Operation Diesel

Operation Diesel
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Date February 6–7, 2009 Location Sangin, Afghanistan Result Decisive Coalition victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom Afghanistan	Taliban insurgents
Commanders and leaders
Gordon Messenger Jim Morris	?
Strength
700–800	Unknown
Casualties and losses
None	20 killed

Operation Diesel was a raid by 700 British troops from the Royal Marines 45 Commando, 42 Commando, and the 3 Commando Brigade's Reconnaissance Force, as well as armoured infantry and close reconnaissance from 1st Battalion Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (1 PWRR) on a Taliban drug factory and arms stronghold in the Upper Sangin Valley in Helmand province, Afghanistan on February 7, 2009. The raid captured four drug factories and heroin and opium worth £50 million.

In the early hours of February 7 the raid was launched. Within 20 minutes two waves of RAF Chinooks, Royal Navy Sea Kings, Lynx and American Sea Stallions delivered 500 troops from 45 Commando Royal Marines and both British and Afghan special forces into three landing zones half-a-mile from enemy positions. Large vats of opium were abandoned while still being boiled as the Taliban fled the assault. The Task Force Helmand commander, Brig Gordon Messenger called Operation Diesel a "clinical precision strike" that had "a powerful disruptive effect on known insurgent and narcotics networks in the area". Four drugs factories were captured along with gallons of chemicals used to process opium into heroin. Large numbers of machine guns were also recovered as well as a motor bike that had been primed as a suicide bomb.

Twenty Taliban fighters defending the drugs were killed. No UK personnel were killed in the assault.

References

• Coghlan, Tom (20 February 2009). "Commandos Target Drugs Labs Where Taleban And Mafias Reap $100M Profits" (Newspaper article). The Times.
• Harding, Thomas (18 February 2009). "700 Troops Raid Taliban Drug HQ". London Daily Telegraph. {{cite news}}: |format= requires |url= (help)
• Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) (18 February 2009). "Airborne troops strike at Taliban's drug industry" (Press release). Directgov. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
• Goldacre, Ben (21 February 2009). "Heroin Seizures: Name your own prices" (Newspaper article). Guardian.