Battle of Arghandab The Battle of Arghandab ( code - named " Operation IBRAT " by the insurgents ) began on June 18 , 2008 , when NATO - led forces attacked Taliban militants in response to Taliban attacks in Arghandab District and Kandahar . The battle in Arghandab marked the second time in less than a year that the Taliban has tried to take control of the area . Background . On June 13 , 2008 , Taliban fighters attacked the Sarposa Prison in a co - ordinated assault which freed the 800 - 900 prisoners , approximately a third of whom were believed to have past ties to the insurgency . Coalition forces swept the area for escaped convicts , leading to the deaths of 15 militants in an air strike against a farm . In the following days , it was widely reported that as many as 18 towns surrounding Kandahar had been overrun by Afghan militants , and that approximately 500 insurgents had moved into the neighbouring Arghandab District north of the city , to make use of its grape and pomegranate groves to conceal themselves while they prepared to re - take Kandahar . The insurgents warned locals to flee the area before heavy fighting began , while Coalition planes dropped leaflets suggesting that civilians remain indoors . On June 16 , 2008 , Afghan National Army ( ANA ) and Coalition forces conducted a five - hour patrol through the area , and reported that they had seen no sign of an insurgent build - up and that any reports suggesting otherwise were " unfounded " . Build - up . Despite reassurances a battle was not looming , the Canadians called an emergency meeting with the ANA on June 16 , 2008 , and the following day coalition forces flew 700 ANA troops from Kabul into the region on June 17 , 2008 , as hundreds of civilians fled the area , and Canadian Forces reported a small gunbattle with insurgents on the outskirts of the city . Afghan insurgents destroyed culvert s and bridges around Kandahar , while planting minefield s in an attempt to limit Coalition mobility . The insurgents began sending shipments of weapons and ammunition into their neighboring towns , while Taliban commander Mullah Ahmedullah suggested that the insurgents were waiting for the NATO - led forces to make the first move . Canadian soldiers increased their presence at " high - risk " targets in Kandahar , including a power station , the residence of governor Ahmed Wali Karzai , Sarposa Prison and their own reconstruction base . A 22 : 00 curfew was placed on vehicles in the city . Akhtar Mohammad , who had been among the escapees from the Sarposa Prison , reported that he was among approximately 200 insurgents in Zhari , preparing to enter Aghandab in advance of the battle . The battle . NATO - led forces entered Arghandab on June 18 , 2008 , and were met by only small pockets of resistance . An air strike in Tabin was reported to have killed 20 insurgents , while two ANA soldiers were killed in a firefight that left 16 insurgents dead in Khohak . On June 19 , Brigadier General Denis Thompson confirmed that the insurgents had been defeated outside of Kandahar City , but also added that they could regroup and attack again . Australian journalist Jamie Kidston was shot in the arm while working for NATO and filming Canadian troops in combat . One local resident was killed , and another wounded . Three other civilian contractors working for ISAF were also wounded .