Overview
Also Known As:
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Executive Summary:
The Taliban (Pashto for “students”) are the predominant umbrella group for the Afghan insurgency, including the semi-autonomous Haqqani network. (The Taliban’s offspring across the border, the Pakistani Taliban, share the ideology and objectives of its namesake but operate independently and focus on overthrowing the Pakistani government.) January 2018 estimates by Afghan and U.S. officials gauged that the Taliban included at least 60,000 fighters, up from 2014 U.S. estimates of 20,000 fighters.Courtney Kube, “The Taliban is gaining strength and territory in Afghanistan,” NBC News, January 30, 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/numbers-afghanistan-are-not-good-n842651. These forces have allowed the Taliban to remain a credible fighting force with the ability to win and hold territory. According to a U.N. report released in September 2015, the Taliban had reclaimed more territory in Afghanistan by that time than at any point since the 2001 U.S.-led coalition invaded in response to the September 11 attacks.Rod Nordland and Joseph Goldstein, “Afghan Taliban’s Reach Is Widest since 2001, U.N. Says,” CNBC, October 11, 2015, http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/11/new-york-times-digital-afghan-talibanas-reach-is-widest-since-2001-un-says.html. By September 2017, the Taliban reportedly controlled or contested up to 45 percent of Afghanistan.Bill Roggio and Alexandra Gutowski, “LWJ Map Assessment: Taliban controls or contests 45% of Afghan districts,” Long War Journal, September 26, 2017, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/09/lwj-map-assessment-taliban-controls-or-contests-45-of-afghan-districts.php. According to an October 2018 report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction’s (SIGAR), the Taliban controlled more territory in Afghanistan than it had at any other point since 2001. SIGAR reported that the Afghan government controlled or influenced just 55.5 percent of the country, the lowest level reported since 2015 when the government controlled 72 percent.“Quarterly Report to the United States Congress,” Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, October 30, 2018, https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2018-10-30qr.pdf; Kara Fox, “Taliban control more territory in Afghanistan than at any point since 2001, US inspector says,” CNN, November 1, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/01/middleeast/afghanistan-report-taliban-gains-control-intl/index.html.
Afghan security forces have suffered immense casualties throughout the war. In an interview on December 4, 2018, U.S. Central Command commander, Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, stated that Afghan “losses are not going to be sustainable.”Idrees Ali, “Afghan security forces' deaths unsustainable: U.S. military official,” Reuters, December 4, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-military/afghan-security-forces-deaths-unsustainable-us-military-official-idUSKBN1O32CS. In January 2019, Afghan President Asraf Ghani claimed that 45,000 Afghan security personnel had been killed since 2014, nearly double that of previous estimates.“Afghanistan's Ghani says 45,000 security personnel killed since 2014,” BBC News, January 25, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47005558. Later that month, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilizad met with representatives of the Taliban in Doha, Qatar for six days of negotiations around a “comprehensive ceasefire” that would be the first step in an overall negotiated peace.Ehsan Popalzai and Kara Fox, “US-Taliban peace talks in Doha a 'significant step',” CNN, January 26, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/27/asia/us-taliban-afghan-peace-talks-doha-intl/index.html. On January 28, 2019, the U.S. government and Taliban reportedly agreed to a framework for a peace agreement to end the war in Afghanistan that would include the Taliban preventing “Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals” in return for a U.S. military withdrawal.Kylie Atwood and Nic Roberston, “US and Taliban agree in principle to framework for peace deal, US envoy says,” CNN, January 28, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/28/politics/us-taliban-peace-negotiations-intl/index.html. The Taliban delegation then met with Afghan politicians on February 4 in Moscow, Russia, where the two parties discussed a broad plan for ending the war.Andrew Higgins and Mujib Mashal, “Taliban Peace Talks in Moscow End With Hope the U.S. Exits, if Not Too Quickly,” New York Times, February 6, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/world/asia/taliban-afghanistan-peace-talks-moscow.html?module=inline.
The Taliban’s current leader, announced in May 2016, is Haibatullah Akhundzada.Shereena Qazi, “Afghan Taliban: Haibatullah Akhunzada Named New Leader,” Al Jazeera, May 25, 2016, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/afghan-taliban-haibatullah-akhunzada-leader-160525045301080.html;
“Profile: New Taliban Chief Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada,” BBC News, May 26, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36377008;
Mushtaq Yusufzai, Fazul Rahim, and Wajahat S. Khan, “ Haibatullah Akhundzada Named New Leader of Afghan Taliban,” NBC News, May 25, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/taliban-confirm-death-leader-u-s-strike-announce-replacement-n579921;
Sune Engel Rasmussen and Jon Boone, “Afghan Taliban appoint Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada as new leader,” Guardian (London), May 25, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/25/taliban-new-leader-death-confirm-mullah-mansoor-haibatullah-akhundzada. The Taliban were founded in 1994 by Mullah Mohammed Omar in Kandahar to impose a puritanical Islamic order on Afghanistan. The Taliban’s roots can be traced to the Pakistani-trained mujahideen who fought against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The predominantly Pashtun tribesmen that comprised the Taliban quickly consolidated power by force throughout Afghanistan and, in 1996, seized control of the capital, Kabul. The “Emirate of Afghanistan,” as the Taliban refer to their domain, was born. With generous financial support from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, especially the latter’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, the Taliban enforced a strict code of sharia (Islamic law) and harbored al-Qaeda and other jihadist organizations. The Taliban-run government in Afghanistan was recognized by only three countries: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
While the Taliban hosted al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden’s group ran training camps and planned and executed numerous terrorist attacks, including the multiple airplane hijackings and strikes against the United States on September 11, 2001. In the aftermath of 9/11, the Taliban rejected a U.S. ultimatum to turn over bin Laden and kick out al-Qaeda. In response, the U.S. and allied countries invaded Afghanistan and swiftly deposed the Taliban government.
Since being driven out of Kabul, the Taliban have operated as an insurgent force in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, attempting to expel NATO forces from Afghanistan and defeat the democratically elected Afghan government. Attacks on Afghanistan’s security forces have increased as Western forces have begun to withdraw from the country in recent years. As government authority has weakened, Taliban forces have filled the vacuum. By December 2015, vast swathes of Helmand Province had fallen to the Taliban. U.S. Special Operations forces responded by taking aggressive steps to halt this advance.David Jolly and Taimoor Shahdec, “Afghan Province, Teetering to the Taliban, Draws In Extra U.S. Forces,” New York Times, December 13, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/14/world/asia/afghan-province-teetering-to-the-taliban-draws-in-extra-us-forces.html. One year later, according to the Pentagon, the Taliban retained control of less than 10 percent of the Afghan population, while another roughly 26 percent remained contested.Jamie McIntyre, “US general Says Afghan forces ‘Prevailing’ in Fight against Taliban,” Washington Examiner, December 2, 2016, http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/us-general-says-afghan-forces-prevailing-in-fight-against-taliban/article/2608731. As of October 2018, though, the Afghan government controlled or influenced just 55.5 percent of the country.“Quarterly Report to the United States Congress,” Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, October 30, 2018, https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2018-10-30qr.pdf; Kara Fox, “Taliban control more territory in Afghanistan than at any point since 2001, US inspector says,” CNN, November 1, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/01/middleeast/afghanistan-report-taliban-gains-control-intl/index.html. On February 29, 2020, U.S. and Taliban representatives meeting in Doha, Qatar, signed an agreement for a staggered U.S. troop withdrawal in exchange for a Taliban commitment to prevent terror groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS from using Afghanistan as a base from which to plot against the United States. The Taliban also agreed to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with other Afghan militants and the Afghan government.Asad Hashim, “Pakistan warns US of ‘spoilers’ on US-Taliban deal in Afghanistan,” Al Jazeera, March 1, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/pakistan-warns-spoilers-taliban-deal-afghanistan-200302093650382.html; Matthew Lee and Kathy Gannon, “US and Taliban sign deal aimed at ending war in Afghanistan,” Associated Press, February 29, 2020, https://apnews.com/491544713df4879f399d0ff5523d369e; “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban and the United States of America,” U.S. Department of State, February 29, 2020, https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Agreement-For-Bringing-Peace-to-Afghanistan-02.29.20.pdf. The Afghan government voiced immediate objections a clause calling for a prisoner swap with the Taliban as a precondition for negotiations.“Susannah George and Dan Lamothe, “Afghan government objects to elements of U.S.-Taliban peace deal,” Washington Post, March 1, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghan-government-questions-aspects-of-us-taliban-peace-deal/2020/03/01/0a973228-5a68-11ea-8efd-0f904bdd8057_story.html.
The Taliban’s wing in Pakistan has repeatedly attacked the Pakistani government and the country’s civilians. Such attacks include the October 2012 shooting of 15-year-old education activist Malala Yousafzai as well as the December 2014 massacre of 132 children at an army-run school in Peshawar. On January 20, 2016, the Taliban claimed responsibility for two attacks that together claimed over 20 lives: one targeting a university near Peshawar, and the other on a news crew in Kabul.David Jolly and Jawad Sukhanyar, “Taliban Suicide Bomber Strikes Packed Bus in Kabul,” New York Times, January 20, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/world/asia/afghanistan-kabul-suicide-bombing.html?mcubz=0&_r=0;
Declan Walsh, Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud, and Ismail Khan, “Taliban Attack at Bacha Khan University in Pakistan Renews Fears,” New York Times, January 20, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/world/asia/bacha-khan-university-attack-charsadda.html?mcubz=0. In August 2016, the Taliban forged a ceasefire with ISIS after more than a year of intense combat between the radical Islamist groups.Jessica Donati and Habib Khan Totakhil, “Taliban, Islamic State Forge Informal Alliance in Eastern Afghanistan,” Wall Street Journal, August 7, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/taliban-islamic-state-forge-informal-alliance-in-eastern-afghanistan-1470611849.
Senior American generals have accused Russia of arming the Taliban. General Curtis Scaparrotti, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and the commander of U.S. European Command, warned in March 2017 that “I've seen the influence of Russia of late—increased influence in terms of association and perhaps even supply to the Taliban.”Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali, “Russia May Be Helping Supply Taliban Insurgents: U.S. General,” Reuters, March 23, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-russia-idUSKBN16U234. Likewise, the top American commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, said in April 2017 that Russia is providing weapons to the Taliban.“U.S. General Suggests Russia Arming Taliban,” Associated Press, April 24, 2017, https://apnews.com/75ea46b808e7448ebf3b54a681243011/The-Latest:-US-general-suggests-Russia-arming-Taliban. Taliban officials claim that the group has had prominent contacts with Russia since at least 2007, but that Russia’s role with respect to the Taliban does not go beyond “moral and political support.”Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali, “Russia May Be Helping Supply Taliban Insurgents: U.S. General,” Reuters, March 23, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-russia-idUSKBN16U234. Russia denies that it is aiding the Taliban, claiming that Moscow is simply trying to get the group to engage in diplomatic negotiations.Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali, “Russia May Be Helping Supply Taliban Insurgents: U.S. General,” Reuters, March 23, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-russia-idUSKBN16U234.
In July 2018, U.S. and Taliban officials met to begin discussions on peace talks to end the war in Afghanistan with the understanding that the Taliban and Afghan government should lead the process.Jessica Donati and Dion Nissenbaum, “U.S. Envoy, Taliban Officials Meet to Discuss Afghan Peace Talks,” Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-envoy-taliban-officials-meet-to-discuss-afghan-peace-talks-1532547118?mod=article_inline. The Qatari government agreed to mediate between the Taliban and the Afghan government. By April 2019, the United States and Taliban had reached a framework agreement that included a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, but talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government had stalled.Craig Nelson and Ehsanullah Amiri, “Afghan Peace Talks Abruptly Stall Over Guest List to Doha Meeting,” Wall Street Journal, April 18, 2019, https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghan-peace-talks-stall-after-taliban-objects-to-guest-list-11555572767. Beginning in April 2019, Doha hosted a series of talks between U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and top Taliban official Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar that have centered on withdrawing thousands of U.S. troops in exchange for the Taliban’s agreement to a ceasefire and their participation in negotiating a larger peace deal directly with the Afghan government.Mujib Mashal, “Afghan Peace Negotiations Show Signs of Progress,” New York Times, July 6, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/06/world/asia/afghanistan-war-withdraw-american-troops-peace.html.; “Tracking Conflict Worldwide,” International Crisis Group, August 2019, https://www.crisisgroup.org/crisiswatch/print?t=Crisiswatch+July+2019.; Fahim Abed, Fatima Faizi and Mujib Mashal, “Violence in Afghanistan Worsens as U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks Plod On,” New York Times, August 7, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/07/world/asia/kabul-afghanistan-bombing-taliban.html.; Mujib Mashal, “As U.S. And Taliban Resume Talks, More Deadly Attacks in Afghanistan,” New York Times, July 29, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/29/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-peace-talks-doha.html.; “Intra-Afghan negotiations to follow US-Taliban deal: Khalilzad,” Al Jazeera, July 28, 2019, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/intra-afghan-negotiations-follow-taliban-deal-khalilzad-190728061121496.html.
In February 2020, U.S. and Taliban negotiators reached a preliminary deal that demanded a reduction in violence from the insurgent camp in exchange for a drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The United States agreed to draw its forces down from 13,000 to 8,600 in the next three to four months, with the remaining U.S. forces withdrawing in 14 months. In exchange, the Taliban agreed to renounce al-Qaeda and prevent al-Qaeda and other groups from using Afghanistan as a base for terrorism against the United States. The Taliban also agreed to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with other Afghan militants and the Afghan government. The U.S. troop drawdown is dependent on the Taliban maintaining its commitments. The agreement also called for permanent ceasefire and power-sharing talks that March between Afghan militant groups as well as between the Taliban and the Afghan government.Mujib Mashal, “Taliban and U.S. Strike Deal to Withdraw American Troops From Afghanistan,” New York Times, February 29, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/29/world/asia/us-taliban-deal.html.
