Angoor Ada raid The Angoor Ada raid ( Urdu : صفف ﮑﹻﺨﺄ ) was a covert raid conducted by U . S . Army Special Forces against Taliban fighters on September 3 , 2008 , within the border town of Angoor Ada in South Waziristan . It was the first time U . S . troops fought a ground - based battle against the Taliban within Pakistani borders . The raid took place at the same time as Pakistani military forces ended a four - week offensive in Bajaur , the northernmost Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of which South Waziristan is the southernmost , an offensive that has displaced approximately half a million people . Operations . The raid occurred in the village of Moosi Neka ( ﺙﻅﹿﺏ ﻑی ) of the Angoor Ada region of South Waziristan , Pakistan , less than one mile ( 1 . 6 km ) from the border of Afghanistan . The operation was executed at 3 : 00 AM local time ( 23h00 in UTC ) . Though the U . S . has performed missile strikes in Pakistan before , this is reportedly the first time U . S . troops have taken ground action within the country against Taliban fighters . According to some early reports , roughly twenty people , possibly including three women and four children , were killed in the raid . However , it is not clear whether these were civilians or combatants ; an American official stated that the women killed were helping the hostile militants . Three Black Hawk helicopter s carrying 45 U . S . special forces soldiers conducted the raid . Only one of the helicopters landed and unloaded , while the two others flew overhead providing surveillance and aerial support to the other team . Two F - 16 fighter jets also provided air cover . The forces attacked three houses , owned by " Faujan Wazir , Faiz Mohammad and Nazar Jan Wazir . " The entire operation lasted 30 minutes . All of the inhabitants were apparently asleep when the raid occurred , and after examination none of the dead proved to be " important terrorists or high - value targets . " A U . S . military official stated that " a small number of militants [ were ] captured and several others killed , " but refused to comment on exact numbers . Response . A statement made by the Government of Pakistan said that " a strong protest by [ the ] Foreign Office has been lodged with [ the ] Government of United States , " and " such acts of aggression do not serve the common cause of fighting terrorism and militancy in the area . " On September 4 , the Pakistani parliament passed a resolution condemning the raid and demanding increased American oversight and cooperation with Pakistani officials when conducting covert operations . Anne W . Patterson , the United States Ambassador to Pakistan , was called to the Pakistan Foreign Office , where a protest was lodged . In response to the raid , Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told the National Assembly on Thursday , " There is no high - value target or known terrorist among the dead . . . Only innocent civilians , including women and children , have been targeted . " In response to the raid , United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said , " I don ' t have anything for you on Pakistan , except to say that obviously we are working very closely with the civilian government there . " Rice refused to comment on the possibility of civilian casualties . Reuters cited U . S . Pentagon officials , speaking on condition of anonymity , who confirmed that the raid was conducted by U . S . special operations forces . The Chairman of the Pakistani Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee ( JCSC ) , Gen Tariq Majid , stated that " Pakistan reserves right to retaliate " . On Saturday , September 6 , 2008 , Pakistan blocked a fuel route supplying U . S . and other western forces operating in Afghanistan in response to the raid . " We have told them that we will take action and we have already taken action today . We have stopped the supply of oil and this will tell how serious we are , " said Pakistani Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar .