2005 U.S. military operation during the War in Afghanistan
Operation Whalers
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Date
August 13–18, 2005[1]
Location
Kunar Province, Afghanistan[1]
Result
U.S. operational victory[1]
Belligerents
United States
Taliban insurgents[1]
Commanders and leaders
Lieutenant Colonel James E. Donnellan (USMC)[1] Captain Kelly J. Grissom (USMC)[1] 2nd Lieutenant James "J.J." Konstant Jr. (USMC) [1] 2nd Lieutenant Stewart O. Geise (USMC)[1] 1st Lieutenant Ben M. Middendorf (USMC)
Ahmad Shah
Units involved
2nd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment (2/3)
2nd Platoon, Echo Company
3rd Platoon, Fox Company
1st Platoon, Fox Company
scout/sniper team
mortar SECTION
3rd Platoon, 212th Military Police Company
Unknown
Strength
60 Marines[1]
40–60, distributed in groups throughout the battlespace[1]
Casualties and losses
1 killed 11 wounded
40+ killed[2] Ahmad Shah gravely wounded, his cell destroyed[1]
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
Operation Whalers was a United States Marine Corps military operation that took place in Afghanistan's Kunar Province, between August 13 and August 18, 2005, just weeks after the disastrous Operation Red Wings. Like Operation Red Wings, the objective of Operation Whalers was the disruption of Anti-Coalition Militia (ACM) activity in the region in support of further stabilizing the region for unencumbered voter turnout for the September 18, 2005 Afghan national parliamentary elections.
Operation Whalers was planned and executed by the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment (2/3). The emphasis of the operation was an Anti-Coalition Militia cell led by Ahmad Shah, which was one of 22 identified ACM groups operating in the region at that time and was the most active. Ahmad Shah's cell was responsible for the Navy SEAL ambush and subsequent MH-47 shootdown that killed, in total, 19 U.S. special operations personnel during Operation Red Wings. Operation Whalers, named after the Hartford / New England Whalers professional hockey team, was the "sequel" to Operation Red Wings in that it was aimed at furthering stabilization of the security situation in the restive Kunar Province of Eastern Afghanistan, a long-term goal of American and coalition forces operating in the area at that time.
Operation Whalers, conducted by a number of Marine infantry companies of 2/3 with attached Afghan National Army soldiers and supported by conventional Army aviation, intelligence, and combat arms forces units and U.S. Air Force aviation assets, proved a success. Anti-Coalition Militia activity dropped substantially and subsequent human intelligence and signals intelligence revealed that Ahmad Shah had been seriously wounded. Shah, who sought to disrupt the September 18, 2005 Afghan national parliamentary elections, was not able to undertake any significant Anti-Coalition operations subsequent to Operation Whalers in Kunar or neighboring provinces.[1][3]
^ abcdefghijklDarack, Ed (2010). Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalers - The Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan. Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0-425-23259-0.
^Esterbrook, John (August 22, 2005), U.S.: 40 Afghan Rebels Killed, CBS News, retrieved 2018-01-22
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Global Information
United States
Taliban insurgents[1]