2001 battle between the United States-led coalition and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan
This article is about the 2001 battle. For the 2017 battle, see Battle of Tora Bora (2017).
Battle of Tora Bora
Part of the invasion of Afghanistan
Location of Tora Bora in Afghanistan, 34°07′N70°13′E / 34.117°N 70.217°E / 34.117; 70.217
Date
November 30 – December 17, 2001[2]
Location
Pachir Wa Agam District, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan
Result
US-led coalition partial victory[3][4][5][6]
Beginning of the Taliban insurgency
Osama bin Laden escaped
Tora Bora stronghold destroyed
Belligerents
United States United Kingdom Germany Islamic State of Afghanistan
Al-Qaeda
055 Brigade[1]
Turkistan Islamic Party Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi
Commanders and leaders
Tommy Franks Dalton Fury[4] Gary Berntsen Michael Boyce Reinhard Günzel Bismillah Khan Hazrat Ali Abdul Zahir Qadir Mohammed Zaman
Osama bin Laden Abdul Latif Nasir (POW) (alleged)[7] Ayman al-Zawahiri[8] Hasan Mahsum Sufi Muhammad
Strength
70 U.S. 1st SFOD-D members 10 CIA SAD agents 10 5th Special Forces Group members 52 Special Boat Service members 10 Secret Intelligence Service agents[9] Kommando Spezialkräfte other coalition forces (aircraft) 2,500 Afghan Eastern Shura fighters[10]
~1,500-2,000[10]
Casualties and losses
Coalition: None[11] Afghan Militias: Unknown
220 killed, 60 captured[12]
v
t
e
Afghan conflict
Saur Revolution (1978)
Herat uprising (1979)
Chindawol uprising (1979)
Bala Hissar uprising (1979)
Soviet–Afghan War (1979–89)
Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)
Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)
Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes
Islamic State–Taliban conflict (2015–present)
Republican insurgency in Afghanistan
v
t
e
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
History
Timeline
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Battles and operations
v
t
e
Invasion
Crescent Wind
Rhino
Mazar-i-Sharif
Kunduz
Herat
Kabul
Tarinkot
Trent
Kandahar
Qala-i-Jangi
Shawali Kowt
Sayyd Alma Kalay
Tora Bora
v
t
e
Helmand Province campaign
Lejay
Eagle Fury
Lashkar Gah
Mountain Thrust
1st Sangin
Mountain Fury
Nawzad
Achilles
Musa Qala I
Volcano
Kryptonite
Silver
Pickaxe-Handle
Hammer
Nasrat
Musa Qala II
Garmsir
Eagle's Summit
Red Dagger
Shahi Tandar
Diesel
Mar Lewe
Panther's Claw
Strike of the Sword
Dahaneh
Cobra's Anger
Moshtarak
Tor Shezada
Battle of Sangin
Camp Bastion
January 2017 Lashkargah
Sangin
June 2017 Lashkargah
Camp Shorabak
Grishk
v
t
e
Kandahar Province
2001 Kandahar bombing
Fall of Kandahar
Tarnak Farm
Mongoose
Medusa
Avalanche
Kaika
Panjwaii
Falcon Summit
Hoover
Luger
Kamin
Shah Wali Kot
2008 Kandahar
Spin Boldak
Sarposa
Arghandab
Wech Baghtu
2009 Kandahar
Nadahan
Hamkari
Dragon Strike
Baawar
Battle of Kandahar
Kandahar massacre
2017 Kandahar
2020 Kandahar
v
t
e
Eastern Afghanistan
Hazar Qadam
Anaconda (Takur Ghar)
Warrior Sweep
Jacana
Haven Denial
Mountain Resolve
Tar Heels
Korangal valley (Red Wings)
Jaji border incident
Bagram (2007)
South Korean hostages
Nangar Khel
Aranas
Wanat
Ebrahimkhel
Alasay
Bari Alai
Ganjal
Kamdesh
Narang
Khataba
2010 Badakhshan massacre
Bad Pakh
Bulldog Bite
Barawala Kalay Valley
Do Ab
Asadabad
Bagram (2014)
Jalalabad (2015)
Bagram (2015)
Nangarhar
Jalalabad (2016)
Janikhel
Bagram (2016)
Mohmand Valley
Tora Bora
Jalalabad (January 2018)
Jalalabad (July 2018)
Jalalabad (September 2018)
Charikar
Jalalabad (2019)
Bagram (2019)
May 2020
v
t
e
Kabul Province
2002
2008 Serena Hotel
2008 Indian embassy
Uzbin
2009 raids
NATO HQ
2009 Indian embassy
Bakhtar
January 2010
February 2010
May 2010
2011 Inter-Continental Hotel
September 2011
December 2011
April 2012
June 2013
Palace
January 2014
2014 Serena Hotel
December 2014
Park Palace
Parliament
7 August 2015
10 August 2015
22 August 2015
Spanish Embassy
April 2016
Canadian Embassy
July 2016
American University
September 2016
January 2017
March 2017
May 2017
October 2017 mosque
28 December 2017
2018 Inter-Continental Hotel
Ambulance
March 2018
22 April 2018
30 April 2018
September 2018
2019 mosque
1 July 2019
28 July 2019
7 August 2019
17 August 2019
2 and 5 September 2019
17 September 2019
6 March 2020
Gurdwara
May 2020
June 2020
July 2020
August 2020
September 2020
October 2020
November 2020
University
December 2020
2021 school
Fall of Kabul (2021)
2021 hospital
v
t
e
Kunduz Province
Airlift
Siege
Harekate Yolo
Karez
Oqab
2009 airstrike
Sahda Ehlm
