Battle of Lashkargah

Last updated

Battle of Lashkargah
Part of the 2021 Taliban offensive
Date29 July – 13 August 2021
(2 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Lashkargah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan
31°34′59″N64°22′9″E / 31.58306°N 64.36917°E / 31.58306; 64.36917
Result Taliban victory
Belligerents
Flag of the Taliban.svg  Taliban Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg  Afghanistan
Flag of the United States.svg United States
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the Taliban.svg Abdul-Ahad Talib [1]
(Taliban commander)
Flag of the Taliban.svg Mawlawi Mubarak   † [2]
(Red Group commander)		 Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg Sami Sadat [3]
(Commander of 215th 'Maiwand' Corps)
Flag of Afghanistan (2004-2021).svg Ezzatullah Tofan [4]
(Border soldiers commander)
Units involved
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
5,000+ casualties [6] (Afghan government claim, denied by Taliban) [7] Unknown casualties
1,500 surrendered [8]
Civilian casualties: 104+ killed, 403+ injured [9]
Afghanistan adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
class=notpageimage|
Location within Afghanistan

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. [5] 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. [10] More than 40 civilians were also killed in the fortnight-long fighting.

Contents

Background

Lashkargah, the capital of Helmand Province, was previously attacked by the Taliban in October 2020. [11] According to the governor, their attack had been repulsed. [12] Clashes occurred around the city in May 2021. [13] [14] In the weeks leading up to early June, the Taliban conducted several attacks on Lashkargah, mostly around districts 10 and 3 in the city. Those districts briefly fell to the Taliban. [15]

In the weeks before the assault on Lashkargah, the local police forces had mostly deserted their posts. As a result, the defense of an area was mostly carried by local, ill-equipped border soldiers. They were mainly motivated by loyalty to their commanding officer Captain Ezzatullah Tofan, instead of allegiance to the central government. [4]

By 22 July government forces were pulling troops from Majrah District and Garmsir District to reinforce Lashkargah, hastening the fall of those districts to the Taliban. [16]

Battle

The Taliban attacked the city from several directions on 29 July 2021. [17] Around then, the fighting started in Lashkargah, [18] [19] although fighting had been ongoing around it for several weeks. [20] Clashes occurred in the first and seventh district, with government forces holding the ninth. Government reinforcements arrived on 31 July. [21] Taliban and security forces battled near the governor's residence, police headquarters, and NDS headquarters. [22] On August 2 the Taliban captured the government TV building in Lashkargah. Only one district of the city remained in government control and only Kajaki District was under government control out of all the province's districts. [18]

On 3 August, Major General Sami Sadat warned the citizens of Lashkar Gah to leave their homes before the ANA began clearing operations. [23] On August 4 the Taliban advanced to the guard posts of the police headquarters. The Government deployed more soldiers, including commandos. [24] Later that day, the clearance operation began. The Taliban had been contesting the governor's building, police headquarters, prison, and NDS headquarters. [19] Two days later, an airstrike in Lashkargah killed Mawlawi Mubarak, a commander of the Taliban Red Group elite unit. By this point, the Taliban had seized nine districts. [2] On 9 August, the main fighting was in districts one and two. The Government said its forces had cleared the Taliban from these areas. [25]

The Taliban captured the police headquarters on 12 August after a suicide car bombing the previous day. [26] This had been a crucial choke-point. [27] [28] Government security forces retreated to the governor's residence nearby, [29] [30] from where the remaining government forces evacuated by helicopter to Camp Shorabak or surrendered during the night to 13 August, leaving the Taliban in control of the city. [10] [31]

Impact

Between 9 July and 10 August, 183 civilians were killed and 1,181 injured in Lashkargah, Kandahar, Herat, and Kunduz. [32] 40 civilians had been killed on 3 August. [20] The Emergency Surgical Center inside the city was at 90% capacity on 1 August. [33] The capture of the city was likely a significant morale boost to the Taliban, and a source of income with the province's poppy fields. [34]

See also

2021 Taliban offensive

Related Research Articles

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

Helmand, also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering 58,584 square kilometres (20,000 sq mi) area. The province contains 18 districts, encompassing over 1,000 villages, and roughly 1,446,230 settled people. Lashkargah serves as the provincial capital. Helmand was part of the Greater Kandahar region until made into a separate province by the Afghan government in the 20th century.

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

Lashkargāh, historically called Bost or Boost, is a city in southwestern Afghanistan and the capital of Helmand Province. It is located in Lashkargah District, where the Arghandab River merges into the Helmand River. The city has a population of 201,546 as of 2006. Lashkargah is linked by major roads with Kandahar to the east, Zaranj on the border with Iran to the west, and Farah and Herat to the north-west. It is mostly very arid and desolate. However, farming does exist around the Helmand and Arghandab rivers. Bost Airport is located on the east bank of the Helmand River, five miles north of the junction of the Helmand and Arghandab rivers. Because of the trading hubs, it is Afghanistan's second largest city in size, after Kabul and before Kandahar.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Mountain Fury</span> Military operation in Afghanistan

Operation Mountain Fury was a NATO-led operation begun on September 16, 2006 as a follow-up operation to Operation Medusa, to clear Taliban insurgents from the eastern provinces of Afghanistan. Another focus of the operation was to enable reconstruction projects such as schools, health-care facilities, and courthouses to take place in the targeted provinces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Directorate of Security</span> Former national intelligence and security service of Afghanistan

The National Directorate of Security was the national intelligence and security service of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The headquarters of the NDS was in Kabul, and it had field offices and training facilities in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan. The NDS was part of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).

