It was the second time in half a year that Norwegian and German ISAF forces had participated in a major offensive in the restless Badghis province in western Afghanistan.

In the aftermath of the tactical victory by the ISAF forces in Operation Harekate Yolo in October–November 2007, the Taliban insurgents fled to the mountainous border regions of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

[3] As a result, the National Joint Headquarters (Fellesoperativt Hovedkvarter - FOHK) prepared elements of the Telemark Battalion, which makes up the Norwegian Quick Response Force (QRF) with its base Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan, to create better security for the central government in the area, which would make it possible for the aid organisations to enter Badghis province and provide assistance for its poor population.

Suddenly the Norwegian soldiers came under fire from Taliban insurgents armed with rifles, machine guns and rocket propelled grenades.

The Taliban insurgents attacked from a distance of around 1200 metres, in what Major Rune Wenneberg described as a "well coordinated assault" against the soldiers of Telemark Battalion.

[4][5] The Commander of the QRF, Lt. Col. Kjell Inge Bækken was proud of the professionalism and the calmness the Norwegian soldiers showed during the whole clash, further stating that they had trained long for military operations such as these.

For domestic political reasons, the German government is very intent on only deploying ISAF soldiers to RC North and Kabul, which are covered by the mandate from parliament, even if this interferes with operational realities.