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The Battle of Wanna was a military conflict that took place in March 2004 at Azam Warsak, It occured close to the town of Wanna in South Waziristan Pakistan, between the Pakistan Army and militants of Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda. There were roughly 500 foreign combatants from al-Qaeda hiding out in multiple fortified villages, which the Pakistan army troops and intelligence paramilitary soldiers had to grapple with. At the end of the conflict, 17 soldiers had died.
{{Short description|Military engagement between Pakistan and Al-Qaeda}}
{{Distinguish|Battle of Wanat}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict        = Battle of Wana
| part_of          = the [[Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
| image            = Wana-NGA-Tactical-Pilotage-Chart.jpg
| image_size      = 300
| caption          = [[Military Intelligence of Pakistan|Military Intelligence map:]] The area involved in the fighting.
| date            = March 16 – March 23, 2004 (7 days)
| location        = [[Wana, Pakistan|Wana]], [[South Waziristan]], [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas]], [[Pakistan]]
| coordinates      =
| pushpin_map      =
| pushpin_map_size =
| pushpin_caption  =
| pushpin_label    =
| territory        =
| result          = Pakistani victory<ref>Fair, C. Christine. “Militant Recruitment in Pakistan: Implications for Al Qaeda and Other Organizations.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, vol. 27, no. 6, 2004, pp. 489–504, doi:10.1080/10576100490483750. This journal article analyzes militant recruitment in Pakistan and briefly mentions the 2004 Battle of Wana as a victory for Pakistani forces.</ref><ref>Javaid, Umbreen, and Musarat Javed. “Pakistan’s Fight against Terrorism.” Defense & Security Analysis, vol. 32, no. 1, 2016, pp. 51–66, doi:10.1080/14751798.2015.1127155.</ref><ref>Khan, Ikramul Haq. “The Assertion of the Pakistan Army’s Autonomy During the War on Terror.” Journal of Strategic Studies, vol. 41, no. 1-2, 2018, pp. 35–59, doi:10.1080/01402390.2016.1235019. This journal article analyzes the Pakistan Army's operations after 9/11, referencing their victory in the 2004 Wana battle.</ref><ref>Rashid, Ahmed. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Viking, 2008, pp. 67-68. This book briefly discusses the 2004 Battle of Wana as part of Pakistan's counterterrorism operations under Pervez Musharraf.</ref><ref>Tellis, Ashley J. “U.S. Strategy: Assisting Pakistan’s Transformation.” Washington Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 1, 2004, pp. 97–116, doi:10.1162/016366004773069454. This journal article reviews U.S.-Pakistan relations in 2004 and mentions the Wana battle.</ref>
| status          =
| combatant1      = {{flagicon|Pakistan}} [[Pakistan]]
| combatant2      = {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[al-Qaeda]]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Tehrik-i-Taliban.svg}} [[Pakistani Taliban|Pro-Taliban Pakistani mujahideen]]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan]]
| combatant3      =
| commander1      = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg}} [[Ali Jan Orakzai]]
| commander2      = {{plainlist}}
* {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[Osama bin Laden]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[Tohir Yoʻldosh]]{{WIA}}
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Taliban.svg}} [[Naik Muhammad Wazir|Naik Muhammad]]{{KIA}}
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Taliban.svg}} [[Noor Wali Mehsud]] {{end plainlist}}
| commander3      =
| units1          = {{tree list}}
* {{Armed forces|Pakistan}}
**{{army|Pakistan}}
***{{flagicon image|Flag of Pakistan's XI Corps.gif}} [[XI Corps (Pakistan)#Composition|9th Infantry Division]]
***{{flagicon image|Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg}} [[Pakistan Army Aviation Corps|4th Cobra Squadron]]
***{{flagicon image|Flag of the Pakistani Army.svg}}  [[Structure of the Pakistan Army|20th Mountain Brigade]]
**{{air force|Pakistan}}
{{tree list/end}}
| units2          = {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} al-Qaeda and TTP Mujahedeen forces
| units3          =
| strength1        = {{plainlist}}
* ~7,000<ref name="Dawn March 19, 2004"/>
* 4–8 [[Chengdu J-7|F-7]] & [[F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16 jets]]<ref name="Dawn March 19, 2004" />
* ~50 [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI CAD]] members<ref name="Dawn March 19, 2004"/>
{{end plainlist}}
| strength2        = 400 al-Qaeda fighters<ref name="Dawn News, 20 March 2004" />
| strength3        =
| casualties1      = {{plainlist}}
* 17 soldiers killed<ref name="Hits On Qaeda Compounds Continue">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hits-on-qaeda-compounds-continue/|title=Hits On Qaeda Compounds Continue|work=CBS News|access-date= 20 March 2004}}</ref>
* 11 soldiers captured
* 33 soldiers wounded {{end plainlist}}
| casualties2      = {{plainlist}}
* 55 al-Qaeda fighters killed<ref name="Action Update: March 15–28, 2004">{{cite web |url=http://www.cdi.org/program/document.cfm?DocumentID=2160&from_page=../index.cfm |title=Action Update: March 15–28, 2004 |publisher=Cdi.org |date=2004-03-31 |access-date=2011-03-27 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121228044109/http://www.cdi.org/program/document.cfm?DocumentID=2160&from_page=../index.cfm |archive-date=2012-12-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 150 fighters captured {{end plainlist}}
| notes            =
}}
{{War in North-West Pakistan}}
The '''Battle of Wana''' was a March 2004 military engagement between the [[Pakistan Army]] and members of [[Osama bin Laden|Osama Bin Laden's]] [[al-Qaeda]] at [[Azam Warsak]], near the [[South Waziristan]] town of [[Wana, Pakistan|Wana]].<ref name="Dawn Newspapers March 16" /> The [[Pakistan Army|army troops]] and intelligence paramilitary soldiers faced an estimated ~500 al-Qaeda [[Foreign Mujahideen|foreign fighters]] holed up in several fortified settlements. The fighting ended with 17 soldiers dead.<ref name="Hits On Qaeda Compounds Continue">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hits-on-qaeda-compounds-continue/|title=Hits On Qaeda Compounds Continue|work=CBS News|access-date= 20 March 2004}}</ref>


