Battle of Kandahar ( 2001 ) The 2001 Battle of Kandahar was a series of military operations conducted in and around Kandahar , Afghanistan , during October 2001 , as part of the start of the United States ' military operations in Afghanistan . Chronology . Following the 2001 September 11 attacks , the United States and its allies launched the global War on Terror , starting with assaults on key Taliban positions within Afghanistan . On October 7 , 2001 , at 6 : 30 pm , the first wave of attack against the Taliban was launched . A group of United States Air Force ( USAF ) bomber s consisting of five B - 1s and ten B - 52s took off from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean . They were complemented by twenty - five United States Navy ( USN ) F - 14s and F / A - 18s strike aircraft from the aircraft carrier s and in the North Arabian Sea . The Royal Air Force ( RAF ) and USAF provided L - 1011s , KC - 135 and KC - 10s to supply en route aerial refueling s to the USN aircraft . Flown in from Whiteman Air Force Base , Missouri , two B - 2 Spirits also participated in the attack , as did the EA - 6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft . At 9 : 00 pm , USN , USAF , and Royal Navy ( RN ) forces launched several salvos totaling fifty Tomahawk cruise missile s against Taliban military and communications facilities and suspected terrorist training camps . The timing was chosen to coincide with the arrival of the strike aircraft , which dropped a variety of bombs including Mk 82 s , JDAMs , AGM - 84s , AGM - 154 s and laser - guided bomb s . According to in - country sources reporting to CNN , targets within Kandahar included Taliban strongholds , as well as the houses of Arab foreigners who worked with the Taliban regime . One of the primary targets for the airstrike in Kandahar was Mullah Omar . The attacking aircraft were met with sporadic fire from Taliban anti - aircraft artillery batteries and surface - to - air missile s . The U . S . considered the attacks , conducted against the cities of Kabul , Jalalabad and Herat , to be successful as the goal of neutralizing the Taliban ' s air defense was met . To court and provide relief for the Afghan people , food and supplies were dropped into the region . Two C - 17 transports delivered 37 , 500 daily rations by airdrop to refugees inside Afghanistan on the first day of the attack . Relief efforts faced setback , however , from Taliban interference . World Food Programme storehouses in Kandahar were raided and surrendered to Taliban soldiers , who " seized about 7 , 000 tons of food . " Hoping to avoid a backlash by civilians , the USAF deployed an EC - 130E propeller aircraft to broadcast a message that the Taliban and its allies were the only targets of the attacks , not civilians . Aftermath . Following the successful airstrikes against the city , and after rapid setbacks experienced by Taliban forces across the country , much of the military might held directly and indirectly by Mullah Omar was consolidated in the city of Kandahar . On November 18 , the United States enlisted the help of Gul Agha Sherzai , an anti - Taliban commander and previous Governor of Kandahar Province . On November 25 , the U . S . airlifted a contingent of 750 Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit to create a forward base at Camp Rhino , located south of Kandahar . At this time , the allied commanders were also finalizing the decision to send British paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion , The Parachute Regiment . These events set the stage for the taking of Kandahar and Taliban surrender on December 7 .