Upon Another Shore

The Map Room

Extortion 17 – Tactical Maps

Situation as at:2011-08-06T02:00:00+04:30 in Tangi Valley, Maidan Wardak, Afghanistan.

Click on a map to expand, or click on [Hi-Res] to download a high resolution version.

Extortion 17 flight route showing shooter position in Google Earth.

Key locations in Google Maps.

Complete coordinate set via Data page.

Map centred on location of the target Tahir in the village of Dawlit Khil. 2.5km (direct line) to the East South East is Kamran Khel, the site of the Ranger Raid. 1km South South East is the edge of the resulting Ranger pursuit in the village of Spin Wersek. 800m to the northwest is the proposed Helicopter Landing Zone or HLZ. The flight plan for Extortion 17 is shown coming into the HLZ from the northwest at about 45 degrees. The Zamoch Village Road Bridge is shown 1.3km to the northwest. A red dot symbol showing Taliban presence is 150m west of the bridge.

Fig. 1. Overview. Tahir escapes pursuit. After a raid by US Army Rangers in Kamran Khel (SE), the target of the raid, Tahir, is now in Dawlat Khil, 3.3km along the Tangi road from original raid location. The Rangers broke off pursuit at the edge of Spin Wersek, about 1km south of Tahir: he can not go back that way. US forces plan to land an Immediate Reaction Force in a helicopter 800m north west of him: the approx. intended helicopter landing zone (HLZ) is shown. The distance from Tahir’s location to the Zamoch Village Road bridge and his allies is 1.3km. Mapcarta © OpenStreetMap and Mapbox [Hi-Res]


Fig. 2. The Taliban (Ayoubi’s) fireteam position in Hassan Khel, showing the bridge carrying the Zamoch Village Road and the team’s available arcs of fire. Ayoubi is in a qalat, a multi storey mud brick building with a tower. The mosque and other buildings limit Ayoubi’s zones of fire. Distance from the fire team to the centre of the bridge, and the river, 150m. Tahir is 1.4km south west of Ayoubi. Mapcarta © OpenStreetMap and Mapbox [Hi-Res]


Map centred on the halfway point between the Zamoch Village Road Bridge to the south east and the the Do Ab Bridge to the north west. Red dots showing Taliban positions by the Zamoch Village Road Bridge (Ayoubi's position) and Tangi Do Ab (likely Taliban observer position) are joined by a dotted line. This line shows that the location of the observer and Ayoubi have line of site despite the ridgelines to the south west and northeast of this line. Distance between Ayoubi and the potential Do Ab observer is 2.8 km. Another likely observer point is shown by the bridge at Ghuli Khel, 800m north of the Do Ab observer. Near Do Ab a river is shown coming in from the west to join the Logar River which flows from north west to sout east, between the bridges at Do Ab and the Zamoch Village Road. Also shows Gharanray, about 1 km southeast of Do Ab, Khan Khel about 2km south of Gharanray, and Tirik half a KM south east of Khan Khel on the other side of the river.

Fig. 3. View of assessed possible Taliban positions north west of the shooter, showing the likely control point at the Do Ab river confluence next to the main road, and another likely observation point at Guli Khel. It is 2.8km in a straight line from Do Ab to the Zamoch Village Road Bridge and the Taliban fire team at Hassan Khel. Line of sight shown. Note mountain ridgelines. Mapcarta © OpenStreetMap and Mapbox [Hi-Res]


Flight plan showing two nav points (navigation) points and the helicopter landing zone (HLZ). Nav Point 1 is to the west of a ridge going from south west to south north east. This ridge is south of the Tangi Dara river valley that goes up to the Tangi Do Ab confluence with the Logar River. Nav Point 2 is south of the confluence labellled Tangi Do Ab. Nav 1 to Nav 2 is 2.1km. The flight plan from Nav 2 then goes South East to the Helicopter Landing Zone, HLZ. Nav 2 to the HLZ is 2.9km. The line of the flight plan passes just above a red dot near a bridge over the Logar River. This is the Zamoch Village Rd Bridge and the red dot is Ayoubi, the shooter. Ayoubi is 580m north west of the HLZ.

Fig. 4. Map showing Extortion 17 flight plan as given in the Colt Report in blue, tracking the ridge line south of the Tangi Dara valley before flying past Do Ab into the Logar River valley (the plan route nominally goes through the ridgeline: the helicopter would turn into the valley). Red dots are Taliban positions (possible or confirmed). Distance between the Nav point 1 and 2 is 2.1km. The distance from Nav 2 to the HLZ is 3.1km  Mapcarta © OpenStreetMap and Mapbox [Hi-Res]


Fig. 5. Map showing shootdown area. Ayoubi’s team has to fire due north, (actual shot was 5 degrees west of due north) to avoid hitting comrades likely positioned near the bridge and nearby buildings, including the local mosque. Arc limits shown in dotted lines. Distance between Ayoubi and strike is 190m. Helicopter was at ~50 knots, ~26 metres per second. Mapcarta © OpenStreetMap and Mapbox [Hi-Res]


Fig. 6. Tahir’s challenge. If Tahir reaches the Zamoch Village Road bridge, 1.3km away to his northwest, he can link up with allies in Hassan Khel. He can then flee to Joi Zarin in the north, or Koz Timurkhel on the road heading south. He is 650m south east of a choke point where the river and road come together. Fields in the area have orchards providing concealment from US planes overhead. The Tangi road has very little cover or concealment, and has multiple IEDs: using it leaves Tahir exposed to air attack. Mapcarta © OpenStreetMap and Mapbox [Hi-Res]


Flight plan showing two nav points (navigation) points and the helicopter landing zone (HLZ). Nav Point 1 is to the west of a ridge going from south west to south north east. This ridge is south of the Tangi Dara river valley that goes up to the Tangi Do Ab confluence with the Logar River. Nav Point 2 is south of the confluence labellled Tangi Do Ab. Nav 1 to Nav 2 is 2.1km. The flight plan from Nav 2 then goes South East to the Helicopter Landing Zone, HLZ. Nav 2 to the HLZ is 2.9km. The line of the flight plan passes just above a red dot near a bridge over the Logar River. This is the Zamoch Village Rd Bridge and the red dot is Ayoubi, the shooter. Ayoubi is 580m north west of the HLZ, in a place labelled Hassan Khel. A label for Tangi College is 300m west of the HLZ. The target, Tahir is shown in the village of Dawlat Khil 820m south southeast of the HLZ. 1.8km south southeast of the HLZ is labelled Spin Wersek, a blue dot there shows the limit of the Ranger advance. The Logar river flows south east past Do Ab in the north west, then down between Hassan Khel south of the river and Joi Zarin to the north of the river , past Tahir in Dawlat Khil, then past Spin Wersek. The river valey also goes from Do Ab up to Guli Khel, 800m north west of Do Ab. Do Ab and Guli Khel are shown as having Taliban positions, red dots: these are observers covering the nearby bridges whoo are communicating with Ayoubi at Hassan Khel. Ayoubi would shoot down Extortion 17.

Fig. 7.  Ground Force Commander’s Map: Walkthrough of Option 3 (go/no-go decision in the text). Taliban positions (likely or confirmed) in red. US positions and helicopter flight plan in blue. A combined view of all of the above maps. Mapcarta © OpenStreetMap and Mapbox [Hi-Res]