| Operation Septentrion | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theWar in Afghanistan | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
| International Security Assistance Force | Taliban | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Lieutenant-Colonel Hervé Wallerand | Unknown | ||||
| Units involved | |||||
| • French Army • United States Special Forces • Afghan National Army (ANA) | |||||
| Strength | |||||
| • 750–800 (French Army) • 200 (United States Special Forces)[which?] • (Afghan National Army) | Unknown | ||||
Operation Septentrion was a 36-hourmilitary operation of theInternational Security Assistance Force (ISAF), aNATO-led security mission, that took place December 16–18, 2009, in theUzbin Valley of easternAfghanistan.[1][2][3]
A part of theWar in Afghanistan, it involved a force of 1,100 troops, including 750 to 800 French troops, 200United States Special Forces andAfghan National Army (ANA) soldiers.[1]
Sixteen months before the operation, theUzbin Valley ambush, on August 18, 2008, by theTaliban in the area ofSurobi, Afghanistan, had killed ten French soldiers and wounded twenty-one.[2][4]
The operation's purpose was "reaffirming the sovereignty of Afghan security forces in the north of the Uzbeen [sic] Valley", according to a French military spokesperson,[4] as well as to plant theAfghan flag in what was called a key strategic village.[which?][5][3] (While 75 percent of the Uzbin Valley had been under ISAF control, the rest of the valley had been under the control of the Taliban.)[3]
During more than 90 minutes of combat,[5] several US soldiers were wounded,[6] including three serious injuries.[4] The Taliban fighters attacked withrocket-propelled grenades,mortars andheavy machine gun fire; for the coalition forces, the French troops usedshells,[clarification needed] backed up by FrenchTigre and USApache helicopters[5] andfighter jets.[4] At least one Taliban fighter was killed and three were injured, according toLieutenant-Colonel Hervé Wallerand, who led the operation.[3][4][7]
The French employed what was called the "Mikado strategy" (la stratégie du Mikado), after the gameMikado (known in North America as "pick-up sticks"),[1] because of the need to plan every move carefully with constant awareness that one wrong step could risk everything being lost.[8] In particular, the Mikado strategy emphasizes consulting with local inhabitants in ashura[1] (or consultation) to minimize the risk of local civilians conspiring against the ANA and ISAF forces.[9] For this reason the operation was preceded by "weeks of negotiations with local villagers", according to theBBC News.[2]
In July 2011, theCroix de la Valeur Militaire ("cross of military valour"), a Frenchmilitary decoration, was presented to five Americans –Cpt. Thomas Harper,Master Sgt. David Nuemer,Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Ahern,Staff Sgt. Casey Roberts andSgt. Ryan Meister – for their service during the operation.[10][11]
Tout ceci fait un peu référence au jeu du «mikado», ce jeu de baguettes imbriquées où il faut les retirer une à une sans faire bouger les autres. Pour jouer, il faut d'abord bien saisir comment se présente l'équilibre des différentes petites baguettes entre elles. En Afghanistan, c'est exactement la même chose. Si on fait un geste de travers, on risque de tout faire tomber et de perdre. Mais en même temps, parfois, un seul joli coup peut faire régler la situation de manière durable; on peut alors gagner assez vite.
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