Because Gulab had previously met the Marine commander based at Nangalam, he asked an older man, Shina, from another part of the village of Salar Ban, to make the trek with the note to that base instead. [1][2] While many of Afghanistan's provinces at this time had stable security environments, one of the most restive continued to be the Kunar Province, which lies in eastern Afghanistan, on the border with Pakistan. Shah had with him two videographers during the ambush, and As-Sahab Media released a video of the ambush and the items recovered from the SEALs. On 22nd March, 2008, he was appointed as the governor of Helmand Province, while former Interior Ministry spokesman Lutfullah Mashal replaced him in Laghman. “The noise woke everyone in the house,” says Gulab’s eldest son, 17-year-old Gul Mohammad. “Mohammad Gulab not only put his own life at risk, he put the lives of his entire village at risk,” Cooper said on “60 Minutes Overtime.” “According to Gulab, the … These "presence operations" achieved the goal of disrupting anti-coalition militia activity, but at great cost, and upon the exfiltration of troops, Ahmad Shah and his reinforced cell were able to return to the area weeks later. The aircraft returned to their respective bases; a massive search began, at first from the ground, and then with aviation assets. The Lone Survivor quotes below are all either spoken by Mohammad Gulab or refer to Mohammad Gulab. Like "Afghan Women Forum"https://www.facebook.com/afghan.womenforum [1], In October 2006, Mangal's convoy was struck by a bomb attack east of Kabul, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility, narrowly missing him, killing one provincial official. The insert point was roughly one and one half miles from the nearest Named Area of Interest. The 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment (3/3), which deployed to Regional Command East (RC East) (which included Kunar Province) in late 2004 to conduct stability and counterinsurgency operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, identified a number of operational barriers due to Special Operations Command doctrine for the battalion's counterinsurgency work in the area. [2][3] Some survivors have suffered from PTSD. A quick reaction force finally launched, consisting of two MH-47 Special Operations Aircraft of the 160th, two UH-60 conventional Army aviation Black Hawk helicopters, and two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. [21] Spurs utilized Navy SEALs for the opening two phases of this five-phase operation. [1], When Mangal was appointed as governor of Helmand, he was referred to as "one of the most accomplished governors to have served Afghanistan since 2001". 2nd Lieutenant Turner also gathered a number of photographs of Shah. The operation was conceived by the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines (2/3) of the U.S. Marine Corps based on an operational model developed by 2/3's sister battalion, the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines (3/3), which had preceded the 2nd Battalion in their combat deployment. The northeastern gulch in which the SEALs became trapped was in this direction, above the village of Salar Ban. When Shina reached the base in Nangalam in the middle of the night, he met with the commander and related the story about a wounded American soldier in their village. The size of Shah's group increased as additional fighters joined his ranks. [2][3][4] The SEALs made a number of attempts to contact their combat operations center with a multi-band radio and then with a satellite phone. Meet Leon (Levi) and his son Michael (Moshe Yosef) Wildes, the observant Jewish immigration lawyers who represent people like Mohammad Gulab, who risked their lives to rescue Americans. The battalion agreed to this, realizing, however, that this unconventional command structure defied a fundamental tenet of successful military operations – "unity of command". The defense of the fort then was in the hands of Raja Gulab Singh. [2][7][24], 3/3 tracked a number of known ACM groups they determined to be possibly seeking to fill the power void in the region. Determining that they were civilians, not combatants, Lieutenant Murphy released them, according to rules of engagement. [1][2][7] In April 2008, Shah was killed during a shootout with Pakistani police in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. COOPER NEILL FOR NEWSWEEK The next day, Gulab met one of his contacts, who handed him his plane tickets and several hundred dollars. [2], Mangal served as the governor of Paktika Province from March 2004 to March 2006, and then as the governor of Laghman Province. With Gulab and his father’s help, Luttrell is hidden and protected from the Taliban forces. Luttrell was subsequently moved to different places until forces could arrive to extract him. During the following weeks of Red Wings II, ground units of 2/3 undertook a number of patrols, as did members of the Afghan National Army, Army Special Operations units, and Navy Special Operations units. [2][7], The name has been widely mis-stated as "Operation Redwing" and sometimes "Operation Red Wing". "[30][56][57], For the 1956 series of U.S. nuclear tests, see. Ahmad Shah and his group recovered a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and other materials, including three SOPMOD M4 Carbines fitted with M203 40mm grenade launchers, a ruggedized laptop with an intact hard drive containing maps of embassies in Kabul, night vision equipment, and a sniper spotting scope, among other items from the Navy SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team, items which they could then use against American, Coalition, and Government of Afghanistan entities. According to U.S. cables of January 2009, Mangal accused the British of doing too little to interact with the local community, telling a U.S. team led by Vice-President Joe Biden that he did not “have anything against them (the British) but they must leave their bases and engage with the people.”