Mohmand Valley raid

The Mohmand Valley raid was a joint US/Afghan special forces raid targeting an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan Province compound in the Achin District of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan that lasted from the night of April 26 to the early morning hours of April 27, 2017. The raid resulted in the deaths of two US Army Rangers (possibly by friendly fire) and the death of Abdul Hasib the leader of ISIL-KP alongside several commanders and at least 35 other fighters. The operation was conducted less than one mile away from the site of a US airstrike on an ISIL-KP tunnel network that killed 96 militants.

Background
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province was formed in January of 2015, seven months later the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan pledged allegiance to ISIL and claimed membership in the Khorasan group. Immediately after the groups formation the United States and Afghanistan targeted the group in airstrikes and raids. The group also suffered major setbacks while fighting the Taliban in Nangarhar and neighboring provinces.

Less than two weeks before on April 13, 2017 and less than a mile away from the location of the raid, the US military dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb, a GBU-43/B MOAB on an ISIL-KP tunnel network once used by the Mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War in the 80s and Osama Bin Laden during the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The strike killed 96 fighters including many leaders.

At the time of the raid the group had an been reduced to an estimated 700 fighters. Down from 3,000 fighters at the groups peak according to US officials.

Target
The target of the operation was a compound in the Mohmand Valley located less than a mile away from where the US dropped the MOAB bomb. The compound was believed to have housed Abdul Hasib, a former Taliban commander before switching alliances to the Islamic State - Khorasan Province, he would eventually become the groups leader after his predecessor Hafiz Saeed Khan was killed by a US airstrike in July 2016. Abdul had overseen several attacks against the Afghan Government including the March 2017 Kabul attack on a military hospital that killed nearly 100 people. Commanders decided to conduct a joint US/Afghan special forces raid over an airstrike because woman and children were believed to have been in the compound.

Raid
At around 10:30 on the night of April 26, 50 US Army Rangers from 3rd Battalion alongside 40 Afghan commandoes were inserted near the target site by helicopter. Almost immediately after landing the force came under heavy fire from multiple directions by entrenched enemy positions with the firefight being described as "close quarters with enemy fire coming at 360 degrees". As the joint American/Afghan force pushed through the difficult terrain under heavy fire they were assisted by airstrikes from AC-130 Gunships, F-16 fighter jets, Ah-64 Apache attack helicopters and drones. Early in the firefight two Army Rangers were critically wounded, possibly from friendly fire, team members denied the assertion. The two wounded were medevaced by helicopter where they would later die from their injuries. Another Ranger was grazed by a bullet to the head but left the battle on his own choosing. The raid lasted for more than three hours up to about 3:30 a.m. and resulted in the death of the attended target with the Pentagon calling it as a success in degrading the groups ability to fight.

Casualties
Among the dead were two Army Rangers identified as 22 year old Sgt. Joshua Rodgers of Bloomington, Illinois and 23 year old Sgt. Cameron Thomas of Kettering, Ohio. Both of them enlisted in the Army out of high school and were on their third deployments. Their rewards and decorations include the Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Star, and the NATO medal. Abdul Hasib's death was confirmed by US officials on May 7th, more than a week after the raid. Several more commanders along with 35 militants were also killed.