Battle of Kunduz (2021)

Last updated

Battle of Kunduz
Part of 2021 Taliban offensive
Date21 June – 11 August 2021
(1 month and 3 weeks)
Location 36°43′43″N68°52′05″E / 36.728611°N 68.868056°E / 36.728611; 68.868056
Result Taliban victory
Belligerents
Flag of the Taliban.svg  Taliban Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg  Afghanistan
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the Taliban.svg Muhammad Aka [1]
(Taliban commander for Kunduz)
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg Ehsanullah Omarzad  White flag icon.svg [2]
(Governor of Kunduz)
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg Najibullah Omarkhel  White flag icon.svg
(Acting Governor of Kunduz)
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg Mohammad Ali Yazdani  White flag icon.svg [3]
(Commander of 217th Pamir Corps)
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg Zabardast Safi  White flag icon.svg [4] [2]
(Police Chief of Kunduz)
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg Taj Mohammad [5]
(leader of Afghan commandos)
Units involved

Taliban forces

Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF)

National Directorate of Security (NDS)

Local anti-Taliban Militia [7]
Strength

21 June–8 August:

  • Unknown

8–11 August:

  • Additional reinforcements from neighbouring areas [8]
  • Taliban fighters freed from Kunduz prison [6]

21 June–8 August:

  • Unknown

8–11 August:

  • 2,000 soldiers [9]
Casualties and losses
Afghan military claim:
Heavy casualties [5]
Unknown casualties
Hundreds of soldiers surrendered [9]
Weapons:
A number of military vehicles, equipment [10] and ScanEagle drones captured [11]
1 tank captured, 3 tanks destroyed [12]
Two UH-60 Black Hawk destroyed [13]
One Mil Mi-24 captured [14]
Civilian casualties: 39+ killed, 354+ injured [15] [16]
Afghanistan adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Kunduz within Afghanistan

The Battle of Kunduz took place between the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and the Taliban for control of the city of Kunduz. The fighting started in late June [17] and lasted until the city was overrun by the Taliban on 8 August. [10] The Afghan government forces, defending the city, withdrew to 217th Pamir Corps headquarters and airport within the city. [18] [10] 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. [10] [19] [20]

Contents

Background

Kunduz is the strategic city located in northern Afghanistan with routes to Kabul and other major cities in Afghanistan and also Tajikistan. [21] The city was the stronghold of the Taliban before they took over Afghanistan in 1990s. [22]

The city was also briefly occupied by the Taliban forces in 2015 and 2016 before being driven out of the city by Afghan government forces and United States Air Force. [17]

Battle

On 21 June, Taliban captured the entrance to the Kunduz city before dispersing throughout its neighborhoods. [23]

By 23 June, Taliban had laid the siege of Kunduz city after capturing districts in vicinity of the city and the main border crossing with Tajikistan. [24]

On 24 June, an airstrike by an Afghan Air Force in Eighth Police District of Kunduz City killed two Afghan police officers and wounded eight others. The friendly fire incident allowed the Taliban to capture the district. [25]

On 26 June, Afghan government officials said that around 24 Taliban fighters were killed while 15 others were injured in clash with Afghan government forces in Kunduz city. [26]

On 5 July, Abdul Hadi Nazari, an Afghan army spokesman said that around 15 Taliban fighters were killed in an Afghan Air Force airstrike targeting Taliban fighters gathering outside the city. [27]

By mid-July, the Taliban were inside four out of nine municipal districts of Kunduz city, battling for control with the government forces. [17] All the districts surrounding the city including the roads that lead outside the city were also under Taliban control. [17] Lt. Col. Masound Nijrabi, commander of Afghan commandos, expressed contempt for the regular Afghan army soldiers who fail to hold territory and later the Afghan army commandos are forced to retake the territory from the Taliban forces. [17]

On 23 July, Afghan police chief Zabardast Safi said that Afghan government forces had evicted Taliban fighters from villages around the city. Around ten Taliban fighters were killed and five others were injured during the operation. [28]