[8] As reported by The New York Times, the Wikileaks cables confirm that Mangal is considered an effective governor by foreign diplomats, and that he only kept his job as governor in Helmand Province thanks to “a concerted effort by the British, backed up by NATO allies”, when President Hamid Karzai wanted to replace him with a “tribal power broker with unsavory connections”. Mohammad Gulab and his fellow villagers rescued and protected wounded Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. However, a low gas pressure later in the night caused the heater to … [2] Three of the four SEALs were killed, and a quick reaction force helicopter sent in for their aid was shot down with a rocket-propelled grenade fired from an RPG-7, killing all eight U.S. Navy SEALs and all eight U.S. Army Special Operations aviators on board. [2][30], The team, surmising that they would likely be compromised, retreated to a fallback position. From 2006 to 2008, he served as the Governor of Laghman province. I n his wildest dreams, Mohammad Gulab never imagined the scene that greeted him: a wounded American soldier hiding in the shadows, his rifle Gulab Mangal will be key to progress in Afghanistan's restive Helmand province, where Marines are trying to support the struggling Afghan government. ", OPERATION RED WINGS – The (Mis)Information Aftermath, "Bara bin Malek Front commander killed in Pakistani shootout", "Lt. Michael P. Murphy, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE", "Surviving SEAL tells story of deadly mission", Satellite image via Google Maps of location of Nangalam in Afghanistan, "U.S. military searches for missing SEAL", "About the artist: W. Stanley "Sandy" Proctor", "The Movie, Lone Survivor, Has a Local Tie to Tallahassee", "SEALs in bronze: Tallahassee artist memorializes 'Lone Survivor' warriors", "Afghanistan-Iraq War Memorial - Memorial Park - Cupertino, CA - Afghanistan-Iraq War Memorials", Military operations in the war in Afghanistan, Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Red_Wings&oldid=992628425#Afghans_who_aided_Luttrell, 21st-century aircraft shootdown incidents, Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) involving the United States, Operations involving American special forces, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Pages using military navigation subgroups without wide style, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2020, Afghanistan articles missing geocoordinate data, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Ranging from 8–10 fighters to 70–100 depending on source, Unknown, with the highest estimate 35 killed, Part of 4-Man SEAL team, killed in an ambush, Killed aboard the helicopter when it was shot down, Insurgent forces sustain some casualties and temporarily withdraw, before returning three weeks later. [1][20] The operation was presented to a number of Special Operations units working in the area for possible "buy in". [4] Further, Mangal, whom The New York Times calls "ardently anti-opium", succeeded in cutting back opium cultivation in Helmand by 33 percent in 2009. Military protocol, United States and international military doctrine, and rules of engagement strictly forbid harming unarmed non-combatant civilians, with one of the specific rules of engagement in effect at the time stating, "Civilians are not targets! [2] One of the primary goals of the coalition by 2004 in Afghanistan was nation-building, that is, providing a security environment conducive to the establishment and growth of a democratically elected government, as well as infrastructure support. Sawtalo Sar Mountain, Shuryek (Matin) Valley, Planning stages and intelligence gathering, Insertion of SEAL team, compromise and attack, Red Wings II: search, rescue, recovery, and presence operations, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, Darack – p. 142. [4], In April 2010, three Italian citizens and six Afghans who worked at a hospital run by the Italian charity Emergency in the capital of Helmand Province, Lashkar Gah were detained, suspected of having planned suicide attacks. For this, Yaqoob says he and other men from his village did not receive any training, pay or compensation. [45] In addition, the United States Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, brought in the American flag, the POW/MIA flag and the San Diego Padres flag. After the American led invasion in 2001, he was appointed a Regional Coordinator of the Constitutional Loya Jirga in Paktia. Mangal is a Paktiawal and was a member of the communist People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan before it seized power in the Saur Coup of 1978. Marcus Luttrell's Savior, Mohammad Gulab… PO Box 63, Seneca, SC 29679; 864.606.4673; lmtf.macy@gmail.com [6][31][32][33], Since the SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team had been ambushed, the focus of the operation immediately shifted from disrupting ACM activity to finding, aiding and extracting