The Islamic National Army, also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the land force branch of the Afghan Armed Forces. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be traced back to the early 18th century when the Hotak dynasty was established in Kandahar followed by Ahmad Shah Durrani's rise to power. It was reorganized in 1880 during Emir Abdur Rahman Khan's reign. Afghanistan remained neutral during the First and Second World Wars. From the 1960s to the early 1990s, the Afghan Army was equipped by the Soviet Union.
Kunduz is a city in northern Afghanistan, the capital of Kunduz Province. The city has an estimated population of about 268,893 as of 2015, making it about the 7th-largest city of Afghanistan, and the largest city in northeastern Afghanistan. Kunduz is in the historical Tokharistan region of Bactria, near the confluence of the Kunduz River with the Khanabad River. Kunduz is linked by highways with Kabul to the south, Mazar-i-Sharif to the west, and Badakhshan to the east. Kunduz is also linked with Dushanbe in Tajikistan to the north, via the Afghan dry port of Sherkhan Bandar. This city is famous in Afghanistan for its watermelon production.
Takhar is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeast of the country next to Tajikistan. It is surrounded by Badakhshan in the east, Panjshir in the south, and Baghlan and Kunduz in the west. The city of Taloqan serves as its capital. The province contains 17 districts, over 1,000 villages, and approximately 1,113,173 people, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society.
The Council of Ministers of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is the executive body of the government of Afghanistan, responsible for day-to-day governance and the implementation of policy set by the Leadership. It is headed by the prime minister—who serves as the nation's head of government—and his deputies, and consists of the heads and deputy heads of the government ministries.
Dadullah was the Taliban's most senior military commander in Afghanistan until his death in 2007. He was also known as Maulavi or Mullah Dadullah Akhund. He also earned the nickname of Lang, meaning "lame", because of a leg he lost during fighting.
The 205th 'Atul' (Hero) Corps was a corps-level formation of the Afghan National Army. Its headquarter were located in Kandahar and it was responsible for the south of the country, partnered with the ISAF's Regional Command South.
The 209th 'Shaheen' (Falcon) Corps was a corps, or military district, of the Afghan National Army. Its headquarters, Camp Shaheen, was at Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province. It worked closely with the German-led Resolute Support Mission TAAC North, and had its 1st Brigade at Mazar-i-Sharif and a Second Brigade at Kunduz. A United States Army Corps of Engineers solicitation for Kunduz headquarters facilities for the Second Brigade was issued in March 2008. The corps was supported by the Mazar-i-Sharif Regional Support Squadron of the AAF, equipped with eight helicopters: four transport to support the Corps' commando battalion, two attack, and two medical transport helicopters. In October 2015, as a response to the Battle of Kunduz, reports came that a new division would be formed in the area.
The Afghan Armed Forces, officially the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Armed Forces, is the military of Afghanistan, commanded by the Taliban government from 1997 to 2001 and since August 2021. According to Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense, its total manpower is 170,000 as of September 2023.
This article summarizes the history of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021).
General Mohammad Yasin Zia, is an Afghan military officer and politician. He is a former Chief of General Staff, former Deputy Defense Minister, and former governor of Takhar Province, Afghanistan. Zia has also served as head of Afghanistan's counter terrorism unit (2011) and as the deputy director of the National Directorate of Security (2011–2015). In 2022, he was reported to be one of the leaders of the anti-Taliban Afghanistan Freedom Front resistance movement.
Mawlawi Hamdullah Mukhlis was a member of Afghan Taliban and the commander of Kabul Corps from 4 October 2021 to 2 November 2021. Maulvi Hamdullah also known as the Conqueror of Kabul because he was the first senior Taliban military commander to enter the Afghan presidential palace on the day of the fall of the capital, Kabul in 2021. Pictures from inside the presidential palace after the takeover showed Maulvi Hamdullah sitting on former US-backed President Ashraf Ghani’s chair. Hamdullah Mukhlis was a member of the Haqqani Network and a senior Badri Special Forces officer. He was killed on 2 November 2021 in a suicide attack on a hospital in Kabul city.
The General Directorate of Intelligence is the Afghan national intelligence and security agency under the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Maulvi Sharafuddin Taqi is an Afghan Taliban politician, commander and Islamic scholar who is serving as Acting Deputy Minister of Disaster Management of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 23 November 2021. He is also serving as commander of the 215 Azam Corps of the Islamic Emirate Army since 4 October 2021.
The 215 Azam Corps is one of the eight corps of the Islamic Emirate Army established in October 2021 and headquartered in Helmand. The current Chief of Staff is Maulvi Abdul Aziz "Ansari". The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan-era corps it replaced was known as the 215th 'Maiwand' Corps and was a part of Afghan National Army.
The 205 Al-Badr Corps is one of the eight corps of the Islamic Emirate Army established in October 2021 and headquartered in Kandahar. The current Chief of Staff is Mullah Bari Gul Akhund, with General Mehrullah Hamad as the first and current commander of the Corps. The Corps consists of four brigades, a commando battalion and three garrison and one frontier brigade, with integrated artillery and air lift capacity. In mid November 2021, 300 soldiers after completing military training graduated from the 2nd Brigade of the Al-Badr Corps in Zabul province.
The 209 Al-Fatah Corps is one of the eight corps of the Islamic Emirate Army established in October 2021 and headquartered in Mazar-i-Sharif. The current Chief of Staff is Abdul Razzaq Faizullah.
The 203 Mansoori Corps is one of the eight corps of the Islamic Emirate Army established in October 2021 and headquartered in Gardez. The current Chief of Staff is Maulvi Hezbollah Afghan. In December 2021, 450 soldiers after completing military training graduated from the 203 Mansoori Corps headquarters in Paktia province. The corps includes of the 2nd and 3rd Border Brigade each consists of hundreds of security personnel.
The 201 Khalid Ibn Walid Corps is one of the eight corps of the Islamic Emirate Army established in October 2021 and headquartered in Laghman. The current Chief of Staff is Abdul Rahman Mansoori.
The 207 Al-Farooq Corps is one of the eight corps of the Islamic Emirate Army established in October 2021 and headquartered in Herat. The current Chief of Staff is Abdul Razzaq Akhund.
The Battle of Kunduz was a battle between the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and the Taliban for control of the city of Kunduz. The fighting started in late June and lasted until the city was overrun by the Taliban on 8 August. The Afghan government forces, defending the city, withdrew to 217th Pamir Corps headquarters and airport within the city. After resisting for three days, an entire 217th Pamir Corps had surrendered, allowing Taliban to take control of the airport and a number of military vehicles and tanks stationed inside the headquarters.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan 