At the time, there were rumors that Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's deputy, was one of the fighters that the Pakistan Army had caught, but he had either escaped or had never been one of them. Following weeks of hostilities and skrimishes, the ISPR finally acknowledged that the person sheltering there was, in fact, Tohir Yoldeshev, the head of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
It was speculated at the time that [[Osama bin Laden]]'s deputy [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] was among those trapped by the [[Pakistan Army]], but he either escaped or was never among these fighters. After weeks of fighting, the [[Inter-Services Public Relations|ISPR]] admitted that it was actually [[Tohir Yoldashev|Tohir Yoldeshev]], leader of the [[Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan]], who was hiding there.<ref name=ISPR>{{cite web|title=Top Al Qaeda leader hurt, hiding in Wana: ISPR|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/392967/top-al-qaeda-leader-hurt-hiding-in-wana-ispr|publisher=ISPR|access-date=4 July 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130702065613/http://archives.dawn.com/2004/03/28/top3.htm|archive-date=2 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="ISW Uzbek Militancy in Pakistan's Tribal Region">{{cite web | url = http://www.understandingwar.org/files/BackgrounderIMU_28Jan.pdf | title = Uzbek Militancy in Pakistan's Tribal Region | publisher = Institute for the Study of War | access-date = 2014-10-16 | date = 27 January 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111002093935/http://www.understandingwar.org/files/BackgrounderIMU_28Jan.pdf | archive-date = 2 October 2011 }}</ref>

Revision as of 07:41, 18 October 2026

Not to be confused with Battle of Wanat.
Battle of Wana

Military Intelligence map: The area involved in the fighting.
DateMarch 16 – March 23, 2004 (7 days)
Location
{{{place}}}
Result Pakistani victory[1][2][3][4][5]
Belligerents
Pakistan Pakistan File:Flag of al-Qaeda.svg al-Qaeda
Pro-Taliban Pakistani mujahideen
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
Commanders and leaders
Ali Jan Orakzai
Units involved
 al-Qaeda and TTP Mujahedeen forces
Strength
Template:End plainlist
 400 al-Qaeda fighters[7]
Casualties and losses

Template:War in North-West Pakistan The Battle of Wana was a March 2004 military engagement between the Pakistan Army and members of Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda at Azam Warsak, near the South Waziristan town of Wana.[10] The army troops and intelligence paramilitary soldiers faced an estimated ~500 al-Qaeda foreign fighters holed up in several fortified settlements. The fighting ended with 17 soldiers dead.[8]

It was speculated at the time that Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri was among those trapped by the Pakistan Army, but he either escaped or was never among these fighters. After weeks of fighting, the ISPR admitted that it was actually Tohir Yoldeshev, leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, who was hiding there.[11][12]

  1. ↑ Fair, C. Christine. “Militant Recruitment in Pakistan: Implications for Al Qaeda and Other Organizations.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, vol. 27, no. 6, 2004, pp. 489–504, doi:10.1080/10576100490483750. This journal article analyzes militant recruitment in Pakistan and briefly mentions the 2004 Battle of Wana as a victory for Pakistani forces.
  2. ↑ Javaid, Umbreen, and Musarat Javed. “Pakistan’s Fight against Terrorism.” Defense & Security Analysis, vol. 32, no. 1, 2016, pp. 51–66, doi:10.1080/14751798.2015.1127155.
  3. ↑ Khan, Ikramul Haq. “The Assertion of the Pakistan Army’s Autonomy During the War on Terror.” Journal of Strategic Studies, vol. 41, no. 1-2, 2018, pp. 35–59, doi:10.1080/01402390.2016.1235019. This journal article analyzes the Pakistan Army's operations after 9/11, referencing their victory in the 2004 Wana battle.
  4. ↑ Rashid, Ahmed. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Viking, 2008, pp. 67-68. This book briefly discusses the 2004 Battle of Wana as part of Pakistan's counterterrorism operations under Pervez Musharraf.
  5. ↑ Tellis, Ashley J. “U.S. Strategy: Assisting Pakistan’s Transformation.” Washington Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 1, 2004, pp. 97–116, doi:10.1162/016366004773069454. This journal article reviews U.S.-Pakistan relations in 2004 and mentions the Wana battle.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dawn March 19, 2004
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dawn News, 20 March 2004
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Hits On Qaeda Compounds Continue". CBS News. Retrieved 20 March 2004.
  9. ↑ "Action Update: March 15–28, 2004". Cdi.org. 2004-03-31. Retrieved 2011-03-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dawn Newspapers March 16
  11. ↑ "Top Al Qaeda leader hurt, hiding in Wana: ISPR". ISPR. Retrieved 4 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ↑ "Uzbek Militancy in Pakistan's Tribal Region" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. 27 January 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 2014-10-16.
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