Battle of Dahaneh The Battle of Dahaneh was a battle in the town of Dahaneh , Helmand Province , and its surrounding areas as part of the Afghanistan War . It began when U . S . and Afghan troops launched an Operation to capture the town from the Taliban , in the Helmand Province of Southern Afghanistan . Coalition troops met heavy resistance , and believe the Taliban were forewarned of the incoming attack , though they were successful in securing Dahaneh . Background . Dahaneh is a town of approximately 2 , 000 people located in Helmand Province , and serves as a major trading route through Northern Helmand , which is used by the Taliban to transport 60 percent of the world ' s opium . Prior to the battle , coalition forces had not entered Dahaneh for years , due to a lack of available troops to deploy . The Taliban became de facto rulers of the town , maintaining checkpoints and levying taxes . However , when the Islamist organization threatened to ruin the August 20 Afghan elections , Coalition commanders feared reprisals against the town ' s residents . Additionally , they hoped to establish a voting center in Daheneh before the elections began , which would be the only voting location in the greater region . Capturing Dahaneh was also key to securing the Now Zad valley , where the Taliban conduct their Opium trade , in which Dahaneh played a significant part . Battle . Day One . The operation was code named " Operation Eastern Resolve II " . On August 12 , 2009 , 400 United States Marines and 100 Afghan National Army Soldiers began the Operation . An assault wave in Humvee s and MRAP s left a Marine Base in the town of Naw Zad and headed for Dahaneh in the early morning . Three CH - 53 Stallion helicopters airlifted soldiers behind Taliban lines in the town . The platoon then blasted its way into a suspected militant compound , where they arrested 5 fighters and took the structure over as a base . U . S . Marine Harrier jets also dropped flares as a show of force . Just before morning light , Taliban fighters fired rockets at the Marines , including a heavy rocket intended for the platoon ' s compound , which overshot . The insurgents also fired a mortar round at a Humvee on the town ' s outskirts , which landed 20 meters away . For the next eight hours , the Taliban fired off short bursts of fire at the Coalition troops , and when the soldiers attempted to push into the town , resisted with small arms , rocket - propelled grenades , and mortars . Taliban forces fired ammunition and missiles at the troops from rooftops , courtyards , trucks , and streets , slowing the Coalition advance . Fighting subsided in the afternoon when the temperature reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit , after which Coalition forces began launching patrols into the city . A Marine patrol was ambushed by the Taliban within yards of the Marine compound at 4 A . M . Heavy fighting resumed . Taliban RPG and Sniper fire targeted the Marine compound which by now also had Afghan troops , but there were no U . S . or Afghan casualties . Taliban fighters fired volleys of rockets from a walled compound at Coalition forces , leading the Marines to call in a missile strike , which killed 7 - 10 militants inside . Taliban soldiers also attempted to encircle the Coalition troops , and a convoy of Marines in Humvees and MRAP ' s sitting outside the town was attacked by insurgents ' mortar fire . Coalition forces attempted to push further into the town , but were met with heavy resistance from Taliban forces , and made only minor gains . Other Marine units battled Taliban fighters based in the caves of surrounding mountains . After Coalition forces spotted one such cave and called in air support , a British Harrier Jet arrived and locked onto the position , but its pilot refused to fire , as he could not identify the target as British rules of engagement require . Day Two . August 13 , troops began to push deeper into Dahaneh . The Taliban did not offer resistance until daybreak , as they were unable to match the night vision capabilities enjoyed by Coalition troops . However , when morning came , the first rounds of fire erupted . Throughout the day , Afghan soldiers and U . S . Marines pushed deeper into Dahaneh , encountering heavy resistance . A Dozen Taliban fighters were estimated to have been killed in the first 24 hours of fighting , while one Marine died in a Taliban ambush wielding rocket - propelled grenade s . The Marines were subject to heavy machine gun fire as they moved through streets and alleyways , but at day ' s end , had taken about half the town . Sporadic clashes continued . Meanwhile , A - 10 aircraft targeted Taliban positions in the surrounding mountains . Officers predicted that it would take several days of fierce fighting to secure Dahaneh . Day Three . On the third day , Marines launched a pre - dawn raid against a Taliban position on the southern edge of the town , storming a fortified compound and then blowing up two towers from which insurgents had fired rockets and mortars at U . S . troops the day before . Marines found marijuana plants growing in the courtyard and confiscated trigger plates used to manufacture roadside bombs . Fighting continued throughout the day as US missiles continued to target Taliban bunker s in the area . The Taliban were still holding out in the other half of the town , although air strikes and missiles continued to pound their defenses . The battle ends . By the fourth day the battle had ended and Coalition troops secured the town , after four years of Taliban control . Five days later , the Afghan presidential election , 2009 took place and some residents of Dahaneh participated . However , the level of resistance met led many soldiers and commanders to suspect that the Taliban had been aware of the incoming attack . Following the battle , Marines assessed civilian damages preparatory to paying out compensation .