View source for Battle of Wanna

{{Short description|Military Operation by Pakistan}}
{{Distinguish|Battle of Wanat}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Wanna
| partof            = the [[Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
| image             = Wana-NGA-Tactical-Pilotage-Chart.jpg
| image_size        = 300
| caption           = [[Military Intelligence of Pakistan|Military Intelligence map:]] The area involved in the fighting.
| date              = March 16 &ndash; March 23, 2004 (7 days)
| place             = [[Wanna, Pakistan|Wanna]], [[South Waziristan]], [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas]], [[Pakistan]]
| coordinates       = 
| map_type          = 
| latitude          = 
| longitude         = 
| map_size          = 
| map_caption       = 
| map_label         = 
| territory         = 
| result            = Pakistani victory<ref>Fair, C. Christine. “Militant Recruitment in Pakistan: Implications for Al Qaeda and Other Organizations.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, vol. 27, no. 6, 2004, pp. 489–504, doi:10.1080/10576100490483750. This journal article analyzes militant recruitment in Pakistan and briefly mentions the 2004 Battle of Wanna as a victory for Pakistani forces.</ref><ref>Javaid, Umbreen, and Musarat Javed. “Pakistan’s Fight against Terrorism.” Defense & Security Analysis, vol. 32, no. 1, 2016, pp. 51–66, doi:10.1080/14751798.2015.1127155.</ref><ref>Khan, Ikramul Haq. “The Assertion of the Pakistan Army’s Autonomy During the War on Terror.” Journal of Strategic Studies, vol. 41, no. 1-2, 2018, pp. 35–59, doi:10.1080/01402390.2016.1235019. This journal article analyzes the Pakistan Army's operations after 9/11, referencing their victory in the 2004 Wanna battle.</ref><ref>Rashid, Ahmed. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Viking, 2008, pp. 67-68. This book briefly discusses the 2004 Battle of Wanna as part of Pakistan's counterterrorism operations under Pervez Musharraf.</ref><ref>Tellis, Ashley J. “U.S. Strategy: Assisting Pakistan’s Transformation.” Washington Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 1, 2004, pp. 97–116, doi:10.1162/016366004773069454. This journal article reviews U.S.-Pakistan relations in 2004 and mentions the Wanna battle.</ref>
| status            = 
| combatant1        = {{flagicon|Pakistan}} [[Pakistan]]
| combatant2        = {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[al-Qaeda]]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Taliban.svg}} [[Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan|Pakistani Taliban]]
| combatant3        = 
| commander1        = [[File:Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg|20px]] [[Lieutenant-General|Lt.Gen]] [[Ali Jan Aurakzai]]
| commander2        = {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]]
{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[Osama bin Laden]]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[Tohir Yo‘ldosh|Tohir Yuldoshev]]{{WIA}}<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Taliban.svg}} [[Nek Muhammad Wazir|Nek Muhammad]]{{KIA}}<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Taliban.svg}} [[Noor Wali Mehsud]]
| commander3        = 
| units1            = *{{army|Pakistan}}
**[[File:Flag of Pakistan's XI Corps.gif|20px]] [[XI Corps (Pakistan)#Composition|9th Infantry Division]]
**{{flagicon image|Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg}} [[Pakistan Army Aviation Corps|4th Cobra Squadron]]
**{{flagicon image|Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg}}  [[Structure of the Pakistan Army|20th Mountain Brigade]]
*{{air force|Pakistan}}
**4–8 [[Chengdu J-7|F-7]] & [[F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16 jets]]<ref name="Dawn March 19, 2004" />
| units2            = {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} al-Qaeda and TTP Mujahedeen forces
| units3            = 
| strength1         = ~7,000<ref name="Dawn March 19, 2004"/><br>~50 members of [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI CAD]]<ref name="Dawn March 19, 2004"/>
| strength2         = 400 Al-Qaeda fighters<ref name="Dawn News, 20 March 2004" />
| strength3         = 
| casualties1       = 17 soldiers killed,<ref name="Hits On Qaeda Compounds Continue">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hits-on-qaeda-compounds-continue/|title=Hits On Qaeda Compounds Continue|work=CBS News|access-date= 20 March 2004}}</ref><br>11 soldiers captured,<br>33 soldiers wounded
| casualties2       = 55 Al-Qaida fighters killed,<ref name="Action Update: March 15–28, 2004">{{cite web |url=http://www.cdi.org/program/document.cfm?DocumentID=2160&from_page=../index.cfm |title=Action Update: March 15–28, 2004 |publisher=Cdi.org |date=2004-03-31 |access-date=2011-03-27 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121228044109/http://www.cdi.org/program/document.cfm?DocumentID=2160&from_page=../index.cfm |archive-date=2012-12-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref><br>150 fighters captured
| notes             = 
}}
{{War in North-West Pakistan}}
The '''Battle of Wanna''' was a March 2004 military engagement between the [[Pakistan Army]] and members of [[Osama bin Laden|Osama Bin Laden's]] [[al-Qaeda]] at [[Azam Warsak]], near the [[South Waziristan]] town of [[Wanna (Pakistan)|Wanna]].<ref name="Dawn Newspapers March 16" /> The [[Pakistan Army|army troops]] and intelligence paramilitary soldiers faced an estimated ~500 al-Qaeda [[Foreign Mujahideen|foreign fighters]] holed up in several fortified settlements. The fighting ended with 17 soldiers dead.<ref name="Hits On Qaeda Compounds Continue">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hits-on-qaeda-compounds-continue/|title=Hits On Qaeda Compounds Continue|work=CBS News|access-date= 20 March 2004}}</ref>

