Battle of Wana

Battle of Wana
	; Military Intelligence map: The area involved in the fighting.
Date	March 16 – March 23, 2004 (7 days)
Location	{{{place}}}
Result	Pakistani victory
Belligerents
Pakistan	File:Flag of al-Qaeda.svg al-Qaeda; Pro-Taliban Pakistani mujahideen; Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
Commanders and leaders
Ali Jan Orakzai	File:Flag of al-Qaeda.svg Ayman al-Zawahiri; File:Flag of al-Qaeda.svg Osama bin Laden; File:Flag of al-Qaeda.svg Tohir Yoʻldosh (WIA); File:Flag of Taliban.svg Naik Muhammad †; File:Flag of Taliban.svg Noor Wali Mehsud Template:End plainlist;
Units involved
Pakistan Armed Forces Pakistan Army 9th Infantry Division; 4th Cobra Squadron; 20th Mountain Brigade; ; Pakistan Air Force; ;	al-Qaeda and TTP Mujahedeen forces
Strength
~7,000; 4–8 F-7 & F-16 jets; ~50 ISI CAD members; Template:End plainlist	400 al-Qaeda fighters
Casualties and losses
17 soldiers killed; 11 soldiers captured; 33 soldiers wounded Template:End plainlist;	55 al-Qaeda fighters killed; 150 fighters captured Template:End plainlist;

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]

↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dawn March 19, 2004
↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dawn News, 20 March 2004
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 "Hits On Qaeda Compounds Continue". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2018-09-10. Retrieved 20 March 2004.
↑ "Action Update: March 15–28, 2004". Cdi.org. 2004-03-31. Retrieved 2011-03-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dawn Newspapers March 16
↑ "Top Al Qaeda leader hurt, hiding in Wana: ISPR". ISPR. Retrieved 4 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑ "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.

[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.

[Dawn_March_19,_2004-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dawn March 19, 2004

[Dawn_News,_20_March_2004-7] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dawn News, 20 March 2004

[Hits_On_Qaeda_Compounds_Continue-8] 8.0 ^8.1 "Hits On Qaeda Compounds Continue". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2018-09-10. Retrieved 20 March 2004.

[Action_Update:_March_15–28,_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)

[Dawn_Newspapers_March_16-10] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dawn Newspapers March 16

[ISPR-11] "Top Al Qaeda leader hurt, hiding in Wana: ISPR". ISPR. Retrieved 4 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

[ISW_Uzbek_Militancy_in_Pakistan's_Tribal_Region-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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