Although the Taliban have not attacked U.S. and NATO troops since the signing of the agreement, the Taliban have instead continued to direct their attacks toward Afghan security forces.Rahim Faiez, “Afghan officials: Taliban attacks on checkpoints kill 29,” Associated Press, April 20, 2020, https://apnews.com/273a7ea4166e47f8f7a6824e584013d9. On April 30, 2020, the U.S. Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) released a quarterly assessment that called Taliban attacks in March “above seasonal norms.”Courtney Kube, “Watchdog: NATO won't release Taliban attack totals while U.S. negotiates Afghan peace deal,” NBC News, May 1, 2020, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/watchdog-nato-won-t-release-taliban-attack-totals-while-u-n1197006. NATO’s Resolute Support mission noted that the Taliban had refrained from targeting coalition forces but had increased attacks on Afghan forces. The Afghan National Security Council found that the Taliban had carried out an average of 55 attacks per day since March 1. According to the council, the Taliban has continued its “campaign of terror against Afghans” and done nothing for peace.Sharif Hassan and Susannah George, “Taliban attacks in Afghanistan surge after U.S. peace deal, inflicting heavy casualties,” Washington Post, May 1, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/taliban-attacks-in-afghanistan-surge-after-us-peace-deal-inflicting-heavy-casualties/2020/04/30/1362fb40-88c0-11ea-80df-d24b35a568ae_story.html. On May 3, U.S. military officials warned the Taliban would face consequences if it did not cease its attacks.Zack Budryk, “Pentagon warns Taliban of 'responses' if violence continues,” Hill, May 3, 2020, https://thehill.com/policy/defense/495882-pentagon-warns-taliban-of-responses-if-violence-continues. The Afghan government initially objected to clauses within the U.S.-Taliban agreement calling for prisoner exchanges as a precondition to negotiations with the Taliban.Susannah George and Dan Lamothe, “Afghan government objects to elements of U.S.-Taliban peace deal,” Washington Post, March 1, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghan-government-questions-aspects-of-us-taliban-peace-deal/2020/03/01/0a973228-5a68-11ea-8efd-0f904bdd8057_story.html. Despite these objections and continued violence, as of early May 2020, the Afghan government had released 933 Taliban prisoners in exchange for dozens of captive Afghan security personnel.Agence France-Presse, “Over 900 Taliban Fighters Freed So Far In Afghan Prisoner Swap,” Barron’s, May 7, 2020, https://www.barrons.com/news/over-900-taliban-fighters-freed-so-far-in-afghan-prisoner-swap-01588862405.
Doctrine:
The Taliban are an Islamist movement that seeks to establish a caliphate under sharia (Islamic law). Islamists of this mold embrace Salafism, an austere and radical interpretation of Islam, holding that Muslims should emulate the actions of the first generation of Muslim leaders, who are known as the righteous. The Taliban repudiate more than 1,000 years of Islamic jurisprudence and instead impose a strict code of Islamic law.Michael Semple, Rhetoric, Ideology and Organizational Structure of the Taliban Movement (Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace, 2014), http://www.usip.org/publications/rhetoric-ideology-and-organizational-structure-of-the-taliban-movement. Under Taliban rule, a religious police force was officially established under the guise of “the Ministry for the Suppression of Vice and the Promotion of Virtue.”Ahmed Rashid, Taliban (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 90.
This fundamentalist ideology was evident in the name they adopted. They called themselves Taliban (students) and embraced the strict Deobandi interpretation of the faith.Ahmed Rashid, Taliban (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 88. This school was a branch of Sunni Hanafi Islam that developed in the late nineteenth century in the madrassas (religious schools) of British India.“Deobandis,” Oxford Islamic Studies Online, accessed May 1, 2015, http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e522?_hi=1&_pos=2. The Deobandis emphasized Islamic learning, and aimed to raise a new generation of pious Muslims who would learn the Quran as well as the lived experience of Islam’s prophet Muhammad. The Deobandis’ vision consigned women and Shiite Muslims to the margins of society, and flattened all forms of hierarchy in the ummah (community of believers).Ahmed Rashid, Taliban (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 88.
The Taliban’s fundamentalist ideology is overlaid with a strong Pashtun tribal affiliation. In addition to stoking rivalries between Afghanistan’s non-Pashtun ethnic groups, the Taliban’s tribal emphasis on being a good host dictated that it maintain good relations with al-Qaeda despite doctrinal disputes.Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower (New York: Vintage Books, 2006), 325. One of the fiercest disputes between the Taliban and al-Qaeda regarded the Saudi royal family, which simultaneously opposed al-Qaeda’s brand of radicalism while financing the madrassas (Muslim schools) in Pakistan that helped foster and maintain the Taliban’s influence.Emran Qureshi, “Taliban,” Oxford Islamic Studies Online, accessed May 8, 2015, http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t236/e08954.
After seizing power in Kabul in 1996, the Taliban announced its aims to impose order, disarm the Afghan population (especially rival ethnic groups), enforce sharia, and defend the Islamic character of the “Emirate of Afghanistan.”Ahmed Rashid, Taliban (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 22. The Taliban banned most sporting events and forms of entertainment, from poetry and music to kites. They closed all girls’ schools and prohibited women from appearing in public except under strict supervision by a male relative. Even when women were in their respective homes, the windows were painted black to prevent passersby from glimpsing women in their private quarters.Ahmed Rashid, Taliban (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 90.
The Taliban promotes jihad as a “divine obligation,” while failure to support jihad is a sin, according to a June 2017 propaganda video.Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss, “Taliban promotes 4 previously unidentified training camps in Afghanistan,” Long War Journal, June 26, 2017, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/06/taliban-promotes-4-previously-unidentified-training-camps-in-afghanistan.php. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has particularly encouraged jihad during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as the heavenly reward is multiplied during that time.Bill Roggio, “Jihad during Ramadan is ‘obligatory,’ Taliban spokesman says,” Long War Journal, May 30, 2017, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/05/jihad-during-ramadan-is-obligatory-taliban-spokesman-says.php.
Since the rise of ISIS, the Taliban have emphasized preserving pan-Islamic unity. Following al-Qaeda’s example, the Taliban have advised ISIS to “avoid extremism” that risks splintering the violent Islamist movement across the broader Middle East.Greg Pollowitz, “The Taliban Warns ISIS of Being Too Extreme,” National Review, July 13, 2014, http://www.nationalreview.com/feed/382615/taliban-warns-isis-being-too-extreme-greg-pollowitz. Mullah Omar in particular reaffirmed the Taliban’s priority of establishing a unified Islamist movement to expel the “far enemy” (the Western powers). Omar referred to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as a “fake caliph,” asserting, “Baghdadi just wanted to dominate what has so far been achieved by the real jihadists of Islam after three decades of jihad. A pledge of allegiance to him is ‘haram.’”“Taliban leader: allegiance to ISIS ‘haram,’” Rudaw, April 13, 2015, http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/130420151. Despite these warnings, hundreds of Taliban members have joined ISIS’s Pakistani branch.Mushtaq Yusufzai, “ISIS in Pakistan and Afghanistan: Taliban Fighters Sign up, Commanders Say,” NBC News, January 31, 2015, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/isis-pakistan-afghanistan-taliban-fighters-sign-commanders-say-n296707.
Organizational Structure:
For most of their existence, the Taliban were led by their founder, Mullah Mohammed Omar, a.k.a. the Emir ul-Momineen (commander of the faithful). In July 2015, an Afghan government spokesman reported that Omar had died in April 2013. The Taliban confirmed the leader’s death, and reportedly appointed Deputy Emir Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour as Omar’s successor. On May 25, 2016, four days after Mansour was killed in a U.S. drone strike, the Taliban’s senior leadership announced that Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada would succeed Mansour as emir of the Taliban.Mujib Mashal and Taimoor Shah, “Taliban’s New Leader, More Scholar Than Fighter, Is Slow to Impose Himself,” New York Times, July 11, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/12/world/asia/taliban-afghanistan-pakistan-mawlawi-haibatullah-akhundzada.html?ref=asia&smid=tw-nytimesworld&smtyp=cur.
As the emir of the Taliban, Akhundzada is responsible for overseeing the courts and judges.Abubakar Siddique, “The Quetta Shura: Understanding the Afghan Taliban’s Leadership,” Terrorism Monitor 12, no. 4 (February 21, 2014), http://www.jamestown.org/programs/tm/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=42006&cHash=7af7678306a23ff6734f35e261b15b90#.VTVCgyHBzGc. He also oversees the 11 Taliban commissions, which deal with the military, politics, culture, economics, health, education, outreach and guidance, prisoners, non-governmental organizations, martyrs and disabled persons, and civilian casualties.“Fifth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted pursuant to resolution 2160 (2014) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan,” United Nations Security Council, December 11, 2014, http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2014/888. In August 2016, Maulvi Ibrahim Sadar was appointed the military commander of the Taliban.Kathy Gannon, “Taliban Appoint Military Chief As The New Leader Settles In,” Associated Press, August 30, 2016, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fd49b393c9fc4f2a9aa988382f3af3cf/taliban-appoints-new-military-chief-new-leader-settles.
The group’s ruling council, called the Quetta Shura, is responsible for much of the Taliban’s operations in southern and western Afghanistan.Abubakar Siddique, “The Quetta Shura: Understanding the Afghan Taliban’s Leadership,” Terrorism Monitor 12, no. 4 (February 21, 2014), http://www.jamestown.org/programs/tm/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=42006&cHash=7af7678306a23ff6734f35e261b15b90#.VTVCgyHBzGc;
Jeffrey A. Dressler, “Securing Helmand,” Institute for the Study of War, September 2009, http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/SecuringHelmandPDF.pdf. The Shura consists of an estimated 23 to 46 members. It was founded in the winter of 2002, when Omar allegedly relocated the Taliban organization to Quetta, Pakistan.Jeffrey A. Dressler, “Securing Helmand,” Institute for the Study of War, September 2009, http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/SecuringHelmandPDF.pdf. In November 2016, the Shura reportedly relocated to Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province.Haider Ali Sindhu, “Taliban’s Infamous ‘Quetta Shura’ Has Been Relocated to Afghanistan to Establish ‘Permenant Residence,’” Daily Pakistan, November 28, 2016, https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/talibans-infamous-quetta-shura-has-been-relocated-to-afghanistan-to-establish-permenant-residence/.
Below the emir sits the deputy emir, reported to be Sirajuddin Haqqani.Ahmad Murid Partaw, “The Haqqanization of the Afghan Taliban,” Foreign Policy Journal, July 15, 2016, http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/07/15/the-haqqanization-of-the-afghan-taliban/. The deputy emir oversees the leadership and consultative councils, responsible for determining the “political and military affairs of the Emirate,” according to the United Nations.“Fifth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted pursuant to resolution 2160 (2014) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan,” United Nations Security Council, December 11, 2014, http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2014/888. Below the councils sit the judges, who reportedly run courts inside Afghanistan at the supreme, provincial, and district levels.“Fifth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted pursuant to resolution 2160 (2014) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan,” United Nations Security Council, December 11, 2014, http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2014/888.
According to a report by General Stanley McChrystal, former commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the Quetta Shura reportedly appoints a simulated government structure for Afghanistan, assigning “shadow” governors to many Afghan provinces and reviewing the performance of each governor.Thomas Joscelyn, “The Taliban’s shadow government,” Long War Journal, September 24, 2009, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/09/the_talibans_shadow_government.php. In 2009, the Shura established a committee to receive complaints about the governors from Afghani locals. The Shura “[installs] ‘shari’a’ courts to deliver swift and enforced justice in contested and controlled areas. [It levies] taxes and [conscripts] fighters and laborers.” It claims “to provide security against a corrupt government, ISAF forces, criminality, and local power brokers [and] to protect Afghan and Muslim identity against foreign encroachment.”Thomas Joscelyn, “The Taliban’s shadow government,” Long War Journal, September 24, 2009, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/09/the_talibans_shadow_government.php.
According to a 2009 Institute for the Study of War report, “[the Quetta Shura continues] to refer to [itself] as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, despite being removed from power in 2001…the Taliban see themselves as the legitimate government of Afghanistan and aim to extend their control over the entirety of the country.”
While the Quetta Shura runs the Taliban’s insurgency in southern and western Afghanistan, a Taliban military commission in Peshawar, Pakistan, reportedly directs the insurgency in Afghanistan’s north and east. The Peshawar military commission reportedly oversees a total of 20 provinces divided into six command zones, one of which falls under the Haqqani network’s purview.“The Taliban,” Council on Foreign Relations, accessed April 13, 2015, http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/taliban/p35985?cid=marketing_use-taliban_infoguide-012115#!/.
In January 2017, Reuters reported that Akhundzada had recently replaced Taliban shadow governors in 16 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces and appointed eight additional provincial-level officials as part of an effort “to consolidate his influence over the insurgency.” One of the shadow-gubernatorial appointments, Baz Mohammad for Wardak province, was viewed as particularly significant for Akhundzada’s position because Mohammad had been in a splinter group that had rebelled against former Taliban leader Mansour.Sami Yusufzai and Jibran Ahmad, “Afghan Taliban’s New Chief Replaces 24 ‘Shadow’ Officials,” Reuters, January 27, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban-idUSKBN15B1PN?il=0.
The Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has extensive links to the Taliban, but it remains a distinct organization with its own objectives. TTP distinguishes itself from the Taliban in its primary objective, which is to overthrow the Pakistani state and inaugurate an Islamic state. It is less an organized force than a loose coalition of tribes sympathetic to the broad mission of the Taliban but driven by its own local concerns.Ben Brumfield, “Who are the Pakistani Taliban?,” CNN, December 17, 2014, http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/17/world/asia/pakistan-taliban-explainer/.
Financing:
As of December 2017, the U.S. military estimated the Taliban budget to be between $300 million and $500 million a year. Approximately $200 million (60 percent) of that budget is derived from the illegal narcotics trade.Carla Babb, “In Afghanistan, US Destroys $80M in Drug Money During Counter-Taliban Campaign,” Voice of America, December 12, 2017, https://www.voanews.com/a/afghanistan-us-destroys-millions-drug-money-counter-taliban-airstrikes/4160917.html.
In its early years, the Taliban received substantial financial support from the governments of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The Taliban has also generated much of its revenues from opium production.Ahmed Rashid, Taliban (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 226. While both the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban accrue funds from narcotics, they also profit from foreign donations, illegal gem mining, lumber trade, kidnapping, and extortion.Eric Schmitt, “Many Sources Feed Taliban’s War Chest,” New York Times, October 18, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/world/asia/19taliban.html;
Matthew Rosenberg, “Taliban Run Into Trouble on Battlefield, but Money Flows Just the Same,” New York Times, June 13, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/14/world/asia/for-the-taliban-modest-success-in-battle-but-opium-trade-and-illicit-businesses-boom.html. A 2012 U.N. report estimated that the Taliban collected $400 million in 2011 through extortion, taxes, and drugs. According to that report, the Taliban leadership received $275 million while the rest was misappropriated or spent on local levels.Michelle Nichols, “Taliban raked in $400 million from diverse sources: U.N,” Reuters, September 11, 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-un-taliban/taliban-raked-in-400-million-from-diverse-sources-u-n-idUSBRE88A13Y20120911.
