Editing United States Navy SEALs (section)

====Invasion====
{{Further|topic=the opening phase of Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan|United States invasion of Afghanistan}}
In the immediate aftermath of the [[September 11 attacks]], Navy SEALs quickly dispatched to [[Camp Doha]], and those already aboard U.S. Naval vessels in the Persian Gulf and surrounding waters began conducting [[VBSS]] operations against ships suspected of having ties to or even carrying [[al Qaeda]] operatives. SEAL Teams 3 and 8 also began rotating into Oman from the United States and staging on the island of [[Masirah Island|Masirah]] for operations in Afghanistan. One of the SEALs' immediate concerns was their lack of suitable vehicles to conduct [[special reconnaissance]] (SR) missions in the rough, landlocked terrain of Afghanistan. After borrowing and retrofitting Humvees from the [[75th Ranger Regiment|Army Rangers]] also staging on Masirah, the SEALs entered Afghanistan to conduct the SR of what would become [[Camp Rhino]], as part of [[Operation Enduring Freedom#Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)|Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan]] (OEF-A). These early stages of OEF were commanded by a fellow SEAL, [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Albert Calland]].

[[File:US Navy SEALs at Zhawar Kili cave entrance.jpg|thumb|Task Force K-Bar SEALs at one of the entrances to the [[Zhawar Kili]] cave complex.]]
As part of the CJSOTF (Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force) under the command of General [[Tommy Franks]] at [[CENTCOM]], SEALs from DEVGRU were part of Task Force Sword, which was established in early October 2001. It was a [[Black operation|black]] SOF (Special Operations Forces) unit under direct command of [[JSOC]]. It was a so-called hunter-killer force whose primary objective was to capture or kill senior leadership and HVT within both al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Sword was initially structured around a two-squadron component of operators from Delta Force (Task Force Green) and DEVGRU (Task Force Blue) supported by a Ranger protection force team (Task Force Red), ISA signals intercept and surveillance operators (Task Force Orange) and the 160th SOAR (Task Force Brown). [[Task Force K-Bar]] was established on 10 October 2001, it was formed around a Naval Special Warfare Group consisting of SEALs from SEAL Teams 2, 3 and 8 and Green Berets from 1st Battalion, [[3rd Special Forces Group (United States)|3rd SFG]]; the task force was led by SEAL Captain [[Robert Harward]].

The task force's principal task was to conduct SR and [[Site exploitation|SSE]] missions in the south of the country. Other Coalition SOF-particularly [[Kommando Spezialkräfte|KSK]], [[JTF2]] and [[New Zealand Special Air Service]] were assigned to the task force. As part of the JIATF-CT (Joint Interagency Task Force-Counterterrorism)—intelligence integration and fusion activity composed of personnel from all of Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan-participating units—SEALs from DEVGRU were part of Task Force Bowie, they were embedded in the task force in AFOs (Advanced Force Operations). The AFOs were 45-man reconnaissances units made up of Delta Force recce specialists augmented by selected SEALs from [[DEVGRU]] and supported by [[Intelligence Support Activity|ISA]]'s technical experts. The AFOs had been raised to support TF Sword and were tasked with intelligence preparation of the battlefield, working closely with the CIA and reported directly to Task Force Sword. The AFOs conducted covert reconnaissance—sending small two or three-man teams into al-Qaeda 'Backyard' along the border with Pakistan, the AFO operators would deploy observation posts to watch and report enemy movements and numbers as well as environmental reconnaissance; much of the work was done on foot or [[All-terrain vehicle|ATVs]].{{sfnp|Neville|2015|pp=25–31}}

SEALs were present at the [[Battle of Qala-i-Jangi]] in November 2001 alongside their counterparts from the British [[Special Boat Service|SBS]]. Chief Petty Officer [[Stephen Bass]] was awarded the [[Navy Cross]] for his actions during the battle.

Before the US Marines landed at [[Camp Rhino]] in November 2001, a SEAL recce team from [[SEAL Team 8]] conducted reconnaissance of the area, they were mistakenly engaged by orbiting [[Bell AH-1 SuperCobra|AH-1W attack helicopters]], but the SEALs managed to get a message through to the Marines before they suffered casualties.{{sfnp|Neville|2015|p=44}} The SR mission in the region of Camp Rhino lasted for four days, after which two [[United States Air Force Combat Control Team]]s made a nighttime [[HALO jump]] to assist the SEALs in guiding in [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] from the [[15th Marine Expeditionary Unit]] who seized control of the area and established a [[forward operating base]].