Gala-e Gorg
Halmazag
2015 battle
Hospital airstrike
Hostage crisis
2016 battle
Boz Qandahari
Kunduz madrassa
2020
Major operations
Mountain Viper
Asbury Park
Perth
Chora
Firebase Anaconda
Shewan
Balamorghab
Sabzak
Derapet
Doan
Kunduz (2015)
Omari
Tarinkot
Kunduz (2016)
Boz Qandahari
Darzab (2017)
Farah
Darzab (2018)
Kunar (2019–2020)
Ghazni
2021 Taliban offensive
Zaranj
Kunduz
Herat
Kandahar
Lashkargah
Kabul
Airstrikes
Sayyd Alma Kalay
Uruzgan wedding
Hyderabad
Gora Prai
Haska Meyna/Deh Bala
Azizabad
Wech Baghtu
Granai
Kunduz (2009)
Uruzgan helicopter
Sangin (2010)
Mano Gai
Baraki Barak
Kapisa
Kunar
Kunduz hospital
Sangin (2017)
Nangarhar
Kunduz madrassa
Major insurgent attacks 2002
Kabul
2007
Bagram
S Korean hostage
Baghlan
2008
Kandahar
Spin Boldak
Khost
Kabul Indian embassy
Kabul hotel
2009
Kabul raids
Kabul NATO
Kandahar
Kabul Indian embassy
Kabul UN guesthouse
Camp Chapman
2010
Kabul (Jan)
Kabul (Feb)
Kabul (May)
Nadahan
2011
Logar
Kabul hotel
Nimruz
Zabul
Kabul (Sep)
Kabul & Mazar-e-Sharif
2012
Raids
Camp Bastion
FOB Salerno Attack
2013
Farah
Kabul court
Kabul palace
Jalalabad
Herat
2014
Kabul restaurant
Kabul hotel
Herat Indian consulate
Bagram
1st Paktika
2nd Paktika
Kabul school
2015
Jalalabad
Kabul hotel
Kabul Parliament
Khost
Kabul police
Kabul Airport
Kabul NATO
Ghazni
Kandahar
Kabul Spanish embassy
Bagram
2016
Jalalabad
Kabul NDS
Kunduz-Takhar highway
Kabul Canadian embassy
Wardak
Kabul Hazara protest
Kabul University
Kabul Defense Ministry
Mazar-i-Sharif
Bagram
2017
Bombings (Jan)
Kabul hospital
Camp Shaheen
Kabul (May)
Herat (Jun)
June Lashkargah
Herat (Aug)
Gardez & Ghazni
Kabul & Ghor
Kabul Shi'ite
2018
Kabul hotel
Jalalabad (Save the Children)
Kabul ambulance
Kabul (Mar)
Kabul (22 Apr)
Kabul (30 Apr)
Jalalabad (Jul)
Baghlan
Kabul (Sep)
Jalalabad (Sep)
2019
Maidan Shar
Camp Shorabak
Kabul mosque
Kabul Defense Ministry
Ghazni
Kabul office
Farah
Kabul police
Kabul wedding
Kabul (Sep)
Charikar & Kabul
Qalat
Jalalabad
Haska Meyna
Bagram
2020
Kabul (6 Mar)
Kabul gurdwara
May
June
July
August
Jalalabad
September
October
November
Kabul University
December
2021
Jan-Aug
Kabul school
Spin Boldak
Massacres
Dasht-i-Leili
Shinwar
Nangar
Narang
Maywand
Khataba
Badakhshan
Kandahar
FOB Delhi
Other
U.S. urination incident
Quran burning protests
Insurgents' bodies
U.S.–Afghan agreement
US–Taliban peace deal
U.S. withdrawal
2011–2016
2020–2021
Peace process
2021 Kabul airlift
The Battle of Tora Bora was a military engagement that took place in the cave complex of Tora Bora, eastern Afghanistan, from November 30 – December 17, 2001, during the final stages of the United States invasion of Afghanistan. It was launched by the United States and its allies with the objective to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the militant organization al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda and bin Laden were suspected of being responsible for the September 11 attacks three months prior. Tora Bora (Pashto: تورا بورا; Black Cave) is located in the Spīn Ghar mountain range near the Khyber Pass. The U.S. stated that al-Qaeda had its headquarters there and that it was bin Laden's location at the time.
^Neville, Leigh, Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military), Osprey Publishing, 2015 ISBN 978-1-4728-0790-8, p.48
^Malkasian 2021, p. 77.
^Turner, Daniel. "Operational Analysis of the Battle of Tora Bora, Afghanistan, 2001". The Cove. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
^ abCite error: The named reference How We Failed to Get Bin Laden was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Tora Bora Reconsidered: LESSONS FROM 125 YEARS OF STRATEGIC MANHUNTS" (PDF). Ndupress.ndu.edu. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
^"Battle of Tora Bora | Afghanistan War | Britannica". Britannica.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
^Thomas Joscelyn (July 20, 2021). "U.S. transfers Guantánamo detainee who allegedly led forces at Tora Bora". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
^Bergen 2021, p. 172.
^Corera, Gordon, MI6: Life and Death in the British Secret Service, W&N , 2012, ISBN 0-7538-2833-2, 978-0753828335, p.338
^ abWeaver, Mary Anne (September 11, 2005). "Lost at Tora Bora". The New York Times.
^Malkasian 2021, p. 78.
^Neville, Leigh (2008). Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan (Elite). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-310-0.p.20
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