The Taliban reportedly raked in record profits in 2013, with fighters earning so much that they have had no incentive to quit the insurgency.Matthew Rosenberg, “Taliban Run Into Trouble on Battlefield, but Money Flows Just the Same,” New York Times, June 13, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/14/world/asia/for-the-taliban-modest-success-in-battle-but-opium-trade-and-illicit-businesses-boom.html. In Pakistan, however, Tehrik e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) factions struggling for funds have turned to kidnapping “wealthy businessmen for ransom,” according to a 2014 U.N. report.Louis Charbonneau, “Taliban Changing from Religious Group to Criminal Enterprise: U.N.,” Reuters, June 13, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/14/us-afghanistan-taliban-un-idUSKBN0EP02920140614.
The Taliban use hawala, a trust-based financial transfer system that predates the time of the prophet Muhammad. U.S. officials suspect that the Taliban make monthly payments to their fighters and receive hefty donations through hawala.Matthew Green, “Special Report - Stalking the Taliban in Afghan Currency Markets,” Reuters, December 23, 2012, http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/23/uk-afghanistan-hawala-idUKBRE8BM00320121223.
Drugs and Cigarettes
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has called the Taliban’s drug trade “a very important driver of” the war in Afghanistan. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime estimated in 2016 that the opium trade in Afghanistan doubled to about $3 billion in 2016, and the Taliban has continuously boosted its involvement in the illicit trade. According to Afghan officials, the Taliban has used increased instability in the country to increase the number of its drug refinement labs and move them closer to Afghanistan’s opium fields. U.S. military officials estimated that the Taliban had 400 to 500 drug labs in the country by the end of 2017.Mujib Mashal, “Afghan Taliban Awash in Heroin Cash, a Troubling Turn for War,” New York Times, October 29, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/29/world/asia/opium-heroin-afghanistan-taliban.html.
In 2010, the Pakistani military estimated that the Pakistani Taliban pocketed an average of $200 million every year from Afghan poppy profits.Shahan Mufti, “Funding the Pakistani Taliban,” GlobalPost, May 30, 2010, http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/taliban/funding-the-pakistani-taliban. A 2012 U.N. report estimated that the Taliban earned $100 million from the opium trade in 2011-12.Michelle Nichols, “Taliban raked in $400 million from diverse sources: U.N,” Reuters, September 11, 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-un-taliban/taliban-raked-in-400-million-from-diverse-sources-u-n-idUSBRE88A13Y20120911. According to February 2018 testimony by Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, the Taliban derived 65 percent of its revenue from narcotics. The U.S. Department of Defense estimated in 2018 that the Taliban placed “greater emphasis on narcotics as a primary source of revenue” than in the past.“Quarterly Report to the United States Congress,” Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, October 30, 2018, https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2018-10-30qr.pdf. A December 2017 U.S. airstrike destroyed 25 illegal drug factories in the Helmand province, representing an $80 million loss to Afghan drug lords. The military estimated that approximately $16 million of that amount would have been transferred to the Taliban.Carla Babb, “In Afghanistan, US Destroys $80M in Drug Money During Counter-Taliban Campaign,” Voice of America, December 12, 2017, https://www.voanews.com/a/afghanistan-us-destroys-millions-drug-money-counter-taliban-airstrikes/4160917.html.
David Cohen, then U.S. Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in 2009 that the Taliban profit from every step in opium production. According to Cohen, the Taliban extort “funds from those involved in the heroin trade by demanding ‘protection’ payments from poppy farmers, drug lab operators and the smugglers who transport the chemicals into, and the heroin out of, the country.”Eric Schmitt, “Many Sources Feed Taliban’s War Chest,” New York Times, October 18, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/world/asia/19taliban.html. According to sources in the Afghan government, the Taliban claims one-third of the proceeds stemming from Afghanistan’s illegal-but-lucrative $2 billion heroin trade.Joseph Micallef, “How the Taliban Gets Its Cash,” Huffington Post, November 14, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-v-micallef/how-the-taliban-gets-its_b_8551536.html. The Taliban have denied involvement in the heroin trade.Mujib Mashal, “Afghan Taliban Awash in Heroin Cash, a Troubling Turn for War,” New York Times, October 29, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/29/world/asia/opium-heroin-afghanistan-taliban.html.
The TTP also reportedly control the Pakistani trade of counterfeit cigarettes, which may account for 20 percent of their funding. According to a private security analyst in Pakistan, “[the TTP] simply receive taxes on a regular basis from owners of illegal and legal cigarette factories and later for the safe passage they provide to the convoys.”Aamir Latif and Kate Willson, “The Taliban and Tobacco,” Center for Public Integrity, June 29, 2009, http://www.publicintegrity.org/2009/06/29/6340/taliban-and-tobacco.
Misappropriated foreign funds
Private Afghan security companies hired by the United States have reportedly paid off Taliban insurgents with “protection money,” according to the U.N.Michelle Nichols, “Taliban Raked In $400 Million from Diverse Sources: U.N,” Reuters, September 11, 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/11/us-afghanistan-un-taliban-idUSBRE88A13Y20120911. A 2010 NPR report claims that “resupply convoys navigating the hazardous Afghan highway system frequently have to hire security firms to protect them, and as often, these security firms pay off militias that control key stretches of road.”Peter Kenyon, “Exploring the Taliban’s Complex, Shadowy Finances,” National Public Radio, March 19, 2010, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124821049. In 2009, U.S. military officials in Kabul estimated that at least 10 percent of the Pentagon’s security contracts eventually end up in Taliban hands—amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.Aram Roston, “How the US Funds the Taliban,” Nation, November 11, 2009, http://www.thenation.com/article/how-us-funds-taliban#;
GlobalPost, “Who is funding the Afghan Taliban? You don’t want to know,” Reuters, August 13, 2009, http://blogs.reuters.com/global/2009/08/13/who-is-funding-the-afghan-taliban-you-dont-want-to-know/. Reuters has reported that “many Afghans” support the Taliban’s accruement of foreign funds. According to one Kabul resident, “This is international money. They are not taking it from the people, they are taking it from their enemy.”GlobalPost, “Who is funding the Afghan Taliban? You don’t want to know,” Reuters, August 13, 2009, http://blogs.reuters.com/global/2009/08/13/who-is-funding-the-afghan-taliban-you-dont-want-to-know/.
In 2017, Afghanistan ranked ninth in the world for pistachio production.Khalil Noorzai, “Effort to Revive Afghan Pistachio Crop Hampered by Taliban,” Voice of America, May 4, 2017, https://www.voanews.com/a/effort-revive-afghan-pistachio-crop-hampered-taliban/3838316.html. As of 2017, the Taliban reportedly made $15 million annually from illegally harvesting Afghanistan’s pistachio trees. The Taliban favors pistachios because they do not require cultivation, like peanuts and other nuts, according to Afghanistan’s Agriculture Ministry.John Walsh, “Funding Terrorism: Taliban Earns $15M A Year From Pistachios In Afghanistan,” International Business Times, March 14, 2017, http://www.ibtimes.com/funding-terrorism-taliban-earns-15m-year-pistachios-afghanistan-2508055. The Taliban and other criminals have illegally harvested up to 40 percent of Afghanistan’s pistachio crops, which are typically ripe for picking in mid-summer.Agence France-Presse, “Pistachios, Afghans’ green gold, coveted by Taliban,” Daily Mail (London), July 20, 2016, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3698691/Pistachios-Afghans-green-gold-coveted-Taliban.html. In other areas under Taliban control, the group reportedly collects one-tenth of farmers’ harvests by force. Farmers accuse the Taliban of using the money for weapons, but worry they will be killed if they refuse to turn over their crops. Saad Khatabi, president of the Herat Chamber of Commerce, told Voice of America in May 2017 that the Taliban’s early harvesting of Afghan pistachio crops “damages the agriculture and economy of Afghanistan enormously.”Khalil Noorzai, “Effort to Revive Afghan Pistachio Crop Hampered by Taliban,” Voice of America, May 4, 2017, https://www.voanews.com/a/effort-revive-afghan-pistachio-crop-hampered-taliban/3838316.html.
International Backers
The Taliban reportedly receive donations from oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.Peter Kenyon, “Exploring the Taliban’s Complex, Shadowy Finances,” National Public Radio, March 19, 2010, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124821049. According to a 2009 New York Times report, the Taliban collect funds from anonymous citizens in “Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran and some Persian Gulf nations.”Eric Schmitt, “Many Sources Feed Taliban’s War Chest,” New York Times, October 18, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/world/asia/19taliban.html. Haroun Mir of the Afghanistan Center for Research and Policy Studies said in 2010 that “our estimates are in Afghanistan that between $150 [million] to $200 million every year reaches directly to Taliban via this network of charities that exists in the Gulf countries.”Peter Kenyon, “Exploring the Taliban’s Complex, Shadowy Finances,” National Public Radio, March 19, 2010, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124821049. Former Taliban finance minister Agha Jan Motasim told the New York Times in December 2016 that he regularly traveled back and forth to Saudi Arabia to collect donations after the fall of the Taliban government.Carlotta Gall, “Saudi Bankroll Taliban, Even as King Officially Supports Afghan Government,” New York Times, December 6, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/world/asia/saudi-arabia-afghanistan.html?mcubz=0.
Taxes
Taliban insurgents have been known to practice forced conscription, taxing locals if they refuse to join. Some Afghans have reportedly been forced to pay $1,000 to the Taliban for refusing to join. According to a displaced local in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan, in 2015, “Many people join the Taliban simply because they do not have any other option.”“AFGHANISTAN: Taliban Impose Rule, Hefty Taxes in Musa Qala District,” IRIN, accessed April 20, 2015, http://www.irinnews.org/report/72979/afghanistan-taliban-impose-rule-hefty-taxes-in-musa-qala-district;
Luke Harding, “Taliban Forcing Thousands Into Army,” Guardian (London), October 3, 2001, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/oct/04/afghanistan.lukeharding.
TPP insurgents reportedly offer protection to locals in exchange for high sums of money. If locals refuse the protection, the insurgents threaten to kill them. The extortion has become so commonplace in Karachi, Pakistan, that locals now call it the “terror tax.”Mariya Karimjee, “Pakistan’s ‘Terror Tax’,” GlobalPost, February 5, 2013, http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/pakistan/130204/pakistan-karachi-taliban-extortion-terror-tax.
In 2010, a GlobalPost report alleged that the TTP also imposed jizya (a sharia-mandated tax on non-Muslims living in Muslim lands) on the Sikh minority in areas under their control.Shahan Mufti, “Funding the Pakistani Taliban,” GlobalPost, May 30, 2010, http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/taliban/funding-the-pakistani-taliban.
In 2005, a television camera crew captured the image of locals paying tax to Taliban insurgents in Swat, Pakistan. According to a 2010 GlobalPost report, “Wooden carts with mounds of cash were parked on the street sides as women were seen dropping their jewelry into bags for masked young men carrying AK47s.”Shahan Mufti, “Funding the Pakistani Taliban,” GlobalPost, May 30, 2010, http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/taliban/funding-the-pakistani-taliban.
The New York Times reported in January 2017 that the Taliban were now collecting revenue from electricity bills, as well as taxes on “potato harvests, flour mills, teachers’ salaries, marriage ceremonies, and fuel and vegetable trucks crossing their checkpoints.”Mujib Mashal and Najim Rahim, “Taliban, Collecting Bills for Afghan Utilities, Tap New Revenue Sources,” New York Times, January 28, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/28/world/asia/taliban-collecting-electricity-bills-afghan.html.
Recruitment:
Most of the early Taliban were trained in the Deobandi or Saudi-funded Wahhabi madrassas of Pakistan.Ahmed Rashid, Taliban (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 43. These were especially prevalent in Pakistani refugee camps near the Afghan border. Unsurprisingly, the Taliban initially preferred to build an army of faithful students rather than an army of mercenaries. This tradition has since continued, as madrassas on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border are the primary recruiting grounds for the Taliban.Owais Tahid, “Pakistani teen tells of his recruitment, training as suicide bomber,” Christian Science Monitor, June 16, 2011, http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/taliban/funding-the-pakistani-taliban.
After the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996, they enforced conscription among able-bodied males. Most members of the Taliban are not paid regular salaries. Most of those in its ranks are fed and clothed, and given weapons and ammunition, but actual salaries go only to the upper echelons, the older and battle-hardened Taliban fighters.Ahmed Rashid, Taliban (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 100. This threadbare practice was established to encourage a way of life that mirrored that of the prophet Muhammad. By receiving only the barest necessities, Taliban recruits would find it difficult to stray from Islam.Ahmed Rashid, Taliban (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 43.
January 2018 estimates by Afghan and U.S. officials gauged that the Taliban included at least 60,000 fighters, up from 2014 U.S. estimates of 20,000 fighters.Courtney Kube, “The Taliban is gaining strength and territory in Afghanistan,” NBC News, January 30, 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/numbers-afghanistan-are-not-good-n842651. In 2009, the U.S. government estimated that the Taliban’s size was roughly 25,000 fighters of varying allegiance.“US: Taliban Has Grown Fourfold,” Al Jazeera, October 2, 2009, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2009/10/20091091814483962.html. The quality of these recruits may have diminished over time. The Taliban have even resorted to luring children into their ranks with sweets and then training them to become suicide bombers.“Taliban recruit children with sweets, trains them into suicide bombers,” YNet News, July 21, 2013, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4407709,00.html.
The Taliban have earned a reputation for secrecy, and some analysts believe this has inhibited the group’s recruiting potential. With such an opaque governing structure, in addition to the brutality of their administration, the Taliban failed to engender popular confidence and support.Ahmed Rashid, Taliban (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 94.
To create a new generation of fighters, the Taliban have employed the practice of forced marriages, taking Afghan girls as young as 13 as brides. Though child and forced marriages are illegal in Afghanistan, many poor families reportedly volunteer in order to gain dowries. According to Reuters, half of all Afghan girls are married by age 15. In August 2017, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid estimated that several hundred women married to Taliban fighters become widows each year. Many of these women are forced to become sex slaves at the hands of other Taliban commanders. Their former in-laws will keep them hostage while grooming their male children to become Taliban fighters.Bahaar Joya, “Invisible Taliban child brides, widows trapped as sex slaves,” Reuters, August 23, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-rights-women/invisible-taliban-child-brides-widows-trapped-as-sex-slaves-idUSKCN1B31PL. Women who unsuccessfully try to escape after a forced marriage often are met with capital punishment. In a 2015 case, for example, the Taliban stoned a 19-year-old Afghan woman to death after she tried to escape her marriage. The Taliban then released a video of the execution to serve as a warning.Danielle Moylan, “Afghan woman was stoned to death after ‘attempting to flee a forced marriage,’” Telegraph (London), November 3, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/11972749/Afghan-woman-was-stoned-to-death-after-attempting-to-flee-a-forced-marriage.html.