It was speculated at the time that [[Osama bin Laden]]'s deputy [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] was among those trapped by the [[Pakistan Army]], but he either escaped or was never among these fighters. After weeks of fighting, the [[Inter-Services Public Relations|ISPR]] admitted that it was actually [[Tohir Yoldashev|Tohir Yoldeshev]], leader of the [[Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan]], who was hiding there.<ref name=ISPR>{{cite web|title=Top Al Qaeda leader hurt, hiding in Wana: ISPR|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/28/top3.htm|publisher=ISPR|access-date=4 July 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130702065613/http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/28/top3.htm|archive-date=2 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="ISW Uzbek Militancy in Pakistan's Tribal Region">{{cite web | url = http://www.understandingwar.org/files/BackgrounderIMU_28Jan.pdf | title = Uzbek Militancy in Pakistan's Tribal Region | publisher = Institute for the Study of War | access-date = 2014-10-16 | date = 27 January 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111002093935/http://www.understandingwar.org/files/BackgrounderIMU_28Jan.pdf | archive-date = 2 October 2011 }}</ref>

==Background==
[[Wanna, Pakistan|Wanna]] ({{langx|ps| واڼۀ}}) is a small town inhabitant by the [[Mehsud]] and [[Wazir (tribe)|Wazir]] Tribes. The town is situated in complex series of [[Safed Koh|White mountain]]s range in western Pakistan. The town closely aligned with [[Tora Bora]] area of adjacent country, [[Afghanistan]].

In early months of 2002, Pakistan Army sent and deployed large formation of Infantry and Mountaineering Divisions. The Mountaineering and Infantry Divisions were deployed under the command of [[Lieutenant-General]] [[Ali Jan Aurakzai]], who later became [[Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Governor]] of [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|North-West Frontier Province]] of Pakistan. The Army Divisions entered the [[Tirah Valley]] in the Khyber Agency for the first time since [[Creation of Pakistan|Pakistan independence]] in 1947. The troops were later proceeded to move into the [[Shawal Valley]] of North Waziristan, and later South Waziristan.

In late December 2003, the tension between Pakistan Government and the Waziri tribes mounted as the tribe leaders viewed the action as an attempt to subjugate them.