the survivors. [44], Ahmad Shah's group in Kunar Province was neutralized, and Shah was seriously wounded during Operation Whalers weeks later in August 2005. Red Wings was planned as a five-phase operation: While the Marines planned the overall operation, the SEALs planned the specifics of their roles of Red Wings. [3] Three of the four team members were killed, and the only survivor, Marcus Luttrell, was left unconscious with a number of fractures and other serious wounds. Since before deploying to Afghanistan, 2/3's intelligence officer, Captain Scott Westerfield and his assistants, had been tracking a small cell led by a man named Ahmad Shah, based on intelligence sent back by 3/3's intelligence officer. Command and control (C2) at this point was lost, and neither visual nor radio contact could be established with the SEAL team. [2] The team could not establish consistent communication, other than for a period long enough to indicate that they were under attack. From 23rd October 2016 to April 2018, he was appointed and introduced as the adviser minister and provincial governor of Nangarhar province. Many of the details regarding the Afghans who aided Luttrell were reported incorrectly in the American press during the days after the events occurred.[34]. [3] Official media reports from the military estimated the size of the Taliban force to be around 20 as well, while in the Medal of Honor citation for LT Michael P. Murphy, the Navy cited 30–40 enemies. From October 2016, he has been serving as the senior adviser minister of borders and tribal affairs for the president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Phase 2: Action on the Objective: A SEAL direct action team is to insert by MH-47, followed shortly by Marines, to capture or kill Shah and his men. With the withdrawal of American and Coalition troops at the end of Red Wings II, Shah and his group were able to return to the Kunar Province and begin attacks again. A large amount of resources were devoted to the search, rescue, and recovery operations of Red Wings II. Because Gulab was a celebrated Mujahedeen field commander and machine-gunner who beat back the Soviets as a teenager, the Taliban were wary enough that they didn’t simply storm the village and take Luttrell, which gave Gulab time to orchestrate his rescue. [2][26][27][28][29], Further intelligence, including human intelligence and signals intelligence, indicated that Shah based his insurgent / terrorist operations out of some small structures outside of the village of Chichal, high on the slopes of Sawtalo Sar mountain in the upper Korangal Valley, approximately 20 miles (32 km) to the west of Kunar's provincial capital, Asadabad. "[33], In the June 12, 2007, article "Survivor's book dishonors son's memory" by Michael Rothfeld in Newsday, Michael P. Murphy's father Dan claims that Lieutenant Murphy would never have considered executing unarmed civilians, let alone putting such a grave decision up for a vote (in reference to the purported vote of execution of unarmed locals). [2], Significant international media attention was focused on the ambush and the MH-47 shootdown. Using imagery intelligence, taken from a UAV on June 17, 2005, Westerfield identified likely structures used for housing his team, IED making, and overwatch of the area below, for IED strikes. [1][2] A key milestone in this campaign would be the September 18, 2005, Afghan national parliamentary elections. Gulab claims Luttrell made him many promises, including a green card and a new home, for his support Luttrell’s book. He introduces himself as, Gul Mohammad, the son of Mohammad Gulab, the man we are looking for. [5], In the WikiLeaks cables released in 2010, Mangal was cited as one of the officials in Afghanistan who criticised the British. As one of the aircraft performed a number of "decoy drops" to confuse any possible enemy on the ground as to the specific purpose of helicopters, the other inserted, via fastrope, a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team in a saddle between Sawtalo Sar and Gatigal Sar, a peak just to the south of Sawtalo Sar. [2][7] 2/3 would continue the use of hockey team names for large operations. It utilized special operations forces (SOF) units and assets, including members of the U.S. Navy SEALs and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (SOAR(A)), for the opening phase of the operation. On June 28, 2008, Luttrell and the family members of soldiers killed overseas were honored at a San Diego Padres game. It is likely Luttrell would have been turned over to the Taliban had he descended into the Korangal instead of Shuryek.[38]. [54] In the Summary of Action related to the same MOH, the Navy cites an "enemy force of more than 50 anti-coalition militia". Since October 2016, he has been serving as the senior adviser minister of borders and tribal affairs for the president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Later on, he was introduced to the parliament including 15 other acting ministers. Operation Red Wings, informally referred to as the Battle of Abbas Ghar (often incorrectly called "Operation Redwing" or "Operation Red Wing"),[2][3][7][11][12] was a combined / joint military operation during the War in Afghanistan in the Pech District of Afghanistan's Kunar Province, on the slopes of a mountain named Sawtalo Sar,[2][4][7] approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Kunar's provincial capital of Asadabad, in late June through mid-July 2005. Phase 1: