Operation Crescent Wind
Part of theWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
A Tomahawk cruise missile is launched from theUSSPhilippine Sea in a strike against al-Qaeda training camps and Taliban military installations in Afghanistan on 7 October 2001
Date 7 October 2001 – 17 December 2001 Location Afghanistan Result US-UK victory
Belligerents
United States United Kingdom	Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Commanders and leaders
Tommy Franks Charles F. Wald	Muhammad Omar
Units involved
United States Air Force 509th Bomb Wing 28th Bomb Wing United States Navy CVW-11 VF-213 VAW-117 CVW-8 VF-41 VF-14 VAQ-141  Royal Navy Royal Air Force
Casualties and losses
3 killed (friendly fire)
3,100–3,600 civilian deaths[1]

Operation Crescent Wind was the codename for the American and British air campaign over Afghanistan in October and November 2001. The bombing campaign was aided by British special forces troops on the ground to provide targeting information for airstrikes. The campaign significantly weakened theTaliban, paving the way for offensives by theNorthern Alliance to take place in November which quickly overran Taliban-controlled regions of Afghanistan.

The initial strikes were launched fromWhiteman Air Force Base,Missouri with twoB-2 bombers of the509th Bomb Wing taking off on the night of 7 October, followed by two on the nights of 8 October and 9 October as well. These bombers refueled with the help ofKC-10 andKC-135 tankers of the60th and349th Mobility Wings along with the319th Reconnaissance Wing with coordination by theEighteenth Air Force, first doing so off the coast ofCalifornia, followedHawaii,Guam, and theStrait of Malacca, then a fifth refueling nearDiego Garcia before striking their targets in Afghanistan withGBU-31 JDAMs. After delivering their ordnance, the B-2s turned back to receive a final refueling over theIndian Ocean before landing atAndersen Air Force Base. At this point the crews were swapped with the replacement crews who flew the B-2s back to Whiteman in Missouri. It took 30 hours of flying just to reach targets in Afghanistan, with the original crews flying 44 hours and 20 minutes total at the longest, and the aircraft operating for 70 hours in total. The operation remains the longest combat bombing sortie in history.^[2]

Initial targets includedcommand and control nodes, Taliban Air Defenses, as well as the modestTaliban Air Force, with the airports ofKabul,Herat,Kandahar,Zaranj andMazar-i-Sharif being targeted. The Taliban were believed to have had 40 pilots capable of getting some 50MiG-21s andSu-22s airborne, though there was less concern about these as traditional interceptors as there was about them eventually being loaded with explosives and used to suicide bomb American encampments.^[3]

The opening night's B-2 strike was followed by tenB-52s and either five or eightB-1Bs of28th Bomb Wing from Andersen Air Force Base striking with both JDAMs andMk 82 unguided bombs, withF-14Ds ofVF-213 fromCVW-11 of theUSSCarl Vinson participating in the strikes withGBU-16s and12s, while also armed withAIM-54Cs,AIM-7Ms andAIM-9Ls to provide top cover in the low chance of Taliban interceptors. Assistance was also provided byE2Cs fromVAW-117.^[4][5][6][7] While some of the aircrews on the first night reported encountering AAA andMANPADSAM fire, Taliban aircraft never left the ground, and virtually the entirety of their air force was destroyed in the first night.^[8]

A few hours after the initial strikes, the USSCarl Vinson was joined by theUSSEnterprise with more F-14As ofVF-41 andEA-6Bs ofVAQ-141 fromCVW-8.^[4] and later byHMSTrafalgar andHMSTriumph, who launchedcruise missiles along with theVinson andEnterprise.^[3]

On 18 October 2001,Tom Pitstra, aGroenLinks member of the Dutch House of Representatives, dissented from his party's support for the invasion of Afghanistan after the bombardment of Kabul led to civilian casualties.^[9] Both GroenLinks and the ruling cabinet supported the invasion. Due to his break from his party, Pitstra was censured and barred from GroenLinks'party list in the2002 Dutch general election.^{[10]: 85 [9]}

• A map of air strikes as provided byBBC

• United States invasion of Afghanistan
• Operations involving American special forces
• Campaigns of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
• Air campaigns
• Aerial bombing operations and battles
• Military campaigns involving the United Kingdom
• 21st-century history of the Royal Air Force
• 21st-century history of the United States Air Force
• Airstrikes during the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
• Aerial operations and battles involving the United Kingdom
• Aerial operations and battles involving the United States

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