==Military Intelligence==
According to the reports of the [[Military Intelligence of Pakistan|military intelligence]], there were ~500–600 [[al-Qaeda]] fighters in the region; all militants were [[Chechen people|Chechens]], [[Uighur people|Uighurs]], [[Uzbeks]], [[Arab people|Arabs]] and [[Tajik people|Tajik]] fighters.<ref name="Dawn Newspapers March 16">{{cite news|last=Zulfiqar Ali |title=Musharraf warns against failure of Wana operation |url=http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/16/top4.htm |access-date=4 July 2013 |newspaper=Dawn Newspapers March 16 |date=March 16, 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232920/http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/16/top4.htm |archive-date=2 December 2013 }}</ref><ref name="Dawn News, March 13">{{cite news|last=Khan|first=Ismail|title=Wana tribesmen fail to arrest key suspects: Operation in Afghanistan launched|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/14/top11.htm|access-date=4 July 2013|newspaper=Dawn News, March 13|date=13 March 2004}}</ref>  By March 19, 2004, a team of [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]]'s [[ISI (Pakistan)|Covert Action Division]] (CAD) secretly inserted in the [[Shin Warsak]] area, where they confirmed the [[High-value target]] presence.<ref name="Dawn March 19, 2004">{{cite web|last=Khan|first=Ismail|title=Al Zawahiri believed surrounded: Intensity of resistance indicates presence of high-value target, says Musharraf|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/19/top2.htm|publisher=Dawn March 19, 2004|access-date=4 July 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130702065607/http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/19/top2.htm|archive-date=2 July 2013}}</ref> The [[Pakistani media|media reports]] claimed that it was [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] hiding in the area and might be holed up in one of the areas.<ref name="Dawn March 19, 2004"/> In describing the military intelligence reports, President Musharraf testified that:

<blockquote>We feel that there may be a high-value target. I can't say who. The ferociousness of the surrounded fighters indicated that they were protecting someone particularly significant.<ref name="Dawn March 19, 2004"/> </blockquote>

After a week of fighting, the [[Inter-Services Public Relations|ISPR]] testified that military intelligence sources have confirmed that one of the top [[al Qaeda]] leader, [[Tohir Yo‘ldosh]], has been injured in the military operation in the tribal area and has fled the area.<ref name=Dawn>{{cite news|last=ISPR|title=Top Al Qaeda leader hurt, hiding in Wana: ISPR|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/28/top3.htm|access-date=4 July 2013|newspaper=Dawn|date=March 28, 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130702065613/http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/28/top3.htm|archive-date=2 July 2013}}</ref> According to one version of the military intelligence reports reads:
<blockquote> Reports indicate that it was actually Tahir and not Zawahiri, who was driving in the bullet-proof double-cabin pick- up truck that subsequently hit a wall and was later found abandoned.<ref name="Ismail Khan Dawn">{{cite news|title=Militants agree to set free hostages: Uzbek warlord hurt while fleeing|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/28/top2.htm|access-date=4 July 2013|newspaper=Ismail Khan Dawn|date=28 March 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130702065555/http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/28/top2.htm|archive-date=2 July 2013}}</ref></blockquote>

==The Battle for Mountains==
On 13–19 March 2004, a small team of the [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]]'s [[Inter-Services Intelligence#Departments|Covert Action Division]] and SS Directorate were inserted by a helicopter in the Shin Warsk area to confirm the militant activities.<ref name="Dawn Newspapers March 16" /> The CAD and SSD teams confirmed the fighters were [[Chechen people|Chechens]], [[Uzbek people|Uzbeks]], and [[Tajik people|Tajiks]]; this marked the start of the military operation.<ref name="Dawn Newspapers March 16" />  On 16 March 2004, the [[Pakistan Army|army]] troops made the first contact with the al-Qaeda foreign fighters around the [[South Waziristan]] village of Wanna.<ref name="Dawn Newspapers March 16" />
[[File:ToraBora-TF.jpg|thumb|280px|right|[[Air Intelligence of Pakistan|Air Intelligence map]]: The Pakistan Armed Forces troops and the foreign fighters fought the phases of the battle in [[Safed Koh|''White Mountains'']] (''Safed Koh'' range) of Pakistan, closely aligned to [[Tora Bora]] of [[Afghanistan]].]]