The Taliban have also utilized propaganda to spread their message and attract recruits. In addition to print magazines, pamphlets, and other printed materials, the Taliban have utilized online and digital media––reportedly in an attempt to compete with ISIS’s extensive online presence. The Taliban maintain a channel on the messaging service Telegram, a Twitter account, and a website. The group developed its own Android app in 2016, although it was removed from the Google Play store shortly after its launch.Abdulhadi Hairan, “A Profile of the Taliban’s Propaganda Tactics,” HuffPost, accessed October 17, 2017, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/abdulhadi-hairan/a-profile-of-the-talibans_b_442857.html;
Sune Engel Rasmussen, “Afghan Taliban create smartphone app to spread their message,” Guardian (London), April 3, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/03/afghan-taliban-create-smartphone-app-spread-message.
Training:
By 2004, U.S. and NATO intelligence officers had concluded that Pakistan’s ISI was running a full training program for the Afghan Taliban out of the Baluchistan province in Pakistan, which gave it access to funds and arms from the wider Arab world.Ahmed Rashid, Taliban (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010), 227. The Taliban have maintained a network of training camps within Afghanistan, which are often depicted in propaganda videos. Since the end of 2014, the Taliban have advertised at least 16 training camps. In 2015, The Taliban announced that its Khalid bin Walid Camp operates 12 training facilities in eight of Afghanistan’s provinces, employing about 300 trainers and scholars.Bill Roggio, “Taliban fighters promise to ‘play with the skulls’ of dead American soldiers,” Long War Journal, September 28, 2017, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/09/taliban-fighters-promise-to-play-with-the-skulls-of-dead-american-soldiers.php. A June 2017 propaganda video identified four new Taliban camps in the country.Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss, “Taliban promotes 4 previously unidentified training camps in Afghanistan,” Long War Journal, June 26, 2017, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/06/taliban-promotes-4-previously-unidentified-training-camps-in-afghanistan.php.
Key Leaders
History
Violent Activities
- 1994: By 1994, the mujahideen have “carved [Kandahar, Afghanistan] and neighboring districts into criminal fiefs.” The Taliban emerge as a united force in Kandahar, Afghanistan, with Mullah Mohammed Omar as their leader. The group soon absorbs over 15,000 students and clerics from western Pakistan and begins implementing sharia. By the end of 1994, the Taliban have complete control over Kandahar and Helmand province, the center of opium cultivation. During this time, Pakistan’s intelligence bureau, the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), secretly funnel money to the Taliban.Steve Coll, “Looking for Mullah Omar,” New Yorker, January 23, 2012, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/01/23/looking-for-mullah-omar;
Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower (New York: Vintage Books, 2006), 259; “The Taliban,” Council on Foreign Relations, accessed April 13, 2015, http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/taliban/p35985?cid=marketing_use-taliban_infoguide-012115#!/. - September 1996: Taliban fighters capture Kabul, driving out Ahmed Shah Massoud’s mujahideen forces and communist President Mohammad Najibullah. The Taliban murder Najibullah and his brother, hanging their bodies from traffic poles in Kabul. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan quickly recognize the Taliban-led government. The Taliban implement a hardline version of sharia based on Hanafi Islamic jurisprudence, implementing Islamic punishments such as public executions, amputations, and stonings. Men are required to grow beards and women must be completely covered by the burka. The Taliban ban all television, movies, and music, disallowing girls and women from attending school or working. One Taliban decree declares, “Women you should not step outside your residence. If women are going outside with fashionable, ornamental, tight and charming clothes to show themselves, they will be cursed by the Islamic Sharia and should never expect to go to heaven.” The Taliban also ban kite flying, dog racing, pork, satellite dishes, cinematography, televisions, alcohol, computers, statues, pictures, and “anything made from human hair,” among other seemingly random items.“Who are the Taliban?” BBC News, November 1, 2013, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11451718;
“The Taliban,” Council on Foreign Relations, accessed April 13, 2015, http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/taliban/p35985?cid=marketing_use-taliban_infoguide-012115#!/;
Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower (New York: Vintage Books, 2006), 261. - August 1998: Taliban forces capture the city of Mazar in northwest Afghanistan, slaughtering 5,000 to 6,000 people. Human Rights Watch notes that during the seizure of the city, Taliban troops shoot at “anything that [moves],” specially targeting members of the Persian-speaking Shiite Hazara ethnic community. Among the dead are 10 Iranian diplomats and a journalist.“The Massacre in Mazar-I Sharif,” Human Rights Watch, November 1998, http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports98/afghan/Afrepor0.htm; Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower (New York: Vintage Books, 2006), 304.
- March 2001: Taliban fighters decimate two massive statues of Buddha in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, with anti-aircraft weapons and tanks, prompting an international outcry from the U.S., the EU, Russia, India, and Pakistan.Luke Harding, “Taliban blow apart 2,000 years of Buddhist history,” Guardian (London), March 3, 2001, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/mar/03/afghanistan.lukeharding;
Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower (New York: Vintage Books, 2006), 381. - September 11, 2001: Nineteen al-Qaeda operatives hijack U.S. commercial airliners and fly them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth hijacked airplane, whose target may have been the U.S. Capitol building, was brought down by passengers in rural Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 civilians are killed and thousands injured in the worst ever attack on U.S. soil. The Taliban had knowingly harbored al-Qaeda operatives since 1996, enabling the terror group to plan the attack.“Timeline: Al-Qaeda,” BBC News, last modified August 7, 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7546355.stm;
“The Taliban,” Council on Foreign Relations, accessed April 13, 2015, http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/taliban/p35985?cid=marketing_use-taliban_infoguide-012115#!/. - April 2006: A neo-Taliban insurgency appears in Afghanistan with an uptick in suicide bombings and the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).“The Taliban,” Council on Foreign Relations, accessed April 13, 2015, http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/taliban/p35985?cid=marketing_use-taliban_infoguide-012115#!/.
- May-June 2006: Amidst a period of Taliban violence, Afghan, Canadian, and British troops launch Operation Mountain Thrust. The operation seeks to degrade Taliban activity in southern and eastern Afghanistan.“Revived Taliban Waging ‘Full-Blown Insurgency,’” USA Today, last modified June 20, 2006, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-19-taliban-afghanistan-cover_x.htm.
- February 27, 2007: A Taliban suicide bomber blows up a checkpoint at Bagram Air Base while U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is visiting, killing 20 and injuring 20 more. Cheney, who is unhurt, is the target of the attack.“Cheney Unhurt in Blast outside Afghan Base,” CNN, February 27, 2007, http://web.archive.org/web/20070301092232/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/27/cheney.afghanistan.ap/index.html.
- July 19, 2007: Taliban insurgents kidnap 23 South Korean missionaries in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. The Taliban kills two Korean hostages before the Taliban and the South Korean government reach a deal. The Taliban releases the remaining hostages in August. As part of the deal, the South Korean government promises to withdraw its 200 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2007 and to disallow evangelical missionaries to travel to Afghanistan.Choe Sang-Hun, “Freed by Taliban, 19 South Korean Hostages Will Face Relief and Anger Back Home,” New York Times, September 2, 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/world/asia/02hostage.html?_r=0; David Rohde, “Taliban Free Remaining Koreans,” New York Times, August 30, 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/30/world/asia/30cnd-afghan.html.
- December 27, 2007: The Pakistani Islamist group Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariate-Mohammadi dispatches a suicide bomber to blow up an army convoy in Swat, Pakistan, killing five Pakistani soldiers and six civilians. The group claims responsibility for the attack “on behalf of the TTP.”Hassan Abbas, “A Profile of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan,” CTC Sentinel 1, no. 2 (January 2008), https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/a-profile-of-tehrik-i-taliban-pakistan.
- February 2008: A Taliban suicide bomber kills over 80 and injures 50 when he detonates explosives at a dogfight near Kandahar. The attack is the deadliest in Afghanistan since 2001.Pamela Constable, “Suicide Bomber in Afghanistan Kills More Than 80 at Dogfighting Event,” Washington Post, February 18, 2008, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/17/AR2008021700233.html.
- July 7, 2008: A suicide bomber attacks the Indian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 41 and injuring over 140. U.S. intelligence agencies conclude that the ISI helped plan the attack, a claim that Pakistan strongly denies.Bill Roggio, “41 killed in Kabul suicide strike at Indian embassy,” Long War Journal, July 7, 2008, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/07/41_killed_in_kabul_s.php;
Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt, “Pakistanis Aided Attack in Kabul, U.S. Officials Say,” New York Times, August 1, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/world/asia/01pstan.html;
Mark Tran, “Pakistan denies claims of involvement in Kabul Indian embassy blast,” Guardian (London), August 1, 2008, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/01/pakistan.usa. - August 17-18, 2008: At least 10 Taliban suicide bombers attack the U.S. military base Camp Salerno in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. In a twin attack, approximately 100 Taliban insurgents attack and kill 10 elite French paratroopers in a district near Kabul. The New York Times reports that NATO and American military officers blame the increased Taliban insurgence on “the greater freedom of movement the militants have in Pakistan’s tribal areas on the Afghan border.”Carlotta Gall and Sangar Rahimi, “Taliban Escalate Fighting With Assault on U.S. Base,” New York Times, August 19, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/world/asia/20afghan.html?pagewanted=all.
- August 21, 2008: Simultaneous TTP suicide bombs explode at Pakistan’s main munitions factory northwest of Islamabad, killing at least 63 people. The TTP claims responsibility, stating that the bombings are in retaliation to army violence in the tribal area of Bajaur.“Pakistan bombers hit arms factory,” BBC News, August 21, 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7574267.stm.
- March 31, 2009: In an interview with BBC News, TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud says his group was responsible for an attack on Lahore’s police academy the day prior. Mehsud says that the attack was “in retaliation for the continued drone strikes by the US in collaboration with Pakistan on our people.” The attack killed 10 and injured 95.“Lahore ‘was Pakistan Taleban op,’” BBC News, March 31, 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7973540.stm.
- April 4, 2009: TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud claims responsibility for an attack on an immigration center in Binghamton, New York, in which 13 people are killed. Mehsud tells Reuters reporters, “I accept responsibility. They were my men. I gave them orders in reaction to U.S. drone attacks.”“Pakistani Taliban chief Mehsud claims U.S. shooting,” Reuters, April 4, 2009, http://in.reuters.com/article/2009/04/04/idINIndia-38880020090404.
- June 20, 2009: New York Times reporter David Rohde escapes from captivity after being held by the Taliban for over seven months, since his capture on November 10, 2008. Rohde’s family asserts that there was no ransom paid, or Taliban prisoners released, in exchange for Rohde’s release.“Times Reporter Escapes Taliban After 7 Months,” New York Times, June 20, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/world/asia/21taliban.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.
- June 30, 2009: The Taliban takes U.S. soldier Private Bowe Bergdahl hostage. Days after his capture, a senior U.S. military official said that Bergdahl was captured by low-level insurgents and then “sold” to members of the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network. On July 18, 2009, the Taliban release a 28-minute video on the Internet in which Bergdahl says he is scared and wishes to return home. Taliban allege that Bergdahl was drunk and off base at the time of his capture, but U.S. officials refute that claim, stating, “The Taliban are known for lying and what they are claiming (is) not true.”“U.S. soldier captured by Taliban: ‘I’m afraid’,” CNN, July 19, 2009, http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/19/afghanistan.soldier.hostage/; Declan Walsh, “Taliban release vide of captured US soldier,” Guardian (London), July 19, 2009, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/19/afghanistan-captured-american-soldier-video.
- May 2010: The TTP claim responsibility for a failed car bombing in New York City’s Times Square. TTP’s top bomb maker, Qari Hussain Mehsud, says that the attack “is a revenge for the great [and] valuable martyred leaders of mujahideen,” as well as a “revenge for the Global American interference [and] terrorism in Muslim countries.” Mehsud warns that NATO must condemn the United States and apologize for “the massacres in Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistani tribal areas otherwise be prepared for the worst destruction and devastation in their regions.”Bill Roggio, “Pakistani Taliban claim credit for failed NYC Times Square car bombing,” Long War Journal, May 2, 2010, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2010/05/pakistani_taliban_cl.php.
- August 5, 2010: Taliban gunmen murder ten aid workers in Badakhshan, Afghanistan. The workers include six Americans, four Afghans, one Briton and, and one German. The Taliban claim that the aid workers were “spies and Christian missionaries.”Rod Nordland, “Gunmen Kill Medical Aid Workers in Afghanistan,” New York Times, August 7, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/world/asia/08afghan.html.
- February 10, 2011: A young suicide bomber attacks an army compound in Pakistan, killing at least 31. The TTP claim responsibility.“Pakistan Attack: ‘Schoolboy’ Suicide Bomber Hits Mardan,” BBC News, February 10, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12413469.
- April 3, 2011: Suicide bombers attack a Pakistani shrine of a 13th century Sufi saint, killing at least 41. The TTP claim responsibility.“41 killed in Pakistan shrine suicide attack,” Telegraph (London), April 3, 2011, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8424930/41-killed-in-Pakistan-shrine-suicide-attack.html.
- September 2011: Taliban suicide bombers attack the home of former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, killing him and four other members of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council. According to Michael Semple, a Taliban expert, Rabbani’s death constitutes “one of the biggest blows the peace process in Afghanistan has faced.” After Rabbani was ousted by the Taliban in 1996, Rabbani became head of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, composed predominantly of Tajiks and Uzbeks. As an ethnic Tajik, Rabbani had been selected to lead the High Peace Council, a committee established to hold peace talks with the Taliban. In New York, Afghan President Hamid Karzai says, “This will not deter us from continuing down the path we have started.”“Former Afghanistan president Burhanuddin Rabbani killed in Kabul blast,” Daily Telegraph (London), September 20, 2011, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8776911/Former-Afghanistan-president-Burhanuddin-Rabbani-killed-in-Kabul-blast.html; Laura King, “Former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani assassinated,” Los Angeles Times, September 20, 2011, http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/20/world/la-fg-afghanistan-rabbani-20110921.
- September 10, 2011: A Taliban suicide bomber detonates an IED at the entrance of Combat Outpost Sayed Abab, an ISAF base in Wardak province, Afghanistan. The bomber kills four Afghans and wounds 77 U.S. soldiers in the attack.Bill Roggio, “Taliban suicide bomber hits combat outpost in Wardak,” Long War Journal, September 10, 2011, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2011/09/taliban_suicide_bomber_hits_co.php.
