Operation Harpoon (2002)
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Operation Harpoon (1942)
Operation Harpoon was the code name of a joint American–Canadian military operation which took place in March 2002 in Paktia Province
, Afghanistan
. This operation took place in roughly the same region as Operation Anaconda
. It was also the first major Canadian combat mission in half a century.
resistance in the Arma Mountains in eastern Afghanistan. The land component was a battalion-sized Canadian and American force under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Pat Stogran, the commanding officer of
the 3 PPCLI (Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
) battle group.
On March 14, 2002, LCol Stogran's Canadian troops led one of his American platoons to a cave-and-bunker complex where the Americans proceeded to destroy several bunkers. The Canadian and American force also investigated 30 caves and four mortar positions resulting in three enemy casualties.
Operation Harpoon (1942)
Not to be confused with Operation Harpoon Operation Harpoon was one of two simultaneous Allied convoys sent to supply Malta in the Axis-dominated Mediterranean Sea in mid-June 1942, during the Second World War. One convoy, Operation Vigorous, left Alexandria. The other, Operation Harpoon, travelled...
Operation Harpoon was the code name of a joint American–Canadian military operation which took place in March 2002 in Paktia Province
Paktia Province
Paktia , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the east of the country. Its capital is Gardez. The population is predominantly Pashtun.- History:...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. This operation took place in roughly the same region as Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda took place in early March 2002 in which the United States military and CIA Paramilitary Officers, working with allied Afghan military forces, and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization and non NATO forces attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the Shahi-Kot...
. It was also the first major Canadian combat mission in half a century.
The Operation
The Operation started in the early hours of March 13 using land and air forces to eliminate pockets of Taliban and Al-QaedaAl-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
resistance in the Arma Mountains in eastern Afghanistan. The land component was a battalion-sized Canadian and American force under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Pat Stogran, the commanding officer of
the 3 PPCLI (Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is one of the three regular force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army. The regiment is composed of four battalions including a primary reserve battalion, for a total of 2,000 soldiers...
) battle group.
On March 14, 2002, LCol Stogran's Canadian troops led one of his American platoons to a cave-and-bunker complex where the Americans proceeded to destroy several bunkers. The Canadian and American force also investigated 30 caves and four mortar positions resulting in three enemy casualties.