Heavy fighting between army infantry troops and al-Qaeda fighters began in the small village of Wanna, though al-Qaeda had evacuated the village but army had suffered heavy casualties.<ref name="CNN"/> Soon after the confrontation, the Pakistan Army realised the seriousness of the foreign fighters capabilities, and deployed the 20th Mountain Brigade to support operations in the mountainous areas.<ref name="CNN"/>  Two days later, on March 18, 2004, reports began to surface that the Pakistani military had surrounded a [[High-value target]], possibly Al-Qaeda's second-in-command Dr. [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]].<ref name="CNN">{{cite news | title =Pakistan: 100 fighters captured in battle | publisher =[[CNN]] | date = May 6, 2004| url =http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/03/20/pakistan.alqaeda/ }}</ref> However, both the [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistani]] and [[U.S. military]] refused to confirm or deny Zawahiri's presence.<ref name="Dawn March 19, 2004" />  The army surrounded the mountain redoubt where al-Qaeda foreign fighters were well dug-in.<ref name="CNN"/> The CAD and SSD teams were tasked with finding the high-value target during the armed conflict and that high-value target was reportedly wounded in the battle.<ref name=Dawn /> Heavy fighting ensued, and repeated assaults were beaten back by al-Qaeda fighters.<ref name="CNN"/> The Pakistan Army forces suffered heavy casualties.<ref name="CNN"/>

As troops pushed into the mountains, the al-Qaeda fighters launched aggressive attacks on Pakistani troops as more and more foreign fighters began to join the fight.<ref name="CNN"/> The al-Qaeda fighters had set up their main strategic posts at the top of the mountains allowing them to observe the movements of the Pakistan Army infantry and mountaineering troops.<ref name="CNN Pakistan"/> The troops called for air strikes which were carried out by [[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]] [[F-16]]s and the [[Pakistan Army Aviation Corps|army aviation corps]], targeting the suspected posts and hidden positions of al-Qaeda.<ref name="CNN"/>  Following the air strikes, the infantry troops redoubled their efforts to gain control of the mountains.<ref name="CNN Pakistan">{{cite news
  | title =Fierce battle in al Qaeda hunt
  | publisher =CNN Pakistan
  | date =March 17, 2004
  | url =http://articles.cnn.com/2004-03-16/world/afghanistan.conflict_1_qaeda-and-taliban-pakistani-forces-shaukat-sultan?_s=PM:WORLD
  | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120308025811/http://articles.cnn.com/2004-03-16/world/afghanistan.conflict_1_qaeda-and-taliban-pakistani-forces-shaukat-sultan?_s=PM:WORLD
  | archive-date =March 8, 2012
  | url-status =dead
  }}</ref>

In the night of 18 March 2004, the army troops and foreign fighters again engage in a heavy and bloody gun battle occurred wherein infantry troops had repeatedly beaten the assaults after assaults.<ref name="Ismail Khan Dawn" /> After days of fighting, the infantry troops gained control of key positions in the mountains which al-Qaeda had previously held.<ref name="CNN"/> Sporadic fighting continued as the infantry units began to pursue the al-Qaeda [[Foreign Mujahideen|foreign fighters]].<ref name="CNN"/> Soon, all the strategic mountain posts were evacuated by the al-Qaeda fighters as the infantry troops had reached the top of the mountains. By dawn, the infantry troops with the help of 20th Mountain Brigade had taken control of the mountains.<ref name="CNN"/>
{{quote|[[al-Qaeda|They never]] surrender. They like to fight and they like to die there... so the only thing I can say is, we have to wait and see.|[[Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad|Rashid Ahmad]], [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Pakistan)|Information ministry]]|Cited source<ref name="CNN"/>}}
In a last attempt to regain their territory, al-Qaeda fighters planned another assault against the army at night which continued until dawn.<ref name="CNN"/> The army troops and paramilitary officers then counter-attacked, and the battle soon slipped to adjacent mountains as the [[al-Qaida]] foreign fighters began to escape.<ref name="CNN"/> Both sides sustained casualties, and the next morning al-Qaeda fighters began abandoning their positions and retreating from the area.<ref name="Dawn News Report by Ismail Khan">{{cite news|last=Khan|first=Ismail|title=Militants agree to set free hostages: Uzbek warlord hurt while fleeing|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/28/top2.htm|access-date=4 July 2013|newspaper=Dawn News Report by Ismail Khan|date=28 March 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130702065555/http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/28/top2.htm|archive-date=2 July 2013}}</ref>  As requested by the theater commander, additional army infantry, [[Pakistan Army Engineering Corps|combat engineering]] and Mountain troops were rushed to help the remaining fighting troops.<ref name="Dawn News Report by Ismail Khan"/> The battle ended soon after as reinforcements arrived and took their positions.<ref name="Dawn News Report by Ismail Khan"/> With the arrival of the additional mountain troops, the army intensified its search for remaining al-Qaeda fighters.<ref name="Dawn News Report by Ismail Khan"/> A week later, the Pakistan Army captured the entire mountainous area along with hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters.<ref name="Dawn News Report by Ismail Khan"/>

