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—Information about the Korangal Valley and surrounding region— |
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| The Korangal Valley is a little-understood corner of Afghanistan. Located near the Afghan-Pakistan border in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar Province, the closest large population center to the Korangal is Asadabad, the provincial capitol of Kunar province. |
| The Korangal Valley has and continues to be a hotbed of terrorist and insurgent activity, many in the population of the villages of the Korangal providing sanctuary for such groups as al-Qaeda and other associated Islamic extremists, like HIG. |
| While the Korangal Valley has been receiving increasing media attention, the valley and surroundings remains cloaked in mystery. |
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| U.S. Marine points toward the Korangal Valley, Photo by Ed Darack |
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The Korangal Valley and its surroundings, and the history of those living inthe area, is discussed at length in the book VICTORY POINT: Operations Red Wings and Whalers - The Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan. VICTORY POINT documents two Marine Corps Operations, Red Wings (often mis-referenced as "Operation Redwing"), and Whalers. The target of both operations was a terrorist / insurgent cell led by a man named Ahmad Shah, who based his operations, in part, out of the Korangal Valley. The Marine Corps planners of Red Wings brought in Navy SEALs for the opening phases of the op (for reasons to be disclosed for the first time in VICTORY POINT); the four-man SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team tasked to positively identify Shah inserted near the summit of the mountain named Sawtalo Sar (which defines the eastern periphery of the Korangal Valley) on the night of 27 June, 2005. Just hours later, in the late morning of the 28th, they fell into a horrific ambush at the hands of Shah and his men, killing three, with only one survivor. 16 special operations personnell (8 Navy SEALs and 8 Army special operations aviators of the 160th SOAR(A)) subsequently perished when one of Shah's men shot the Army Special Operations MH-47 Chinook they were in down during the rescue attempt. Operation Whalers, which had the same goal as Red Wings, utilized only U.S. Marines with attached Afghan National Army Soldiers, had a much different outcome. |
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| In order to best paint a picture of the enemy that was the target of Red Wings and Whalers, author of VICTORY POINT, Ed Darack, gives a detailed, engaging history of the history of the Korangal Valley, revealing details never before published in such an account. Furthermore, he provides detailed, never-before-published topographic maps of the area, based on detailed Department of Defense maps and high resolution oblique UAV imagery, as well as photographs of the area. |
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| Learn more about VICTORY POINT by going to the book's page on either Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com. And please watch the VICTORY POINT video below: |
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| More information on the Korangal Valley Region: |
| Physiography: |
| The Korangal Valley is a roughly north-south trending valley, bounded on its east side by Sawtalo Sar, which rises to 9,282 at its summit. The region, part of the Hindu Kush mountains, is characterized by very steep terrain, and the farther "into" the valley one travels, the steeper the terrain. The Korangal Valley opens at its mouth to the Pech River Valley, where the Korangal River flows into the Pech River. |
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| A graphic representation of the Korangal Valley region, from roughly the same perspective as the top photograph: |
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| And another view, showing the greater region: |
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| Some human history: |
| The people of the Korangal, particularly the upper Korangal, are members of the ethno-linguistic group known as the Pashai, speaking a language related to Sanskrit. Their very conservative Islamic beliefs date back to them being converted from "Kafirs" (infidels), to calling themselves the Safi ("The Pure"). The area is known for timber smuggling and is considered by many to be "lawless" Read VICTORY POINT for in-depth information on the Korangal. |
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