- September 13, 2011: Taliban gunmen strike the U.S. embassy and NATO’s ISAF headquarters in Kabul, killing three police and one civilian. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid tells CNN that the Taliban are targeting “the U.S. Embassy, governmental organizations and other foreign organizations.”Alissa J. Rubin, Ray Rivera and Jack Healy, “U.S. Embassy and NATO Headquarters Attacked in Kabul,” New York Times, September 13, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/world/asia/14afghanistan.html; Tim Schwarz and Joe Sterling, “In central Kabul, tension ripples amid Taliban assault,” CNN, September 14, 2011, http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/09/13/afghanistan.kabul.attack/. The next day, U.S. and Afghan officials say the Haqqani network is most likely behind the attack. According to the New York Times, “Hallmarks of attacks linked to the Haqqani network include multiple fighters, targets that are often symbols of the Afghan government and their Western backers, careful planning, and, often, instructions delivered by telephone as the attackers carry out their mission.”Jack Healy and Alissa J. Rubin, “U.S. Blames Pakistan-Based Group for Attack on Embassy in Kabul,” New York Times, September 14, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/asia/us-blames-kabul-assault-on-pakistan-based-group.html. Later in September, senior U.S. military officer Mike Mullen tells a Senate panel that the Haqqani network carried out the attack on the U.S. embassy, saying, “With ISI support, Haqqani operatives planned and conducted… the assault on our embassy.” He continues, “The Haqqani network… acts as a veritable arms of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Agency.”“Pakistan ‘Backed Haqqani Attack on Kabul’ - Mike Mullen,” BBC News, September 22, 2011, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-15024344.
- September 14, 2011: The TTP ambush a school bus in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing four boys and the driver, and wounding two seven-year-old girls.Lehaz Ali, “Bus attack kills four boys in Pakistan,” Sydney Morning Herald, September 14, 2011, http://www.smh.com.au//breaking-news-world/bus-attack-kills-four-boys-in-pakistan-20110914-1k84a.html.
- February 2012: After U.S. soldiers burn Qurans on February 22 at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, violent protests erupt across the country. U.S. Military officials say that the Qurans contained extremist inscriptions that Taliban inmates used to communicate with one another and fuel extremism. During the riots, angry mobs scream “Die, die, foreigners,” among other anti-Western chants.“Official: Burned Qurans held extremist messages,” CBS News, February 21, 2012, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/official-burned-qurans-held-extremist-messages/.
- April 2012: The Taliban launch a “spring offensive” in Afghanistan in which they attack the diplomatic quarter in Kabul. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tells Reuters, “These attacks are the beginning of the spring offensive and we [have] planned them for months.” He says that the primary targets are the German and British embassies and NATO headquarters. U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker says that the Haqqani network most likely helped the Taliban to carry out the attacks.Hamid Shalizi and Jack Kimball, “Taliban attack Afghanistan in ‘spring offensive,’” Reuters, April 15, 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/15/us-afghanistan-attack-idUSBRE83E05620120415.
- August 16, 2012: TTP militants stop three buses in a remote mountain pass in northern Pakistan, and pull 22 Shiites off board, executing them all.Salman Masoon, “Pakistani Taliban Kill 22 Shiites in Bus Attack,” New York Times, August 16, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/world/asia/pakistani-taliban-kill-22-shiites-in-bus-attack.html?smid=pl-share.
- October 9, 2012: TTP insurgents shoot 14-year-old Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai in Mingora, Pakistan, as ‘punishment’ for promoting women’s education. Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan confirms that Yousafzai was the target, calling her activism for women’s education an “obscenity.”Declan Walsh, “Taliban Gun Down Girl Who Spoke Up For Rights,” New York Times, October 9, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/world/asia/teen-school-activist-malala-yousafzai-survives-hit-by-pakistani-taliban.html. Ehsan says, “[W]hom so ever leads a campaign against Islam and Shariah is ordered to be killed by Shariah.”Taliban use Islamic Shariah to defend Malala attack," Dawn (Karachi), October 10, 2012, http://www.dawn.com/news/755657/taliban-use-islamic-shariah-to-defend-malala-attack.
- September 15, 2013: Pakistani General Sanaullah Khan Niazi dies in a roadside bomb in northwest Pakistan. The TTP claim responsibility.Salman Masood, “Senior Pakistani General Is Killed in Insurgent Attack,” New York Times, September 15, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/world/asia/insurgent-attack-kills-senior-pakistani-general.html.
- January 2014: Taliban suicide bombers blow up a restaurant that is regularly visited by Westerners in Kabul’s diplomatic quarter, killing 21. Among the dead are four U.N. personnel.Azam Ahmed and Matthew Rosenberg, “Deadly Attack at Kabul Restaurant Hints at Changing Climate for Foreigners,” New York Times, January 18, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/world/asia/afghanistan-restaurant-attack.html; Matthew Rosenberg, “Taliban Attack Kills 16 at Restaurant Favored by Westerners,” New York Times, January 17, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/world/asia/Kabul-Cafe-Bombing.html.
- June 8, 2014: TTP militants attack the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 26 people. The TTP later claim responsibility for the attack alongside the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), an Uzbekistan-based al-Qaeda-linked militant organization that works closely with the Taliban.“Karachi Airport: Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan claims attack,” BBC News, June 11, 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27790892.
- December 2014: NPR lists 2014 as Afghanistan’s bloodiest year since 2001.Christopher Woolf, “2014 Was the Bloodiest Year of the War in Afghanistan — for Afghans,” Public Radio International, February 3, 2015, http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-02-03/2014-was-bloodiest-year-war-afghanistan-afghans.
- December 16, 2014: Nine TTP gunmen attack an army-run school in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 145, 132 of them schoolchildren. The gunmen run through the hallways of the school, throwing grenades, firing at random, and exploding suicide vests. The gunmen line up some of the children and slaughter them. The attack prompts an international outcry. It is the deadliest attack in TTP’s history.Declan Walsh, “Taliban Besiege Pakistan School, Leaving 145 Dead,” New York Times, December 16, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/17/world/asia/taliban-attack-pakistani-school.html.
- February 13, 2015: Taliban militants attack worshippers at a Shiite mosque in Peshawar, killing at least 20.“Pakistani Taliban Attack Shia Mosque in Peshawar,” BBC News, February 13, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-31451201.
- May 14, 2015: The Taliban attack a popular hotel in Kabul, killing 14, including an American.Joseph Goldstein, “Taliban Attack Kills 14, Including American, at Kabul Hotel,” New York Times, May 14, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/15/world/asia/taliban-gunman-kills-14-including-american-at-kabul-hotel.html.
- September 4, 2015: More than 300 girls are admitted to hospitals after exposure to gas attacks in their schools in Herat, Afghanistan. The Taliban are suspected.Vasudevan Sridharan, “Afghanistan: 300 Schoolgirls Hit by Suspected Taliban Poison Gas Attacks in Herat,” International Business Times, September 4, 2015, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/afghanistan-300-schoolgirls-hit-by-suspected-taliban-poison-gas-attacks-herat-1518418.
- September 28, 2015: The Taliban take control of the northern Afghan city of Kunduz. It is the first major city (population: 300,000) to fall into Taliban hands since the group was forcibly deposed from Kabul in 2001.“Taliban Tighten Grip on Afghan City of Kunduz,” BBC News, September 30, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34398371.
- October 11-14, 2015: The Taliban storm two check points in the southern Helmand province, killing 29 Afghan border police officers.Morgan Chalfant, “Taliban Insurgents Execute 29 Afghan Border Officers,” Washington Free Beacon, October 14, 2015, http://freebeacon.com/national-security/taliban-insurgents-execute-29-afghan-border-officers.
- November 9, 2015: Rival Taliban factions battle in southern Afghanistan, leaving dozens dead.“Rival Taliban Factions Clash in Southern Afghanistan, Dozens Dead,” Voice of America, November 9, 2015, http://www.voanews.com/content/rival-taliban-factions-clash-in-southern-afghanistan-dozens-deads/3049965.html.
- December 8, 2015: The Taliban assault Kandahar International Airport, leaving more than 50 dead, including children.Ayaz Gul, “At Least 50 Dead in Taliban Attack on Key Afghanistan Airport,” Voice of America, December 10, 2015, http://www.voanews.com/content/taliban-attack-key-afghanistan-airport/3096798.html.
- January 20, 2016: Taliban agents storm Bacha Khan University in northwestern Pakistan outside Peshawar, killing at least 22 people. In Kabul, a motorcycle-bound suicide bomber targets Tolo News, an Afghan news channel. The attack kills seven employees.Sophia Saifi, Ben Brumfield, and Euan McKirdy, “At Least 22 Killed in Attack on Bacha Khan University in Pakistan,” CNN, January 21, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/20/asia/pakistan-university-militant-attack/index.html;
“Seven Employees of Afghan News Channel Killed in Kabul Suicide Attack,” Vice News, January 20, 2016, https://news.vice.com/article/bomb-explodes-near-russian-embassy-in-kabul?utm_source=vicenewstwitter;
Reuters, “Taliban Warns TV Station Staff not to Promote Immorality after Attack,” Yahoo News, January 21, 2016, http://news.yahoo.com/taliban-warns-tv-station-staff-not-promote-immorality-134055132.html. - March 7, 2016: A bomber associated with the Pakistani Taliban attacks the entrance to a judicial court in northwestern Pakistan, killing 11.Riaz Khan, “Taliban Suicide Bomber Kills 11 outside Pakistani Court,” Yahoo News, March 7, 2016, https://www.yahoo.com/news/police-suicide-blast-kills-7-outside-pakistani-court-074934872.html.
- March 28, 2016: The Afghan Taliban claims responsibility for firing three rockets at the country’s parliament in Kabul.Fazul Rahim, “Taliban Fires Three Rockets at Afghan Parliament,” NBC News, March 28, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/taliban-fires-three-rockets-afgan-parliament-n546421;
“Taliban Bombing Kills at Least 20 Police in Kabul,” New York Times, February 1, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/02/world/asia/afghanistan-kabul-suicide-bombing-taliban.html. - May 14, 2016: Taliban insurgents ambush Afghan police forces and cut off the main highway that links Kabul with northern Afghanistan.Rod Nordland, “Taliban Cut Off Afghan Highway Linking Kabul to Northern Gateways,” New York Times, May 14, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/world/asia/taliban-cut-off-afghan-highway-linking-kabul-to-northern-gateways.html.
- May 31, 2016:Taliban gunmen kill 10 passengers and kidnap 18 more. The victims were traveling on buses headed toward the Afghan city of Kunduz.Ehsanullah Amiri and Jessica Donati, “Taliban Gunmen Kill 10 Bus Passengers, Kidnap Dozens,” Wall Street Journal, May 31, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/taliban-attacks-buses-in-northern-afghanistan-1464701057.
- July 21, 2016: After clashing with Afghan government forces, Taliban insurgents overrun the remote northern district of Qala-e-Zal in Kunduz province.Ayaz Gul, “Taliban Insurgents Overrun Northern Afghan District,” Voice of America, July 21, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/content/taliban-insurgents-overurn-northern-afghan-district/3428843.html.
- August 1, 2016: A truck bomb explodes outside a hotel compound used by foreign contractors in Kabul. The Afghan Taliban claim responsibility.Sayed Hassib, “Taliban Claim Kabul Bomb Attack on Compound Used by Foreigners,”
Reuters, August 1, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast-idUSKCN10B0WA.
- August 4, 2016: Taliban gunmen attack a convoy of foreign travelers as they travel through Herat province, wounding seven people.“British Tourists Attacked In Afghanistan,” Sky News, August 4, 2016, http://news.sky.com/story/british-tourists-attacked-in-afghanistan-10522398.
- August 8, 2016: A suicide bomber targets a mourning ceremony in Quetta, killing at least 70 people and wounding at least 120 others. A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility for the attack.Aamir Iqbal, “Suicide Blast Claimed by Taliban Faction in Pakistan Claims At Least 64 lives,” Washington Post, August 8, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/suicide-bomber-targets-pakistans-lawyers-kills-at-least-53/2016/08/08/cce19344-5d4d-11e6-8e45-477372e89d78_story.html; “Quetta Hospital Bombing: Pakistan Taliban Claim Attack,” BBC News, August 8, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37015640.
- August 24. 2016: Taliban terrorists attack American University in Kabul, killing 13 people and wounding 45 others.“At Least 13 Dead, 45 Wounded as Afghanistan University Attack Ends,” Voice of America, August 25, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/a/gunfire-american-university-kabul/3478956.html.
- September 5, 2016: Taliban suicide bombers strike near the Defense Ministry in Kabul, killing 24 people, including a number of senior security officials, and wounding 91 others.Mirwais Harooni, “Attacks in Afghan Capital Kill At Least 24,” Reuters, September 5, 2016, https://www.yahoo.com/news/blast-afghan-capital-kabul-casualties-feared-army-official-113117524.html.
- November 12, 2016: A Taliban suicide bomber kills four U.S. soldiers and wounds 17 at Bagram Airfield.“Taliban Bomber Kills 4 Americans at Key NATO base,” Al Jazeera, November 12, 2016, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/taliban-bomber-kills-4-americans-key-nato-base-161112165232950.html.
- December 22, 2016: Three Taliban militants storm the house of prominent Afghan legislator Mir Wali Khan, killing eight, including two of Khan’s young grandchildren. Khan and his wife are wounded in the attack. Afghan police kill the Taliban fighters after a night-long struggle.Ehsanullah Amiri and Jessica Donati, “Taliban Attack on Afghan Lawmaker’s Home Kills Eight,” Wall Street Journal, last modified December 22, 2016, https://www.wsj.com/articles/taliban-militants-killed-in-attack-on-home-of-afghan-lawmaker-1482393218.
- January 10, 2017: Two Taliban suicide bombings in Kabul kill more than 30 and wound about 70 in an attack near the new Afghan parliament building. Most of the victims are reportedly parliamentary staff.Hamid Shalizi, “Taliban Attack Near Afghan Parliament Kills More Than 30,” Reuters, January 10, 2017, http://in.reuters.com/article/afghanistan-blast-idINKBN14U1DH.
- February 13, 2017: A suicide bomber from a Taliban splinter faction kills at least 13 and wounds almost 60 at a protest rally in Lahore, Pakistan.Zaheer Babar, “Taliban suicide bomber strikes Pakistan rally, killing 13,” Associated Press, February 13, 2017, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/8ee54c9fbd974f76afa76e8703892177/large-bomb-explodes-protest-rally-pakistans-lahore.
- February 28, 2017: Taliban fighters attack a checkpoint in Helmand province with silenced weapons and hand grenades, killing 12 police officers. The attackers also steal arms and ammunition.“Taliban Kill 12 Afghan Police with Silenced Weapons,” Reuters, February 28, 2017, http://news.trust.org/item/20170228094938-mxso7/.
- March 5, 2017: Taliban fighters kill at least five members of the Afghan security forces at a checkpoint in Kunduz province.“Afghan Official: 5 Local Policemen Killed in Taliban Attack,” Associated Press, March 5, 2017, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/570853b63937403a9c731b907c9f1a41/afghan-official-district-police-chief-killed-bomb.
