Baharak Ambush

Last updated
Baharak ambush
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Takhar in Afghanistan.svg
Province where the ambush occurred.
Date21 October 2020
Location
Result Taliban victory
Belligerents
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2013).svg  Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Flag of the Taliban.svg Taliban
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the Afghan National Police (English).svg Raz Mohammad Doorandish   Flag of the Taliban.svg Unknown
Units involved
Flag of the Taliban.svg Unknown
Strength
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg 60 [1] –100 Afghan forces [2] Flag of the Taliban.svg Unknown
Casualties and losses
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg 34–55 killed [3] [4] [5]
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg 8 wounded
Flag of the Afghan National Police (English).svg Several Humvees destroyed [6]
Flag of the Taliban.svg 22 killed [7]

The Baharak ambush was an incident that occurred on October 21, 2020, when members of the Taliban ambushed an Afghan security forces unit in the small village of Baharak in Takhar province. It was the deadliest attack by the Taliban in October.

Contents

Background

On April 6, 2020, Taliban fighters mounted an attack on a security post in Baharak District Center but were repelled by Afghan security forces. Two Taliban fighters were killed, one of whom was reported to be a commander. An unspecified number of civilians were also wounded. [8]

Ambush

At 03:00 AM, an elite Taliban unit armed with night-vision goggles and assault rifles attacked an Afghan security forces unit conducting an operation to clear Taliban fighters from the area. [9] [10] The Taliban fighters took up positions in houses, [11] [12] leading to several hours of intense fighting. During the fighting, security forces repeatedly called for support but did not receive any. [13] Deputy Police Chief of Takhar, Raz Mohammad Doorandish, was killed. [14] [15] Several Humvees were also set ablaze. [16]

Aftermath

The day after the ambush, an airstrike by the Afghan Air Force targeted a madrasa in the village of Hazara Qurluq, believing Taliban fighters involved in the previous day's attack were hiding there. The strike killed 11 children and their imam, and wounded 18 others. [17] [18] [19] Afghan government officials denied that children were killed, claiming only Taliban fighters died. The Minister of Defence did not deny that the strike hit a school. [20] [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takhar Province</span> Province of Afghanistan

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taliban insurgency</span> Insurgency during the War in Afghanistan

The Taliban insurgency began after the group's fall from power during the 2001 War in Afghanistan. The Taliban forces fought against the Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai, and later by President Ashraf Ghani, and against a US-led coalition of forces that has included all members of NATO; the 2021 Taliban offensive resulted in the collapse of the government of Ashraf Ghani. The private sector in Pakistan extends financial aid to the Taliban, contributing to their financial sustenance.

Events from the year 2009 in Afghanistan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Bagram Airfield attack</span> Taliban bombing and attack on a US airfield in Afghanistan

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References

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