The
Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between
United States special operations forces and
al Qaeda insurgents fought in March 2002, atop
Takur Ghar mountain in
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 al Qaeda forces from the
Shahi-Kot Valley and
Arma Mountains. The battle saw three helicopter landings by the U.S. on the mountain top, each greeted by direct assault from al Qaeda forces. Although Takur Ghar was eventually taken, seven U.S. service members were killed and many wounded. The battle is also known as the
Battle of Roberts Ridge, after the first casualty of the battle,
Navy SEAL Neil C. Roberts.