Combat Outpost Keating

Combat Outpost Keating was a military installation in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, positioned at the floor of a narrow valley. Steep mountain slopes enclosed the site on all sides and rose more than three thousand feet (900 m) above it.

The installation began as a Provincial Reconstruction Team site in 2006 and took its name after Lieutenant Benjamin Keating died in November that year. The post was abandoned in 2009 following a large-scale attack and later fully evacuated.

The military installation operated within the complex social environment of Nuristan Province, where different ethnic groups maintained their own distinct traditions and leadership structures.

The location made resupply difficult, as transport routes passed through steep terrain and helicopters provided the only reliable link to the outside. Today the outpost no longer exists and the area remains off-limits to visitors.

During the Battle of Kamdesh in October 2009, fifty-three American soldiers defended the installation against roughly three hundred attackers firing from higher ground. Two soldiers received the Medal of Honor for their actions during this engagement.

Location: Nuristan Province

Inception: 2006

GPS coordinates: 35.42310,71.32890

Latest update: December 12, 2025 21:36