- March 14, 2017: The Taliban cut off the hand and foot of an alleged thief in Afghanistan’s western Herat province.“Taliban Cut Off Hand, Foot of Suspected Thief in Afghanistan,” Associated Press, March 14, 2017, https://apnews.com/5b7640dda91640ac99101a4e7d28e234/Taliban-cut-off-hand,-foot-of-suspected-thief-in-Afghanistan.
- March 23, 2017: The Taliban capture the key Sangin district, a major opium market in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province.Amir Shah and Kathy Gannon, “Taliban Take Key Afghan District in South; 9 Killed in North,” Associated Press, March 23, 2017, https://apnews.com/70e38c026bed491b8d426b01ca93b1d0/Taliban-take-key-Afghan-district-in-south;-9-killed-in-north.
- March 23, 2017: An Afghan police officer who had defected to the Taliban kills nine of his fellow officers in northern Kunduz province before escaping.Amir Shah and Kathy Gannon, “Taliban Take Key Afghan District in South; 9 Killed in North,” Associated Press, March 23, 2017, https://apnews.com/70e38c026bed491b8d426b01ca93b1d0/Taliban-take-key-Afghan-district-in-south;-9-killed-in-north.
- April 3, 2017: A Taliban attack on provincial intelligence service agents kills at least four.“4 Afghan Intelligence Agents Killed in Taliban Attack,” Associated Press, April 3, 2017, https://apnews.com/648e5ce0717045a49d82c054444cf571/4-Afghan-intelligence-agents-killed-in-Taliban-attack.
- April 5, 2017: A Taliban suicide bombing targeting a vehicle of census workers kills six in eastern Pakistan.Zaheer Babar and Munir Ahmed, “Taliban Attack Kills 6 in Pakistan, Including Census Workers,” Associated Press, April 5, 2017, https://apnews.com/28fc6b6a708c4d20a7307a67451bae2b/Taliban-attack-kills-6-in-Pakistan,-including-census-workers.
- April 17, 2017: Taliban militants in the Mohammad Agha district of Afghanistan’s Logar province stone to death a man and woman accused of adultery. In Sari Pul province, other Taliban militants kill four suspected spies—a young boy and three women.“Afghan Officials: Taliban Kill Alleged Adulterers and Spies,” Associated Press, April 17, 2017, https://apnews.com/0eecdb7b1d8945468fe30bb4b0f7585b/Afghan-officials:-Taliban-kill-alleged-adulterers-and-spies.
- April 21, 2017: Taliban militants disguised as Afghan army personnel attack an army base in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province, killing more than 100 soldiers and other personnel. Multiple suicide bombers and gunmen perpetrate the attack. Afghanistan’s defense minister and army chief of staff resign afterward.Sune Engel Rasmussen and Spencer Ackerman, “Taliban Kill More than 140 Afghan Soldiers at Army Base,” Guardian (London), April 22, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/21/50-afghan-soldiers-killed-taliban-suicide-attackers-army-base; Ehsanullah Amiri and Jessica Donati, “Taliban Fighters Infiltrate Afghan Army Base, Kill More than 100,” Wall Street Journal, April 22, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/taliban-fighters-infiltrate-afghan-army-post-killing-at-least-eight-people-1492794202.
- April 25, 2017: A roadside bombing by the breakaway Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar in Pakistan kills 14 people, including five women and four children. The bombing targets a minivan in a Shiite part of the Kurram tribal region bordering Afghanistan.Riaz Khan, “Pakistan Raises Death Toll to 14 in Taliban Roadside Bombing,” Associated Press, April 25, 2017, https://apnews.com/4f51e7e0076e4cdba0352c054ff5c0d0/Pakistan-raises-death-toll-to-14-in-Taliban-roadside-bombing.
- April 25, 2017: The Taliban kill eight policemen in Afghanistan’s northern Takhar province after overrunning three checkpoints. The same day, the group claims a suicide bombing in the eastern Khost province that kills four Afghan security guards protecting the U.S. military’s Camp Chapman base.Amir Shah, “Afghan Official: Taliban Kill 8 Police in Northern Province,” Associated Press, April 25, 2017, https://apnews.com/924113d5a73c4e3a8755f2e42637a359/Afghan-official:-Taliban-kill-8-police-in-northern-province.
- April 26, 2017: Taliban fighters clash with their ISIS rivals in Afghanistan’s northern Jawzjan province, leading to 76 Taliban militants dead and 15 dead from ISIS.“IS Group, Taliban Clash in Afghanistan, Dozens Killed,” Associated Press, April 26, 2017, https://apnews.com/31ab7fe9ac4549fe8e330e8448390f91/IS-group,-Taliban-clash-in-Afghanistan,-dozens-killed.
- April 28, 2017: The Taliban announce the beginning of their spring offensive as they capture a district in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province.Kathy Gannon, “Taliban Announce Spring Offensive, Vow to Build Institutions,” Associated Press, April 28, 2017, https://apnews.com/ba5acd568eb84de6b853403abcee9b53/Taliban-announce-spring-offensive,-vow-to-build-institutions.
- May 20, 2017: Taliban fighters attack a bank in Paktia province, killing three people. Security forces kill three of the attackers. Simultaneously, a Taliban fighter drives an explosives-filled Humvee into the gates of the provincial governor’s compound in the city of Ghazni. Two Afghan security personnel and 25 Taliban fighters die in an ensuing firefight, though the Taliban claim they caused more casualties. Also that day, a German aid worker and an Afghan guard are killed in an attack on a house in Kabul, while a Finnish national is kidnapped. The three work for Swedish aid group Operation Mercy. There are no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack on the aid workers, but police suspect the Taliban.Samiullah Paiwand, “Three killed, dozens wounded as gunmen storm bank in Afghanistan,” Reuters, May 20, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack-idUSKCN18G0ID; “At least 20 Afghan police killed in Taliban ambushes: official,” Reuters, May 21, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban-idUSKBN18H085; “Afghan Taliban launch three-pronged assault on Ghazni city,” Reuters, May 20, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/uk-afghanistan-taliban-idUSKCN18G0BI; Mujib Mashal, “Taliban Launch Rocket Attack and Kill at least 20 Afghan Police Officers,” New York Times, May 21, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/21/world/asia/taliban-rocket-attack-police-officers.html?_r=0; “Two killed, one kidnapped in Afghan capital Kabul,” Reuters, May 21, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-kidnapping-idUSKCN18H06M.
- May 21, 2017: Up to 1,000 Taliban fighters attack police outposts across Zabul province, killing at least 20 Afghan police officers and wounding 10 others. Dozens of Taliban fighters are also killed, according to the military. Simultaneously, the Taliban fire rockets at the provincial governor’s compound in Qalat, causing no casualties but damaging the compound and a nearby police station.Mujib Mashal, “Taliban Launch Rocket Attack and Kill at Least 20 Afghan Police Officers,” New York Times, May 21, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/21/world/asia/taliban-rocket-attack-police-officers.html?_r=0; “At least 20 Afghan police killed in Taliban ambushes: officials,” Reuters, May 21, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban-idUSKBN18H085.
- May 22, 2017 — May 23, 2017: Just before midnight on May 22, a group of militants attack an Afghan military base in Kandahar province, killing at least 10 soldiers and wounding nine. Security forces kill at least a dozen of the attackers in a firefight. The Taliban claim responsibility. Early on May 23, Taliban fighters attack a police station in Badghis province, killing at least one policeman. Police kill 11 of the attackers during a gun battle.Reuters, “Militants kill 10 Afghan soldiers in base attack: defense officials,” Yahoo News, May 23, 2017, https://www.yahoo.com/news/militants-kill-10-afghan-soldiers-attack-defense-officials-084750444.html; “Afghan officials: Taliban attacks kill 8 soldiers, policeman,” Associated Press, May 23, 2017, https://apnews.com/592e583152764c97817d8e549d016759/Afghan-officials:-Taliban-attacks-kill-8-soldiers,-policeman.
- May 24, 2017: Taliban fighters attack multiple security checkpoints in southern Afghanistan, killing at least 13 Afghan soldiers and wounding eight others. At least 20 Taliban fighters are killed, according to the Afghan government.Amir Shah, “Official: At least 13 soldiers killed in south Afghanistan,” Associated Press, May 25, 2017, https://apnews.com/0ee8dbe1e37448508096a102745be665/Official:-At-least-13-soldiers-killed-in-south-Afghanistan; “Official: Taliban kills 15 soldiers in Kandahar,” Associated Press, May 26, 2017, https://apnews.com/b397a3a8722c4863922c55cb675d07cd/Official:-Taliban-kills-15-Afghan-soldiers-in-Kandahar.
- May 25, 2017: A suicide car bomber attacks a security checkpoint in Helmand province, killing three intelligence officers and wounding four others. The Taliban claim responsibility.Amir Shah, “Official: At least 13 soldiers killed in south Afghanistan,” Associated Press, May 25, 2017, https://apnews.com/0ee8dbe1e37448508096a102745be665/Official:-At-least-13-soldiers-killed-in-south-Afghanistan.
- May 26, 2017: Taliban fighters kill at least 15 soldiers in an attack on an Afghan army camp. At least 20 Taliban fighters are killed, according to the Afghan government.“Official: Taliban kills 15 Afghan soldiers in Kandahar,” Associated Press, May 26, 2017, https://apnews.com/b397a3a8722c4863922c55cb675d07cd/Official:-Taliban-kills-15-Afghan-soldiers-in-Kandahar.
- May 27, 2017: A suicide car bomber targets an Afghan military convoy guarding U.S. forces in Khost province. The bombing kills at least 18 people, mostly civilians. The Taliban claim responsibility.“Afghan official says 18 killed in suicide car bomb attack,” Associated Press, May 27, 2017, https://apnews.com/d6849bf06d3540d4bb3cbdc140638c70/Afghan-official-says-18-killed-in-suicide-car-bomb-attack.
- June 18, 2017: A suicide car bomber and accompanying gunmen attack the police headquarters in the Spin Ghar region in Paktia province. Five Afghan police officers are killed and 18 people are wounded. The Taliban claim responsibility in a WhatsApp message to journalists.Rod Nordland and Fahim Abed, “Taliban Attack Major Base in Eastern Afghanistan,” New York Times, June 18, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/18/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-attack-paktia-province.html?_r=0.
- June 20, 2017: Taliban gunmen kill at least eight Afghan security guards on their way to work at the U.S. base at Bagram air field.Jawad Sukhanyar, Fahim Abed, and Rod Nordland, “Killing of 8 Afghan Guards Shows Bitter Change at Bagram,” New York Times, June 20, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/20/world/asia/afghanistan-guards-bagram-base-killed.html?mcubz=0; “Taliban kill 8 Afghan guards heading to work at US base,” Associated Press, June 20, 2017, https://apnews.com/abaca451d89d4d629b9cd8609e204c35/Taliban-kill-8-Afghan-guards-heading-to-work-at-US-base.
- June 24, 2017: A group of Taliban gunmen attack a security checkpoint near the electricity-producing Salma Dam in the Herat province. The gunmen kill at least 10 police officers, while four attackers are also killed.“Taliban attack targets police in Afghanistan's Herat,” Al Jazeera, June 25, 2017, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/taliban-attack-targets-police-afghanistan-herat-170625102845231.html.
- June 29, 2017: Taliban fighters attack a security outpost in the western Farah province, killing at least six policemen and wounding three others. Nine Taliban fighters are killed in a three-hour gun battle, while others escape with stolen guns and ammunition.“Taliban kill 6 Afghan police in west; roadside bomb kills 7,” Associated Press, June 30, 2017, https://apnews.com/a8760d1d3fbb45dcabbc112c45db1d91/Taliban-kill-6-Afghan-police-in-west;-roadside-bomb-kills-7.
- July 24, 2017: A suicide car bombing alongside a government-owned bus kills at least 35 and wounds 40 in Kabul during rush hour. The explosion destroys the bus and several nearby shops. The bombing takes place near the home of Hajji Mohammed Mohaqiq, the deputy chief executive of the Afghan government. The Taliban claim responsibility and say they had targeted the Afghan intelligence service.“Taliban claim deadly Kabul suicide attack,” Al Jazeera, July 24, 2017, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/07/casualties-feared-kabul-car-bomb-attack-170724034019038.html; “Afghan security scrutinized after suicide bomber kills 24,” Associated Press, July 25, 2017, https://apnews.com/3fa361e70b45437b9530e2a518338d43/Taliban-suicide-car-bombing-in-Kabul-kills-24-people; Mujib Mashal, “Living to Modernize Afghanistan, and Meeting a Grim End,” New York Times, July 24, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/world/asia/kabul-explosion-afghanistan.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fworld&action=click&contentCollection=world®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=1; Hamid Shalizi and James Mackenzie, “Taliban suicide car bomber kills dozens in Afghan capital,” Reuters, July 23, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast-idUSKBN1A9067?il=0.
- July 26, 2017: Taliban fighters attack an Afghan military base in Kandahar province, capturing the base and killing at least 26 Afghan soldiers, according to the Afghan Defense Ministry. Other reports say at least 30 soldiers are killed. The Afghan military recaptures the base several hours later, killing or wounding at least 80 Taliban militants. The Taliban fighters steal weapons and vehicles. In a statement of responsibility, the Taliban claim they killed 74 soldiers and captured six others.“Dozens Killed In Taliban Attack On Afghan Military Base,” Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, July 26, 2017, https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-attack-kandahar-taliban/28638763.html, “Taliban kill 26 Afghan soldiers as fighting intensifies,” Reuters, July 26, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban-idUSKBN1AB18Z.
- August 2, 2017: A suicide bomber attacks a NATO convoy in Kandahar, killing two U.S. soldiers and wounding four others. The Taliban claim responsibility.“US says 4 wounded in Afghan attack that killed 2 US troops,” Associated Press, August 3, 2017, https://apnews.com/c8be33c054324cb9b939f9ca391ab38a/US-says-4-wounded-in-Afghan-attack-that-killed-2-US-troops.