On 7 August, Taliban forces had captured a large part of the city. The Taliban spokesman said that they had taken over the city. [29] However, Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman , Mirwais Stanekzai, announced that a joint operation by Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF) is underway with many areas of the city recaptured and many Taliban fighters killed or wounded. [29]

By 8 August, Taliban had overrun most part of the city with government control reduced to a military base near the airport. Taliban assault on the city was also aided by reinforcements from neighbouring areas and Jowzjan province which fell to the Taliban forces on 7 August. [8] After entering the city, the Taliban attacked the city prison, overpowered the prison guards and released hundreds of prisoners. Some of those freed prisoners were Taliban fighters and commanders who then aided the Taliban in launching attacks on the main government compounds in central Kunduz. [6] [30] Later that day, an airstrike was also carried out targeting local headquarters of National Directorate of Security which had fallen to the Taliban earlier. Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense also announced that operations to retake Kunduz were underway. [31]

On 11 August, after resisting for three days, an entire 217th Pamir Corps surrendered, allowing Taliban to take control of the Pamir Corps headquarters and the airport. [19] [20] Taliban also captured a number of military vehicles, equipment, [10] ScanEagle drones [11] and one battle tank [12] stationed inside the headquarters and also a Mil Mi-24 helicopter at the airport. [14]

Zargul Alemi, a member of the Kunduz provincial council, said that there were around 2,000 soldiers in 217th Pamir Corps headquarters before surrender and desertions. [9] Alemi said, "I don't know why the commanders did not gather their forces and fight until the last drop of their blood, with all the guns, resources and ammunition they had in the airport and the corps". [9]

On 12 August, Ehsanullah Omarzad, [2] Najibullah Omarkhel and Zabardast Safi [4] had also surrendered to the Taliban.

Key factors

Exhausted government forces, lack of reinforcements and delay in targeting of Taliban by Afghan Air Force, were described by Sayed Jawad Hussaini, the deputy police chief of a district in Kunduz city, as the key factors that benefited the Taliban and allowed them to capture the city. [32]

Afghan politicians from Kunduz and Jawzjan provinces accused the Afghan government of not paying enough attention to the security situation in northern Afghanistan. Rabbani Rabbani, a member of Kunduz's provincial council, says that the Taliban knew the importance of Kunduz while the Afghan government saw it as a small village. [33]

Aftermath

Afghan army chief, Gen. Wali Ahmadzai, was sacked following the fall of the Kunduz city. [9]

See also

2021 Taliban offensive:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunduz</span> City in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunduz Airport</span> Airport in Kunduz, Afghanistan

Kunduz Airport is located about 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Kunduz, the capital of Kunduz Province in Afghanistan. It is a domestic airport under the country's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), and serves the population of Kunduz Province. Security in and around the airport is provided by the Afghan National Security Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)</span>

The following items form a partial timeline of the War in Afghanistan. For events prior to October 7, 2001, see 2001 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kunduz (2015)</span>

The Battle of Kunduz took place from April to October 2015 for control of the city of Kunduz, located in northern Afghanistan, with Taliban fighters attempting to seize the city and displace Afghan security forces. On 28 September 2015, the Taliban forces suddenly overran the city, with government forces retreating outside the city. The capture marked the first time since 2001 that the Taliban had taken control of a major city in Afghanistan. The Afghan government claimed to have largely recaptured Kunduz by 1 October 2015 in a counterattack, although local sources in the city disputed the claim made by government officials.

The following lists events that happened during 2016 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">209th Corps (Afghanistan)</span> Military unit

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 Battle of Kunduz occurred on 3 October 2016 in the Afghan city of Kunduz between Afghan National Security Forces and Taliban insurgents. It occurred exactly a year after the 2015 battle when the Taliban briefly controlled the city.

Events in the year 2017 in Afghanistan.