==Aftermath==
Tunnels were discovered at the site of the battle that led into [[Afghanistan]], possibly the [[Tora Bora]] region.<ref name="Dawn, Breau Report">{{cite news|last=Bureau Report|title=Tunnel found in Kaloosha|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/23/top4.htm|access-date=4 July 2013|newspaper=Dawn, Breau Report|date=23 March 2004}}</ref>  The military consolidated its position in the area. On 20 March 2004, the ISI's CAD and [[Military Intelligence of Pakistan|Military Intelligence]], and a unit of troops reportedly saw a mysterious "''foreigner''" fleeing the siege, the [[Military Intelligence of Pakistan|Military Intelligence]] theorized that it may have been [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]],<ref name="Dawn News, 20 March 2004">{{cite news|last=Ali|first=Rafaqat|title=Local people used as human shield by terrorists|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/20/top5.htm|access-date=4 July 2013|newspaper=Dawn News, 20 March 2004|date=20 March 2004}}</ref> since Uzbek militant [[Tohir Yo‘ldosh|Tohir Yuldashev]] had earlier escaped to Afghanistan while injured in a battle.<ref name="Dawn News Report by Ismail Khan" />

{{quote|text=It is possible that some of the (high value) suspects might have escaped through this (Kaloosha) tunnel. It has been there for quite some time. We don't know how effective was the cordon on the first night...during the suspension of military action|sign=[[Brigadier-General]] Mahmood Shah, <small>GOC of 20th Mountaineering Brigade</small>|source=source<ref name="Dawn, Breau Report" /> }}

By 23 March 23, 2004, the last fortified area was taken over by the army troops after a week of combat.<ref name="Dawn, Breau Report"/> Later, the 20th Mountain Brigade of Army took control of the mountains and set up posts. The Army also sent its investigators from "[[Military Intelligence of Pakistan|M.I.]] Directorate for High Value Target Acquisition".<ref name="Dawn, Breau Report"/> The Army incurred casualties consisting of 17 soldiers killed, 33 wounded, and 11 captured (all of whom were released on March 28, 2004); the military intelligence inflicted on [[al-Qaeda]] losses of 55 fighters killed (majority being [[Uzbek people|Uzbeks]] and [[Chechen people|Chechens]]) and 149 captured.<ref name="spacewar.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040323135454.z2g9rc1b.html |title=49 Pakistani troops dead or missing so far in Al-Qaeda offensive |publisher=Spacewar.com |date=2004-03-23 |access-date=2011-03-27}}</ref> The Battle of Wanna also led to the unannounced [[War in North-West Pakistan]].

==See also==
*[[Battle of Tora Bora]]
*[[War in Afghanistan (1978–present)|Afghan Civil War]]
*[[Osama bin Laden]]
*[[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)]]
*[[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]]'s [[Inter-Services Intelligence|Covert Action Division]]
*[[List of drone strikes in Pakistan]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{War on Terror}}
{{Military of Pakistan}}

{{coord|32.3061|N|69.5928|E|source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:PK|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wanna 2004}}
[[Category:Battles of the insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Pakistani Taliban]]
[[Category:2000s in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
[[Category:Al-Qaeda activities]]
[[Category:South Waziristan District]]
[[Category:Battles in 2004]]
[[Category:March 2004 in Pakistan]]