What really happened at Wanat will only emerge slowly. I have some questions in no particular order or connection, to which people could perhaps contribute their 2 cents :

1. Dawn on the day of the fight was around 04.50 hrs local. The attack is said to have started at 04.30, which is just before daybreak (although in steep valleys, light often depends on when the sun clears the surrounding peaks) Assuming the platoon adopted normal practice, they would have been all awake “standing to” from 04.20 to 05.20. So why would the ACM attack at the exact time the defenders should be most on the alert?

2. Overrunning the base in daylight guarantees that the ACM would be vulnerable through the day to NATO close air support. So was the idea just to kill americans, grab some loot and vamoose? If the ACM advisers were chechens, a night attack would be more likely. I conclude this was a locally organised affair.

3. The battle is said to have gone on all day. So where were the “cavalry”? I’d expect a Quick Reaction Force via helicopter to be dropped into the ACM lines of withdrawal.

4. Relying on CAS to save your ass can get it bitten badly in poor weather. The only reliable all weather support is pre-registered artillery. Thought that lesson was learnt in Vietnam. Perhaps “Old Blue” can tell us if outposts are covered by fire base guns?

5. May have got it wrong, but I get the impression that Wanat is difficult to access by vehicle – but there were US vehicles there (heloed in?) Bumping up & down on the only route possible is a sure fire recipe for ambush. [Probably used up one of my nine military lives learning that; my 8 ambushers left the dry river bed track blocked with rocks when they got bored of waiting for me. When I reached the next outpost half an hour later, I found the 5 survivors in chains! They'd walked straight into a patrol from that outpost] So why were the vehicles there?

Good photos of the general area here http://pa-bashore-afghanistan-2.blogspot.com/