A-10 Afghanistan Combat Summary for October 2008

by Joachim Jacob



An A-10 Thunderbolt II takes off from Bagram AB, Afghanistan, on October 18, 2008. The nose art on the plane signifies that this A-10 is part of the "Flying Tigers" legacy dating back to the World War II era. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse) Hi-res

For first time ever since I launched this blog, from the "Airpower Summaries", released on USAF's public main website, for October 2008 I extracted and edited all available info related to A-10 Thunderbolt II combat missions in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom). The mostly daily airpower summaries for OEF and OIF are provided by Combined Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC) officials at Al Udeid AB, Qatar. According to the sources, all of the listed missions were confirmed successful by on-scene joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs).

Oct. 1: A-10s dropped GBU-38s onto anti-Afghan forces engaging coalition forces with small arms fire in the vicinity of Bari Kowt.

Oct. 2: In the vicinity of Nangalam, A-10s dropped general-purpose 500-pound bombs and fired cannon rounds and rockets onto anti-Afghan forces. A-10s performed shows of force near Sheykhabad and in the vicinity of Ali Kheyl to deter insurgent activities.

Oct. 3: A-10s fired cannon rounds onto anti-Afghan forces in the vicinity of Lashkar Gah. A-10s performed shows of force near Kandahar and in the vicinity of Lashkar Gah to deter enemy activities.

Oct. 4: (no A-10 info)

Oct. 5: A-10s performed shows of force to deter insurgent activities in the vicinity of Qarah Bagh.

Oct. 6: (no A-10 info)

Oct. 7: A-10s performed shows of force to deter insurgent activities near Bamian and in the vicinity of Nurestan.

Oct. 8: A-10s conducted shows of force to deter enemy activities in the vicinity of Oruzgan and Orgun-E.

Oct. 9: A-10s dropped a GBU-38 and fired cannon rounds onto anti-Afghan forces engaging coalition forces in the vicinity of Gereshk. In the vicinity of Bari Kowt, A-10s fired rockets onto anti-Afghan forces.

Oct. 10: A-10s performed a show of force to deter insurgent activities near Gardez.

Oct. 11: In the vicinity of Shkin, an A-10 dropped a GBU-38 onto anti-Afghan forces who were in the open. Near Sheykhabad, an A-10 conducted a show of force to deter anti-Afghan activity. An A-10 conducted a show of force near Ghazni to deter enemy activities.

Oct. 12: A-10s performed shows of force near Lashkar Gah and Bagram to deter enemy activities.

Oct. 13: In the vicinity of Nangalam, A-10s dropped GBU-38s, general-purpose 500-pound bombs, and fired rockets and cannon rounds onto enemy forces. A-10s performed shows of force in the vicinity of Soltani and Moqor to deter enemy activities.

Oct. 14: An A-10 dropped a GBU-38 onto enemy fighters who were engaging coalition forces with small-arms fire in the vicinity of Bari Kowt.

Oct. 15: A-10s dropped GBU-38s onto enemy fighters in a bunker in the Worzhanah Kalay area. In the vicinity of Bari Kowt, an A-10 dropped a GBU-38 onto enemy forces. A-10s dropped GBU-38s onto hostile forces who were firing mortars and/or rockets at coalition forces near Asadabad. In the vicinity of Nangalam, A-10s dropped GBU-38s onto enemies of Afghanistan who were directing small arms fire at friendly forces.

Oct. 16: A-10s fired cannon rounds and rockets onto enemy fighters who were attacking coalition forces with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades near Kabul. A-10s performed shows of force to deter enemy activities near Kabul.

Oct. 17: A-10s fired cannon rounds and rockets onto anti-Afghan forces near Kabul. An A-10 fired cannon rounds at anti-Afghan forces engaging friendly forces with indirect fire near Sheykhabad. A-10s conducted shows of force to deter insurgent activities near Kabul.

Oct. 18: In the vicinity of Bagram, A-10s conducted shows of force to deter enemy activities.

Oct. 19: (not released)

Oct. 20: In the vicinity of Malek Din, an A-10 fired rockets onto hostile forces who had fired at a coalition convoy. Near Gardez, an A-10 fired rockets at hostile forces that were shooting at Afghan National Police. Furthermore, an A-10 conducted a show of force to deter enemy activities near the same area.

Oct. 21: An A-10 fired cannon rounds onto anti-Afghan forces in the open in the vicinity of Khowst. Furthermore, an A-10 conducted a show of force to deter enemy activity in the same area. In the vicinity of Nangalam, an A-10 dropped a GBU-38 onto anti-Afghan forces that had fired at a coalition convoy. Near Asmar, the same A-10 provided convoy escort to deter enemy insurgents until the coalition convoy reached the forward operating base.

Oct. 22: An A-10 fired cannon rounds onto anti-Afghan forces in the open in the vicinity of Orgun-E.

Oct. 23: An A-10 fired rockets and cannon rounds at anti-Afghan forces using a rocket launcher in the vicinity of Gardez. Furthermore, an A-10 conducted a show of force to deter further hostile activity in the area. A-10s performed shows of force in the vicinity of Bagram, Morghab, Ghazni and Tarin Kowt to deter enemy activities.

Oct 24: A-10s dropped a GBU-38 and fired cannon rounds onto anti-Afghan forces using small arms fire against coalition forces in the vicinity of Shurakian. An A-10 performed a show of force near Gardez to deter enemy activities.

Oct. 25: An A-10 fired cannon rounds onto enemy positions along a tree line in the vicinity of Qarah Bagh. An A-10 conducted a show of force to deter anti-Afghan forces activity in an area of repeated attacks near Kabul.

Oct. 26: A-10s conducted shows of force to deter anti-Afghan forces activity in the areas near Orgun-E and in the vicinity of Sheykhabad.

Oct. 27: A-10s conducted shows of force to deter anti-Afghan forces activity in the areas near Soltani and in the vicinity of Jalalabad.

Oct. 28: An A-10 fired rockets and cannon rounds onto enemy compound in the vicinity of Morghab.

Oct. 29: An A-10 conducted a show of force to deter anti-Afghan forces activity in the area near Khowst.

Oct. 30: (no A-10 info)

Oct. 31: A-10s and F-15Es performed multi-flight shows of force to deter enemy activities and provide armed aerial overwatch for a coalition convoy in the vicinity of Jalalabad. In the vicinity of Monari, A-10s performed shows of force to deter enemy activities and provide armed aerial overwatch for a coalition convoy that had struck an IED.