- August 3, 2017 — August 5, 2017: Up to 600 militants attack Mirzawalang village in the Sar-e Pul province, capturing the village after a 48-hour battle with the Afghan Local Police. At least 50 people—mostly civilians—are killed during the fighting. Most are shot but some are beheaded, according to government sources. Ten of the attackers also reportedly die in the fighting. Afghan officials say the attack is a joint operation by the Taliban and ISIS. Villagers report the presence of foreign fighters among the attackers, claiming to hear some attackers speaking Punjabi, Uzbek, and Turkmen. The Taliban confirm they captured Mirzawalang, but deny working with ISIS or foreign fighters. A Taliban spokesman says allegations that the Taliban are working with ISIS are meant to discredit the Taliban.Euan McKirdy and Ehsan Popalzai, “ISIS and Taliban join forces in deadly village attack, Afghan officials claim,” CNN, August 7, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/07/asia/taliban-isis-joint-afghanistan-village-attack/index.html; “Taliban deny cooperating with Islamic State in Afghan attack,” Reuters, August 7, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-islamic-state-idUSKBN1AN1SB; “Officials: Taliban, ISIL coordinated Sar-e Pul attack,” Al Jazeera, August 7, 2017, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/sar-pul-taliban-isil-joined-forces-kill-afghans-170807085258761.html.
- August 23, 2017: A suicide car bomber attacks an Afghan National Army convoy in Lashkar Gar, killing at least seven and wounding 38 others––including civilians. The Taliban claim responsibility.Taimoor Shah and Fahim Abed, “Taliban Kill 7 in Attack on Afghan National Convoy,” New York Times, August 23, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-helmand-suicide-attack.html.
- August 27, 2017: A suicide car bomber attacks a convoy of Afghan soldiers in Helmand province, killing at least 13 and wounding even more. The Taliban claim responsibility.“Taliban suicide bomb attack on Afghan forces kills 13,” Al Jazeera, August 28, 2017, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/taliban-suicide-bomb-attack-afghan-forces-kills-13-170827211841741.html.
- August 29, 2017: A suicide car bomber attacks a bank in Kabul, killing five and wounding nine others. The Taliban claim responsibility.Mujib Mashal and Fatima Faizi, “Airstrikes in Afghanistan Kill More Than a Dozen Civilians,” New York Times, August 29, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/29/world/asia/afghanistan-airstrikes-civilians.html.
- September 19, 2017: The Taliban kill three Afghan government workers abducted in Herat province in late August.“Afghan official: Taliban kill 3 abducted government workers,” Associated Press, September 19, 2017, https://apnews.com/efd1941b983a4abb843b91003637e498/Afghan-official:-Taliban-kill-3-abducted-government-workers.
- September 24, 2017: The Taliban retake the Kohistan district in Afghanistan’s province of Faryab.Bill Roggio, “Taliban retakes district in Afghan northwest,” Long War Journal, September 25, 2017, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/09/taliban-retakes-district-in-afghan-northwest.php.
- September 28, 2017: Taliban militants storm the compounds of the Maruf district governor in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, killing 12 and wounding four others.“Official: 12 Afghan security forces killed in the south,” Associated Press, September 28, 2017, https://apnews.com/dcedb75c215943d3b9b8628c56cb3284/Official:-12-Afghan-security-forces-killed-in-the-south.
- October 15, 2017: Taliban militants attack checkpoints in Afghanistan’s Maruf district after hours of fighting, killing four policemen.“Afghan official: Taliban kill 4 police in Kandahar assault,” Associated Press, October 16, 2017, https://apnews.com/53a66933715841e19ba4e7374ea41c9a/Afghan-official:-Taliban-kill-4-police-in-Kandahar-assault.
- October 15-17, 2017: The Taliban seize the Shibkho district in Afghanistan’s Farah province and the Maruf district in Kandahar as it continues to gain ground in Afghanistan.Bill Roggio, “Taliban overruns 2 districts in southern Afghanistan,” Long War Journal, October 17, 2017, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/10/taliban-overruns-2-districts-in-southern-afghanistan.php.
- October 17, 2017: Taliban fighters drive two explosives-filled cars into a police training center in Gardez, the provincial capital of Paktia. Five gunmen wearing suicide belts then storm the compound, killing at least 41, including the provincial police chief. At least 158 people, mostly civilians, are wounded. Afghan security forces reportedly kill all five gunmen. In Ghazni’s Andar district, suicide bombers drive an explosives-filled Humvee into a security compound outside the provincial governor’s office. Gunmen then engage security forces in a nine-hour battle before they are repelled. At least 25 police officers and five civilians are killed, while 25 people are wounded. At least 13 of the attackers are also killed. In the Shibkho district in Farah province, gunmen attack a government compound, killing three policemen. The Taliban claim responsibility for all three attacks.Mujib Mashal and Fatima Faizi, “Afghan Taliban Blast Way Into Police Post, Killing Chief and Officers,” New York Times, October 17, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/17/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-police-attack.html; “Dozens killed in trio of Taliban attacks targeting police,” CBS News, October 17, 2017, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taliban-attack-afghanistan-police-paktia-ghazni-farah/; “The Latest: Afghanistan: Taliban kill 71 people in attacks,” Associated Press, October 17, 2017, https://apnews.com/69d953e403304791b1b97bb8eb40f195/The-Latest:-Afghanistan:-Taliban-kill-71-people-in-attacks; Mirwais Harooni, “Taliban attacks kill at least 69 across Afghanistan,” Reuters, October 17, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack/taliban-attacks-kill-at-least-69-across-afghanistan-idUSKBN1CM0EX.
- October 21, 2017: A suicide bomber blows himself up outside the Marshal Fahim military academy in Kabul, killing at least 15 military cadets and wounding four others. The Taliban claim responsibility.“Military cadets killed in Kabul minibus suicide bombing,” BBC News, October 21, 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41708357; “Suicide bomb attack kills 15 army trainees in Kabul,” Al Jazeera, October 21, 2017, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/suicide-bomb-attack-kills-15-army-trainees-kabul-171021140135397.html.
- October 23, 2017: Taliban militants attack a security post in Kabul, killing four policemen and wounding two others.“Afghan officials: Taliban kill 4 police; rockets hit Kabul,” Associated Press, October 23, 2017, https://apnews.com/642ecc99f0774295a54f1e2481ba5729.
- November 13-14, 2017: Taliban units kill at least 30 police officers over the course of two days. On November 13, Taliban fighters attack a police post in the Farah province while the officers inside are sleeping. The attackers kill eight police officers. On November 14, over the course of six hours, a Taliban unit attacks more than a dozen police checkpoints in the southern Kandahar province, killing at least 22 Afghan police officers and wounding 15 others. Security forces kill 45 of the attackers and wound 35, according to the government. The Taliban claim to have killed 43 officers and destroyed 13 armored vehicles. Afghan officials suspect the Taliban’s elite Red Unit of carrying out the attacks using night vision goggles and M-4 automatic rifles with laser pointers.Taimoor Shah and Rod Nordland, “Taliban ‘Red Unit’ With Night Vision Kills Dozens of Afghan Officers,” New York Times, November 14, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/14/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-attack-police.html?_r=0; “Taliban attack Afghan checkpoints, killing more than 20 police,” Reuters, November 14, 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban/taliban-attack-afghan-checkpoints-killing-more-than-20-police-idUSKBN1DE0IV; Taimoor Shah and Rod Nordland, “8 Afghan Officers Killed by Taliban Using Night-Vision Goggles,” New York Times, November 13, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/world/asia/taliban-shooting-policemen.html.
- December 27, 2017: Afghan security forces intercept a suicide car bomb at a military base in Lashkargah in the Helmand province and prevent the car from driving onto the base. The two bombers inside blow themselves up at the gates, killing at least two soldiers and wounding 15 others. The Taliban claim responsibility.Ayaz Gul, “Taliban Suicide Bombers Attack Afghan Army Base,” Voice of America, December 27, 2017, https://www.voanews.com/a/taliban-suicide-bombers-attack-afghan-army-base/4180905.html.
- January 20-21, 2018: Gunmen wearing army uniforms storm the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul late on January 20 and take hotel guests hostage during a 14-hour standoff with Afghan security forces and NATO troops. At least 22 civilians are killed, according to the Afghan government, but local news outlets report the death toll is at least 43. At least 14 foreign nationals are among the fatalities. Ten others are wounded, including six security officers. The Taliban claim responsibility, but the Afghan government suspects the Haqqani Network. Also on January 20, a roadside bomb in Farah province kills the province’s deputy police chief and wounds two officers. The Taliban claim responsibility.Mujib Mashal and Fatima Faizi, “Siege at Kabul Hotel Caps a Violent 24 Hours in Afghanistan,” New York Times, January 21, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/21/world/asia/afghanistan-hotel-attack.html; Ehsanullah Amiri and Craig Nelson, “Kabul Hotel Siege Ends With 19 Civilians Killed, All Attackers Dead,” Wall Street Journal, January 21, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/kabul-hotel-in-lockdown-hours-after-gunmen-attack-1516500552?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=3; “Afghan Intercontinental Hotel attack: Death toll in Kabul reaches 22,” BBC News, January 22, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42774198; Ehsan Popalzai and Susannah Cullinane, “Kabul hotel siege: Journalist describes night of terror from inside,” CNN, last updated January 22, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/22/asia/kabul-intercontinental-hotel-omeri/index.html.
- January 27, 2018: A militant drives an explosives-filled ambulance into a fortified area of Kabul home to government buildings and hospitals, killing at least 103 people and wounding 235. Investigators believe a second ambulance may have been involved but the attackers escaped. The Taliban claim responsibility for the bombing, calling the attack a warning to U.S. President Donald Trump against the U.S. “policy of aggression” in Afghanistan. The quick claim hours after the attack leads authorities to suspect the Taliban were also trying to send a message to opposing insurgents like ISIS.Rahim Faiez and Amir Shah, “IS attack on military academy in Afghan capital kills 11,” Associated Press, January 29, 2018, https://apnews.com/6eeb771d2c0d49b0904e872c12e63b04; Akram Walizada, “Shock gives way to despair in Kabul after ambulance bomb,” Reuters, January 27, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast/shock-gives-way-to-despair-in-kabul-after-ambulance-bomb-idUSKBN1FG086; Ehsan Popalzai, Faith Karimi, and Laura Smith-Spark, “Afghanistan mourns after ambulance bomb kills more than 100,” CNN, January 28, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/28/asia/afghanistan-kabul-ambulance-bomb/index.html.
- February 14, 2018: Militants kill at least 10 police officers in two separate attacks on police positions in the Farah and Faryab provinces. Afghan authorities blame the Taliban for both attacks, though the Taliban do not immediately claim responsibility.“Afghan officials: Attacks kill 10 police; blast kills 2 kids,” Associated Press, February 15, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/3878de385ff248bc87c4166501afd8da.
- February 21, 2018: Taliban militants attack a police post in the Ghazni province, killing eight officers and wounding another. The Taliban also claim to capture a police officer, though the government does not confirm the claim. Later that night, militants ambush a car in Parwan province carrying four intelligence officers, killing all four. There are no immediate claims for the Parwan attack.Amir Shah, “Afghan officials: Taliban attack police, intelligence,” Associated Press, February 22, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/7a78378cfa574490bdc54c5a632b9ab8.
- February 24, 2018: Taliban militants kill at least 18 soldiers in an attack on military camps in the Farah province. The Taliban also claim responsibility after two car bombs in Helmand province kill four policemen.Sayed Salahuddin, “Insurgents kill more than 20 security forces in separate attacks in Afghanistan,” Washington Post, February 24, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/insurgents-kill-more-than-20-security-forces-in-separate-attacks-in-afghanistan/2018/02/24/0047f5e2-1937-11e8-92c9-376b4fe57ff7_story.html?utm_term=.d1c06d570cb7.
- March 8-9, 2018: On March 8, Taliban fighters attack a police outpost in Ghazni province, killing four policemen. On March 9, a suicide bomber blows up at a police checkpoint in Kabul near a Shiite gathering, killing at least nine and wounding 18. ISIS claims responsibility. The bombing targeted Afghanistan’s Hazara minority. Separately, the Taliban attack an army outpost in the Takhar province, killing 10 officers and wounding nine.“Taliban Attacks Remote Afghan Army Outpost, Killing 10,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, March 9, 2018, https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-attack-10-police-killed-army-outpost/29088280.html; Associated Press, “Suicide bomber kills 9, wounds 18 in Afghan capital,” Los Angeles Times, March 9, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-afghanistan-bomber-20180309-story.html.
- April 14-15, 2018: At least 26 security officers are killed in four attacks on government outposts in northern and eastern Afghanistan. There are no immediate claims of responsibility, but government officials blame the Taliban.Najim Rahim and Jawad Sukhanyar, “Attacks in Afghanistan Leave Dozens Dead and 2 Schools Burned,” New York Times, April 15, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/15/world/asia/afghanistan-attacks-schools.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share.
- April 23, 2018: Taliban fighters launch simultaneous attacks on police and army units in the western Badghis province, killing 18 soldiers and policemen. The Taliban claim the attack in a media statement. In a separate attack, Taliban fighters kill four policemen and wound three others during a gun battle in Farah province. Three Taliban fighters are killed and two are wounded during the two-hour gun battle.Rahim Faiez and Amir Shah, “Afghan officials: Taliban attacks kill 14 troops, policemen,” Associated Press, April 23, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/f828bd299dd542a0a5117734fda75939; Amir Shah and Rahim Faiez, “Afghan officials: Taliban attacks kill 11 troops, policemen,” Associated Press, April 24, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/0695ced2bdf84fe98a1ef38d63267dfd.
- April 24, 2018: At least 11 Afghan soldiers and police officers are killed in attacks across the country. Militants kill at least five and wound two in an attack on a security checkpoint in the Farah province. At least four local police officers are killed seven wounded in Ghazni province. The Taliban claim responsibility for both attacks.Amir Shah and Rahim Faiez, “Afghan officials: Taliban attacks kill 11 troops, policemen,” Associated Press, April 24, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/0695ced2bdf84fe98a1ef38d63267dfd.
- April 25-26, 2018: On April 25, the Taliban announce the start of their annual spring offensive. The Taliban statement says the group will utilize “new and intricate tactics” aimed at “crushing, killing and capturing American invaders and their supporters.” That night, Taliban fighters launch attack an Afghan army security post in Dashti Archi district in the Kunduz province, killing at least seven soldiers and wounding one, according to the military. At least 15 Taliban fighters are killed and 13 wounded, according to the military’s account. A local hospital chief disputes the army’s figures, telling the Associated Press that 13 soldiers were killed and nine were wounded. On April 26, Taliban fighters ambush a government convoy in the Logar province, killing the deputy provincial governor and his two bodyguards. The Taliban claim credit in a media statement.“Afghanistan’s Taliban announce annual spring offensive,” Associated Press, April 25, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/f95bcbaf98884e08ae86007372c5fd23; “Afghan officials: Taliban attack kills at least 7 soldiers,” Associated Press, April 26, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/92dc3f95f22543b7ab0494a94acb857d.