<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">Helmand province campaign</span> 2006–2014 ISAF anti-Taliban military operations in southern Afghanistan

The Helmand province campaign was a series of military operations conducted by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces against Taliban insurgents and other local groups in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Their objective was to control a province that was known to be a Taliban stronghold, and a center of opium production. None of the ISAF's intended strategic and political objectives were achieved in the long term.

The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Afghanistan.

The following lists events that happened during 2016 in Afghanistan.

Events in the year 2017 in Afghanistan.

The town of Sangin, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, was captured by the Taliban on 23 March 2017. For two months, the Taliban had launched fresh attacks in trying to recapture the town.

Events in the year 2018 in Afghanistan.

Events from the year 2019 in Afghanistan.

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

The year 2021 in Afghanistan was marked by a major offensive from the Taliban beginning in May and the Taliban capturing Kabul in August.

<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 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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kandahar (2021)</span> 2021 conflict in Kandahar

The Battle of Kandahar began on 9 July 2021, as Taliban insurgents assaulted the city to capture it from the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). After heavy fighting for weeks the city's defenses had started to dissolve in August. This allowed the Taliban to enter and overrun most of the city on 12 August 2021, including the Sarposa prison, which included the release of over 1,000 prisoners, and ultimately the capture of the city. However, the siege for the nearby airport continued, where government loyalists held out until being evacuated on 16 August.

<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 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 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.

References

  1. ↑ Moiz, Ibrahim (5 October 2021). "How the Afghan Taliban achieved their takeover of Afghanistan". The Express Tribune.
  2. 1 2 3 "Key Taliban commander among 40 dead in Afghanistan". lokmat. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  3. ↑ Sadat, Sami (25 August 2021). "I Commanded Afghan Troops This Year. We Were Betrayed". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Abed, Fahim; Hassan, Sharif (13 August 2021). "The Afghan Military Was Built Over 20 Years. How Did It Collapse So Quickly?". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  5. 1 2 Seldin, Jeff (10 August 2021). "Pentagon: US Airstrikes in Afghanistan 'Having an Effect' on Taliban | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  6. ↑ https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/08/31/we_will_fight_the_taliban_again_1055376.html
  7. ↑ AKHGAR, TAMEEM (4 August 2021). "Airstrikes pummel Taliban positions in southern Afghanistan". AP NEWS.
  8. ↑ Bunkall, Alistair (14 August 2021). "Afghanistan: Taliban fighters take southern city of Lashkar Gah following capture of Kandahar and Herat2". Sky News. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  9. ↑ George, Susannah (8 August 2021). "Pace of Taliban advance quickens as militants overrun three major cities in a single day". Washington Post.
  10. 1 2 Birsel, Robert (13 August 2021). "Taliban capture Afghanistan's Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand - police official". Reuters. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  11. ↑ Qazi, Shereena (19 October 2020). "As violence flares in south Afghanistan, key questions answered". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  12. ↑ Nikzad, Khalid (23 October 2020). "Taliban Plan to Overrun Lashkargah Foiled: Governor". TOLOnews. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  13. ↑ Hamim, Abdullah (5 May 2021). "1,000 Families Displaced in Fighting Around Lashkargah: Officials". TOLOnews. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  14. ↑ "Afghan war enters more brutal phase as U.S. troops begin pullout". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  15. ↑ "Nearly 700 attacks launched on Afghanistan's Lashkargah in 3 weeks: Army Commander". ANI News. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  16. ↑ Shaheed, Anisa (22 July 2021). "Fighting Reported in Multiple Areas, 19 Soldiers Killed". TOLOnews. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  17. ↑ "Fighting rages for key Afghan cities as Taliban blamed for attack on UN". The National. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  18. 1 2 Nikzad, Khaled (2 August 2021). "Fighting in Helmand's Capital Lashkargah Continues for 5th Day". TOLOnews. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  19. 1 2 "Afghan Forces Launch Major Operation in Helmand's Lashkargah". TOLOnews. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  20. 1 2 "Afghanistan war: Bodies on the streets as fighting traps Lashkar Gah residents". BBC News. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  21. ↑ Lister, Tim (1 August 2021). "Taliban threaten to seize first provincial capital as fighting intensifies across Afghanistan". CNN. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  22. ↑ Nikzad, Khaled (1 August 2021). "Fighting Continues in Key Areas of Lashkargah for 2nd Day". TOLOnews. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  23. ↑ "Afghan forces order civilians to leave city under Taliban siege". Al Jazeera. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  24. ↑ "After 7 Days, Heavy Clashes Still Ongoing in Helmand's Capital". TOLOnews. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  25. ↑ "Afghanistan: Clashes claim 20 civilians life, health clinic, school in Helmand destroyed". ANI News. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  26. ↑ Beaumont, Peter (12 August 2021). "Taliban tighten grip on approaches to Kabul in Afghanistan offensive". the Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  27. ↑ "After lengthy siege, Lashkar Gah is taken by the Taliban | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  28. ↑ "How the Taliban stormed across Afghanistan in ten days". BBC News. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  29. ↑ "Afghanistan: Taliban take 10th provincial capital as Ghazni falls". BBC News. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  30. ↑ Akhgar, Tameem; Faiez, Rahim; Gambrell, Jon (12 August 2021). "Taliban take Afghanistan's third-largest city in onslaught". AP NEWS. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  31. ↑ Nikzad, Khaled (13 August 2021). "Kandahar, Helmand and Zabul Also Fall to Taliban". TOLOnews. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  32. ↑ "UN Seeks Action to Prevent 'Calamitous Consequences' for Afghans". TOLOnews. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  33. ↑ "Afghanistan: Fighting Reaches the City Of Lashkar-Gah. | EMERGENCY UK". 1 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  34. ↑ "Afghan Fighting Rages as US and UK Accuse Taliban of Massacring Civilians". The Defense Post. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.