Shaping: A U.S. Navy SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team is tasked to insert in the region of the suspected safe buildings of Ahmad Shah, observe and identify Shah and his men and specific locations, and guide a direct action team of phase two to structures in which Shah and his men are observed to be staying. Mohammad Owais, his wife and a minor son were asleep in a room with a gas heater burning. [3][11][12], The claim in Luttrell's book that Lieutenant Murphy considered and put to the vote the possible execution of unarmed civilians who stumbled upon the SEAL team has been criticized and dismissed by many as fiction. [2] Similar operations that followed included Operation Mavericks (named after the Dallas Mavericks basketball team) in April 2005,[22] and Operation Celtics (named after the Boston Celtics basketball team) in May 2005. After an intensive search, the bodies of Dietz, Murphy, and Axelson were eventually recovered, and Marcus Luttrell was rescued, his survival due in part to the aid of a local Afghan villager in the village of Salar Ban, roughly 0.7 miles (1.1 km) down the northeast gulch of Sawtalo Sar[4] from the location of the ambush. [40] The Taliban leader, Ahmad Shah, knew that the wounded man he was tracking had to pass through the village of Salar Ban as he made his way downhill. Luttrell claims in his book that during the briefing his team was told around 80 to 200 fighters were expected to be in the area. On 23rd October 2016, he was appointed as the senior adviser for the minister of borders, tribal affairs, and provincial governor of Nangarhar province until he resigned in April 2018. Shah was seriously wounded during Operation Whalers in August 2005. Phase 5: Exfiltration: Depending on enemy activity, the Marines will remain in the area for up to one month, then depart the area. In his condition, without assistance, he would probably have been killed or captured by the Taliban. Phase 3: Outer Cordon: Marines, along with Afghan National Army soldiers, are to sweep surrounding valleys for other suspected insurgents. The battalion began planning a new operation, tentatively called Operation Stars, which was named after the Dallas Stars professional hockey team. After the initial phases of Red Wings, then 2/3 could be considered the lead, supported element. An Afghan villager who saved the life of Marcus Luttrell - the US Navy SEAL whose exp As an Australian with knowledge of 40 of my countrymen killed in Afghanistan, I salute you Marcus Lutrell, I hope you journey down to Australia to share with your Australian brothers in arms as well as us civilians sometime in the future. Darack lists these on p. He was able to get the highest number of votes, 189 from the parliament members, and become the formal minister of ministry of borders and tribal affairs. [1][2][3] Operation Red Wings was intended to disrupt local Taliban anti-coalition militia (ACM) activity, thus contributing to regional stability and thereby facilitating the Afghan Parliament elections scheduled for September 2005. Lieutenant Colonel Andrew MacMannis, 2/3's battalion commander, and his staff, wanted to maintain the operational tempo set by 3/3. [55] In his book, Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalers – the Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan, military journalist Ed Darack cites a military intelligence report stating the strength of the Taliban force to be 8–10, compared to the 80-200 claimed by Luttrell in Lone Survivor. He is also actively involved in tribal conflict resolutions. Due to inadequate response of the central government for solving some issues that were highlighted by him. He worked as a manager for Publicity and Public Awareness of Afghanistan National Army. [2] Westerfield and his staff determined that Shah and his men had been responsible for approximately 11 incidents against American, Coalition, and Government of Afghanistan entities, including IED strikes and small arms ambushes. US government. [2][24] The culmination of 3/3's efforts was the April 2005 forced surrender of a regional (and national) "high value" target, an ACM commander known as Najmudeen, who based his operations out of the Korangal Valley. Eventually, a tribesman snuck away and got word to the US military. Al-Hajj Nawab Mangal (Paktia) is the brother of Helmand Governor Gulab Mangal, and Ajmal Gulab (Kabul) is his son. Several weeks later, Shah's group in Kunar Province was attacked and rendered unable to function. [46][47][48][49][50][51] It is a large sculpture of two Navy SEALs killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan in 2005 (the event which inspired the war movie Lone Survivor (2013)[52]) and was dedicated by Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter in November 2007. degree in Literature from Kabul University. Gulab … [19], After the initial invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, U.S. military and coalition partner operations shifted from "kinetic" operations to those of a counterinsurgency (COIN) nature. [35] (The highest peak of this ridgeline is 2,830 meters (9,282 feet)). The operation then became known as "Red Wings II" and lasted approximately three more weeks,[1][2] during which time the bodies of the deceased SEALs and Army Special Operations aviators were recovered and the only surviving member of the initial team, Marcus Luttrell, was rescued. It is one of the first sculptured memorials to those who served in the War in Afghanistan.