The Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between United States special operations forces and Taliban insurgents fought in March 2002, atop Takur Ghar mountain, Afghanistan.
For the U.S. side, the battle proved the deadliest entanglement of Operation Anaconda, an effort early in the war in Afghanistan to rout Taliban forces from the Shahi-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains.
On March 4, 2002, a Navy SEAL fell from a helicopter that was fired on by Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Rangers from 1st Battalion were flown by Nightstalkers to rescue the fallen SEAL.
With communication issues, the Rangers were unaware they were landing in a hot zone and immediately came under heavy fire.
The troops were able to secure the mountain top. Whether the mission was a success depends on who is asked.
Arguing between high-ranking officers led to the communication issues and played a part in the American deaths that occurred.
It is also widely believed that high ranking Al Qaeda officers, including possibly Bin Laden, were able to escape during the battle.