Events in the year 2018 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghazni offensive</span>

The Ghazni offensive began on 10 August 2018, when Taliban fighters launched an assault on the city of Ghazni, Afghanistan's sixth largest city and one which has been culturally and strategically important for much of the country's history. The attack resulted in the deaths of hundreds of insurgents, soldiers, police, and civilians. The city also sustained large-scale property damage. The battle, occurring only weeks before Afghanistan's 2018 parliamentary election, was the largest since a three-day truce in June had raised hopes of peace talks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Darzab (2018)</span> Taliban-Islamic State battle in Afghanistan

The Battle of Darzab was a major conflict between the Taliban and the Islamic State's Khorasan Province (IS-KP) who fought each other over control of Jowzjan Province's Darzab District in Afghanistan. Following heavy clashes, IS-KP was defeated, with most of the group's forces in Jowzjan Province killed or captured.

This article summarizes the history of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State–Taliban conflict</span> 2015–present armed conflict in Afghanistan

The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Islamic State and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The conflict escalated when militants who were affiliated with Islamic State – Khorasan Province killed Abdul Ghani, a senior Taliban commander in Logar province on 2 February 2015. Since then, the Taliban and IS-KP have engaged in clashes over the control of territory, mostly in eastern Afghanistan, but clashes have also occurred between the Taliban and IS-KP cells which are located in the north-west and south-west.

In a continuation of previous attacks by the Taliban in May and June, multiple clashes between Afghan security forces and the Taliban were reported. They carried out several attacks throughout Afghanistan, resulting in multiple fatalities on both sides. Both the Taliban and government forces have accused each other responsibility over the recent surge in violence across Afghanistan. The attacks come despite the signing of a peace deal with the U.S. in February that was intended to put an end to the war.

2021 (MMXXI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2021st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 21st year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 2nd year of the 2020s decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Taliban offensive</span> Military offensive by the Taliban in Afghanistan

The 2021 Taliban offensive was a military offensive by the Taliban insurgent group and allied militants that led to the fall of the Kabul-based Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the end of the nearly 20-year War in Afghanistan that had begun following the United States invasion of the country. The Taliban victory had widespread domestic and international ramifications regarding human rights and proliferation of terrorism. The offensive included a continuation of the bottom-up succession of negotiated or paid surrenders to the Taliban from the village level upwards that started following the February 2020 US–Taliban deal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capture of Zaranj</span> 2021 Taliban capture of Zaranj

The capture of Zaranj, the capital of Nimruz Province, Afghanistan, occurred on 6 August 2021. According to the local officials, only the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and its forces had put up a fight against the Taliban, but they too eventually surrendered to the Taliban. Local officials had been requesting for reinforcements but received no response. Zaranj was the first provincial capital to be taken by the Taliban in their 2021 offensive and the first one to be captured since Kunduz in 2016.

The Battle of Lashkargah was fought between the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and the Taliban for control of the city of Lashkargah. The United States supported Afghan forces with airstrikes. The fighting started in late July 2021, and clashes occurred around the governor's residence, NDS headquarters, police headquarters, and prison. The police headquarters was captured by the Taliban on 12 August 2021, and the last government forces evacuated or surrendered in the night from 12 to 13 August 2021. More than 40 civilians were also killed in the two weeks long fighting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fall of Herat</span> 2021 Taliban capture of Herat and battle

The Fall of Herat was a battle and subsequent capture of Herat by Taliban fighters. The attack on the city started around 28 July 2021, and ended in Taliban victory by 13 August of the same year. Several of the surrounding districts fell to the Taliban from June to mid July, leaving only the city and two other districts in government hands by 10 July. The border crossings in Herat Province were captured by the Taliban on 9 July, raising prices of goods inside the city. Ismail Khan, former governor and warlord, led a public uprising force to assist the Afghan National Security Forces in defending the city.

The 217 Omari Corps is one of the eight corps of the Islamic Emirate Army established in October 2021 and headquartered in Kunduz. The current Chief of Staff is Mohammad Shafiq. The corps includes Kunduz brigade, Baghlan brigade, Takhar brigade and Badakhshan brigade.

