First and Second Battles of Kakarak information

First and Second Battles of Kakarak
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Date 16 March – 12 April 2009 Location Kakarak, Orūzgān Province, Afghanistan Result Coalition victory
Belligerents
Australia Afghan National Army  United States  Netherlands	Taliban insurgents
Commanders and leaders
Shane Gabriel Jacob Kleinman Ashley Judd	Various
Strength
~40-50 men	~100 men
Casualties and losses
1 killed	20 killed

The First and Second Battles of Kakarak (16 March – 12 April 2009) were fought near the village of Kakarak in the West Dorafshan district of Orūzgān Province, in southern Afghanistan. The fighting took place between Australian forces from the 1st Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force (MRTF-1) and Taliban fighters, with the area considered to be one of the last Taliban outposts in the area. During the first action on the morning of 16 March a six-man Australian Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) operating with Afghan National Army (ANA) troops was contacted by a numerically superior Taliban force near the village. In the ensuing battle one Australian was killed before close air support from Dutch AH-64D Apache helicopter gunships and US aircraft allowed them to withdraw after inflicting heavy casualties on the Taliban insurgents.

A month later, on 12 April, an Australian platoon was attacked by a large Taliban force near Kakarak during a combined Australian and Afghan offensive known as Operation Shak Hawel. Outnumbered, the Australians were initially forced to withdraw into a nearby compound, returning fire with small-arms and grenade launchers, before cavalry in an overwatch position decisively engaged the Taliban force, allowing the Australians to regain the initiative. Australian Special Forces moved to establish a blocking position and engaged the Taliban from the rear, while close air support was called in, inflicting heavy casualties on the insurgents and forcing them to withdraw following two hours of fighting. That evening further airstrikes destroyed a compound being used by the insurgents. Although the battle witnessed some of the heaviest and most sustained fighting experienced by conventional Australian forces since the Vietnam War, they suffered no casualties. The operation significantly disrupted insurgent activities in the area.