and the bad guys are there,” Rumsfeld said.
The Bush administration is debating how to protect the interim Afghan government in this unstable environment. The Pentagon opposes extensive U.S. involvement in a peacekeeping operation, saying it would draw strength away from the campaign on terrorism. But Rumsfeld said the administration has agreed that a U.S. rapid-reaction force will be available to help defend the fragile new government in an emergency.
Separately, Afghanistan’s interim prime minister, Hamid Karzai, suggested in a television interview Thursday that last week’s death of one of his ministers at the Kabul airport was the result of mob action and was not part of a plot.
Initial reports indicated that Air Transport and Tourism Minister Abdul Rahman was killed by angry pilgrims whose flights to the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia had been delayed. Later, however, Karzai linked the death to a personal feud within his administration.
But on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Abdullah discounted that claim and confirmed the earlier account of events. On Thursday, Karzai told Associated Press Television that he and the rest of the Cabinet backed Abdullah’s position.
Meanwhile, a Los Angeles federal court judge on Thursday threw out a lawsuit demanding that the U.S. government spell out charges against Al Qaeda suspects being held at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Judge Howard Matz dismissed the suit by a civil rights group, saying that it had no relationship with the detainees and that his court had no jurisdiction in the case. The group of Los Angeles clergy, journalism professors and civil rights lawyers said it would appeal.