References

  1. Moiz, Ibrahim (5 October 2021). "How the Afghan Taliban achieved their takeover of Afghanistan". The Express Tribune.
  2. 1 2 3 Shaheed, Anisa (12 August 2021). "Taliban Take Over Ghazni City, Governor Arrested". TOLOnews.
  3. Shadi, Khan Saif (22 June 2021). "Taliban claim capture of key Afghan-Tajik border crossing". www.aa.com.tr.
  4. 1 2 "سقوط غزني وخوشي يضع كابول بين فكّي «طالبان»". www.aljarida.com (in Arabic). 13 August 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "Taliban Seizes Key Areas Of Kunduz As Two Other Afghan Provincial Capitals Fall". RFE/RL. 8 August 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Roggio, Bill (8 August 2021). "Taliban takes control of Afghan provincial capitals of Kunduz, Sar-i-Pul and Taloqan | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org.
  7. Constable, Pamela; Mehrdad, Ezzatullah (22 June 2021). "Militias in Afghanistan's north are taking up the fight against the Taliban". Washington Post.
  8. 1 2 Mohammad Makoii, Akhtar; Harding, Luke (8 August 2021). "Major coup for Taliban as fighters take Afghan city of Kunduz". the Guardian.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Afghans wave white flag, yield base to Taliban". Arkansas Online. 12 August 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Roggio, Bill (12 August 2021). "Taliban seizes Afghan Army corps headquarters, 2 northern airports | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org.
  11. 1 2 "Taliban seizes US military equipment including drones, humvees and MRAPs". The Independent. 13 August 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Taliban gains ground in Afghanistan's strategic Kunduz city - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. 8 August 2021.
  13. "Taliban destroy two Black Hawk helicopters in Afghanistan". The Express Tribune. 12 July 2021.
  14. 1 2 Philip, Snehesh Alex (11 August 2021). "Taliban takes control of airport in Afghanistan's Kunduz, seizes chopper gifted by India". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  15. "Twenty-Eight Civilians Killed in Northern Afghan Province as Fighting Intensifies". US News. 24 June 2021.
  16. "At least 11 civilians killed, 64 wounded in Afghanistan in one day - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. 7 August 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Nossiter, Adam; Rahim, Najim (14 July 2021). "Selling Fruit Where the Taliban Stalk the Streets". The New York Times.
  18. "Taliban overrun northern Afghan cities of Kunduz, Sar-e Pul, Taloqan". Reuters. 9 August 2021.
  19. 1 2 "U.S. Says No Afghan Outcome 'Inevitable' As Taliban Captures Strategic Targets In North". RFE/RL. 11 August 2021.
  20. 1 2 Khan Saif, Shadi (12 August 2021). "Taliban captures Afghan army's Pamir Corps headquarter in Kunduz". www.aa.com.tr.
  21. Sengupta, Kim (8 August 2021). "Heavy fighting in Kunduz as Taliban close to winning third Afghan capital". The Independent.
  22. "Afghan official: Taliban fighters 'at gates of' northern Kunduz city". TRT World. 21 June 2021.
  23. Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Rahim, Najim (20 June 2021). "Taliban Enter Key Cities in Afghanistan's North After Swift Offensive". The New York Times.
  24. "Fear stalks northern Afghan city as Taliban lay siege". Arab News. 24 June 2021.
  25. Faizi, Fatima; Rahim, Najim (3 June 2021). "Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021". The New York Times.
  26. "24 militants killed in overnight battles in northern Afghanistan - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. 26 June 2021.
  27. "Airstrikes kill 15 militants in Afghanistan as Taliban attempts to capture Kunduz city - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. 5 July 2021.
  28. "Afghan forces evict Taliban militants from around Kunduz city: police - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. 23 July 2021.
  29. 1 2 "Taliban Capture Large Parts of Kunduz, 2 Other Provincial Capitals". VOA. 7 August 2021.
  30. George, Susannah (8 August 2021). "Pace of Taliban advance quickens as militants overrun three major cities in a single day". Washington Post.
  31. Trofimov, Yaroslav (8 August 2021). "In Fallen Afghan City, Fires, Airstrikes and Victorious Taliban Taking Selfies". Wall Street Journal.
  32. Goldbaum, Christina; Rahim, Najim; Hassan, Sharif; Gibbons-Neff, Thomas (8 August 2021). "The Taliban fly their flag in Kunduz as exhausted Afghan troops regroup". The New York Times.
  33. "Govt Criticized for Fall of Strategic Areas in North". TOLOnews. 8 August 2021.