- May 15-16, 2018: Taliban militants attack the city of Farah, killing 30. The militants briefly hold the city and then abandon it early the next day after a U.S. airstrike.Fahim Abed and Taimoor Shah, “Taliban Overrun Afghan City; Kill 30 People and Leave,” New York Times, May 16, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/world/asia/taliban-farah-afghanistan.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer.
- May 30, 2018: At least three are killed and 12 are wounded when Taliban suicide bombers attack a police station in the Logar province.CBS and Associated Press, “ISIS claims deadly attack on key Afghan gov't compound,” CBS News, May 30, 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-interior-ministry-attack-kabul-isis-and-taliban-continue-assault/.
- June 11-12, 2018: On June 11, Taliban fighters reportedly kill 15 Afghan soldiers and policemen in an attack on a security post in the Qal-i-Zal district of Kunduz province. Taliban fighters launch an overnight raid in the Kohistan district in the Faryab province, killing eight, including the district governor.Jawad Sukhanyar and Rod Nordland, “In Advance of Cease-Fires, Bombings in Afghanistan Kill at Least 18,” New York Times, June 11, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/world/asia/in-advance-of-cease-fires-bombings-in-afghanistan-kill-at-least-18.html; “Attacks Across Afghanistan Kill Dozens,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, June 11, 2018, https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-attack-roadside-bomb-kill-more-than-20-in-afghanistan/29283016.html; “Taliban kill Afghan district governor despite truce,” Al Jazeera, June 12, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/taliban-kill-afghan-district-governor-truce-180612141804256.html.
- June 20, 2018: Taliban fighters attack a security checkpoint in the Bala Murghab district of the Badghis province. The fighters then ambush Afghan reinforcements when they arrive at the checkpoint, altogether killing 30 soldiers and capturing the checkpoint. Separately, Taliban fighters attack another police checkpoint in the province, killing at least four. The attacks come three days after the end of Taliban-declared three-day ceasefire for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. The Afghan government in turn declared a ceasefire that was set to expire on June 20. Afghan authorities accuse the Taliban of using the ceasefire to plan and prepare for the attacks. Nonetheless, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani extends the government ceasefire another 10 days.Qadir Seqiqi, Storay Karimi, Jalil Rezaye, et al, “Afghan Taliban kill 30 soldiers in first major attack since Eid ceasefire,” Reuters, June 20, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban-attack/afghan-taliban-kill-30-soldiers-in-first-major-attack-since-eid-ceasefire-idUSKBN1JG0KA; “Taliban strikes Afghan army checkpoints, killing 30 troops,” Associated Press, June 20, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/e87d3bc545484b189a044b7ec42baf74.
- June 27-28, 2018: Taliban militants launch overnight attacks on security checkpoints in the Takhar Province, killing at least 14 border police officers and wounding two others. Six others are missing after the raids. Separate Taliban attacks leave at least 11 dead in the Logar province and at least five dead in Nangarhar province.“Dozens Killed In Militant Attacks Across Afghanistan,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, June 28, 2018, https://www.rferl.org/a/dozens-killed-in-militant-attacks-across-afghanistan/29325401.html.
- July 15-17, 2018: On July 15, Taliban fighters attack a police checkpoint in the Nangarhar province, killing seven. Five Taliban militants are also killed. On the night of July 16, Taliban militants attack a police checkpoint in the Kandahar province, killing nine policemen and wounding seven. According to Afghan officials, 25 Taliban fighters are killed and 15 are wounded in the confrontation. On July 17, a suicide bomber explodes in the northern Sar-i-Pul province, killing at least 20, including 15 village elders and five Taliban commanders. There are conflicting reports regarding the exact location of the explosion. The attack comes as village leaders are meeting with Taliban officials in the area. Afghan officials blame ISIS.CBS and Associated Press, “20 killed as ISIS bomber reportedly targets Taliban officials in Afghanistan,” CBS News, July 17, 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taliban-commander-reportedly-killed-isis-bomber-afghanistan-attack/; “Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan kill at least 15 Taliban,” Reuters, July 17, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-security/islamic-state-fighters-in-afghanistan-kill-at-least-15-taliban-idUSKBN1K71O5; Rahim Faiez and Amir Shah, “Afghan officials: IS bomber kills 20, Taliban kill 9 police,” July 17, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/7d62ac1bb39048bd9ad2c5a316074214.
- July 19-20, 2018: Over the course of two days, Taliban fighters attack multiple security outposts in the Ghazni and Zabul provinces, killing 14 police officers and wounding 10 others. The Taliban claim to have killed 16 officers alone in attacks on security positions in Ghazni province’s Qarabagh district, conflicting with official Afghan government figures.Amir Shah and Kathy Gannon, “Taliban launches 2 days of attacks in Afghanistan, 14 killed,” Associated Press, July 20, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/17f2bbd6e4b14c70b7c553a2214dde71.
- August 10-14, 2018: Taliban fighters dressed as Afghan soldiers attack the city of Ghazni. The Taliban order their fighters to leave the city after five days of fighting with security forces that killed at least 200 people, though there are multiple, conflicting casualty reports. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan estimates that up to 150 civilians were killed during the siege. At least 140 members of the security forces were killed, according to other reports.“Afghanistan: Dozens of security forces killed in Taliban attack,” Al Jazeera, August 15, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/afghanistan-dozens-security-forces-killed-taliban-attack-180815065025633.html; “BBC reporter's terrifying days amid Taliban assault on Ghazni,” BBC News, August 15, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45186341; Craig Nelson, Habib Khan Totakhil and Ehsanullah Amiri, “Afghan City Gauges Toll After Taliban Siege,” Wall Street Journal, August 14, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghan-city-gauges-toll-after-taliban-siege-1534276608; Abdul Qadir Sediqi and Sayed Hassib, “Scores killed in Kabul blast as Afghanistan reels from attacks,” Reuters, August 15, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast/scores-killed-in-kabul-blast-as-afghanistan-reels-from-attacks-idUSKBN1L017W; Abdul Qadir Sediqi and Hamid Shalizi, “Afghan forces say regaining control of much of besieged city,” Reuters, August 14, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack/afghan-forces-say-regaining-control-of-much-of-besieged-city-idUSKBN1KZ0AM.
- August 13, 2018: Taliban fighters attack a military base known in the Faryab province, killing 17 soldiers and wounding 19 others.“Afghanistan: Dozens of security forces killed in Taliban attack,” Al Jazeera, August 15, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/afghanistan-dozens-security-forces-killed-taliban-attack-180815065025633.html.
- August 15, 2018: Taliban fighters attack a security outpost in the Baghlan province, killing at least 44 police officers and soldiers. A Taliban statement claims the group killed 70 Afghan soldiers and stole armored vehicles and ammunition from two checkpoints and a military base. A separate Taliban statement announced the group’s withdrawal of its guarantee of protection for the International Committee of the Red Cross, citing the ICRC’s failure to guarantee protections for Taliban fighters in Afghan prisons. Separately, a suicide bomber explodes at a private school in a Shiite Hazara neighborhood of Kabul, killing at least 48 and wounding 67. The Taliban deny involvement. ISIS claims responsibility the following day through its Amaq News Agency.“Afghanistan: Dozens of security forces killed in Taliban attack,” Al Jazeera, August 15, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/afghanistan-dozens-security-forces-killed-taliban-attack-180815065025633.html; Abdul Qadir Sediqi and Sayed Hassib, “Scores killed in Kabul blast as Afghanistan reels from attacks,” Reuters, August 15, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast/scores-killed-in-kabul-blast-as-afghanistan-reels-from-attacks-idUSKBN1L017W; James Mackenzie and Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay, “Taliban withdraws protection from Red Cross in Afghanistan,” Reuters, August 15, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-redcross/taliban-withdraws-protection-from-red-cross-in-afghanistan-idUSKBN1L01VV; Ahmed Mengli, F. Brinley Bruton, and Reuters, “Afghanistan bombing: Attack kills 48 Hazara college hopefuls in Kabul,” NBC News, August 15, 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/afghanistan-bombing-attack-kills-48-hazara-college-hopefuls-kabul-n900916; “Kabul suicide bomber kills 48 in tuition centre attack,” BBC News, August 15, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45199904; Amir Shah, “Afghan IS branch claims deadly attack on Shiites in Kabul,” Associated Press, August 16, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/11431e698aa5451eb0b88ea41e4e8496.
- August 20, 2018: The Taliban officially reject a three-month ceasefire offer made a day earlier by President Ashraf Ghani. Taliban fighters ambush three buses in Kunduz and take hostage 170 passengers traveling to Kabul for the Eid al-Adha holiday. Afghan security forces rescue 149 hostages within hours of the attack. A Taliban commander tells Reuters that the remaining 21 hostages would likely be exchanged for Taliban prisoners.Ehsan Popalzai, “Taliban holds passengers after Afghan bus attacks,” CNN, August 20, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/20/asia/taliban-bus-kunduz-intl/index.html; Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Rupam Jain, and Jibran Ahmad, “Taliban reject Afghan ceasefire, kidnap nearly 200 bus passengers,” Reuters, August 20, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack/taliban-kidnap-dozens-in-afghanistans-north-despite-ceasefire-idUSKCN1L50GZ; Amir Shah and Rahim Faiez, “Afghan forces free most hostages taken in new Taliban attack,” August 20, 2018, https://apnews.com/e69467d674584ca2920b498677cbc933.
- August 21, 2018: Militants fire approximately 30 mortars at the presidential palace in Kabul during a presidential address marking Eid al-Adha. The attacks cause no casualties. Security forces kill four of the nine militants responsible and arrest the other five. Police blame the Taliban.Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Hamid Shalizi, Rupam Jain, et al, “Afghan forces kill insurgents after mortars hit Kabul,” Reuters, August 21, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack-civilians/afghan-forces-kill-insurgents-after-mortars-hit-kabul-idUSKCN1L60J1?il=0.
- September 13-14, 2018: Overnight Taliban attacks in the Farah province kill at least 29 police officers. Fighters also attack a security outpost in the Samangan province, killing six. A roadside bomb in the Nangahar province wounds five. There are no immediate claims of responsibility for the Samangan or Nangahar attacks but officials suspect the Taliban.“At least 37 killed in multiple attacks across Afghanistan,” Al Jazeera, September 14, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/afghanistan-29-security-forces-killed-multiple-attacks-180914085033649.html; “At least 38 military, civilians dead in 48 hours in Afghanistan,” Gulf Times, September 14, 2018, https://www.gulf-times.com/story/606051/At-least-38-military-civilians-dead-in-48-hours-in.
- September 23, 2018: A Taliban prisoner at the Shar-e-Safa district jail in Zabul province seizes an assault rifle from a guard and kills at least eight police officers during an hours-long firefight that continues into the next day. The prisoner escaped, according to some reports, though it remains inconclusive.Ayaz Gul, “Taliban Detainee Goes on Killing Spree in Afghan Prison,” Voice of America, September 24, 2018, https://www.voanews.com/a/taliban-detainee-goes-on-killing-spree-in-afghan-prison/4584461.html; “Prisoner escapes after killing police guard in Zabul,” MENAFN, September 24, 2018, https://menafn.com/1097478078/Prisoner-escapes-after-killing-police-guard-in-Zabul.
- October 6-7, 2018: Beginning late on October 6, Taliban fighters set fire to a government building in the Sayed Abad district in the Maidan Wardak province. The militants kill 14 policemen including the district chief. The following day, militants blow up a series of bridges between Kabul and three provinces. Afghan authorities dispute the Taliban claim they overran the Sayed Abad district headquarters.“Taliban kill 10 policemen, destroy bridges according to officials,” Al Jazeera, October 7, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/officials-taliban-kills-10-policemen-blow-bridges-181007083522982.html; Rahim Faiez, “Afghan officials say highway reopened after Taliban assault,” Associated Press, October 7, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/abefcf4fe2c64e97bd22010bb6119c1d.
- October 19, 2018: A gunman opens fire at a security meeting between Kandahar’s police chief, General Abdul Raziq Achakza, and U.S. military leaders, killing Achakza and wounding three members of the NATO coalition forces. Two Americans are among the wounded. U.S. soldiers shoot and kill the attacker. U.S. Army General Scott Miller, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, is uninjured in the attack. The Taliban claim responsibility and announce that Achakza had been the primary target.Nick Paton Walsh, Barbara Starr, and Ryan Browne, “Top Afghan police chief killed, 2 Americans wounded in Kandahar attack,” CNN, October 19, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/18/politics/afghanistan-police-attack/index.html.
- October 2018: At least 56 people killed and 370 wounded during the parliamentary voting period starting on October 20. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) largely blames a Taliban for a “deliberate campaign” to disrupt the elections. UNAMA accuses the Taliban of forcing Afghans to choose between participation in the electoral process and their own safety.“2018 ELECTIONS VIOLENCE - TALIBAN CAMPAIGN TO DISRUPT PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS AND ITS IMPACT ON CIVILIANS,” U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, November 6, 2018, https://unama.unmissions.org/2018-elections-violence-taliban-campaign-disrupt-parliamentary-elections-and-its-impact-civilians.
- November 11, 2018: The Taliban advance on the Jaghori district, an area dominated by the ethnic Shiite Hazara minority. Militants kill 30 Afghan special forces soldiers along with 50 police and local militia fighters in 24 hours.Rod Nordland, “Taliban Slaughter Elite Afghan Troops, and a ‘Safe’ District Is Falling,” New York Times, November 12, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-attack-jaghori-district.html.
- November 13, 2018: Local government and security officials flee Malistan district, Ghazni province, as Taliban fighters launch attacks there.Ajmal Wesal, “Malistan district officials flee as Taliban close in,” Pajhwok, November 13, 2018, https://www.pajhwok.com/en/2018/11/13/malistan-district-officials-flee-taliban-close.
- November 25, 2018: Taliban fighters kill ten Afghan National Army soldiers, including the unit commander, in Qaisar district, Faryab province. The Taliban also capture two armored Humvees.Bilal Sarwary, Twitter post, November 27, 2018, 8:54 a.m., https://twitter.com/bsarwary/status/1067416341206962176.
- November 27, 2018: Four U.S. soldiers are killed in a Taliban IED attack in Ghazni city.Kyle Rempfer, “Three US troops killed, three others wounded in IED blast in Afghanistan,” Military Times, November 27, 2018, https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/11/27/three-us-troops-killed-three-others-wounded-in-ied-blast-in-afghanistan/; Kyle Rempfer, “Fourth soldier dies from large IED blast in Afghanistan,” Army Times, December 2, 2018, https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/12/03/fourth-soldier-dies-from-large-ied-blast-in-afghanistan/.
- November 28, 2018: Five Taliban fighters detonate a car bomb outside of the compound for British security firm G4S in Kabul. The attack kills 10 people, including five G4S employees, and injures 32. The Taliban also launch a nighttime attack on the district Dara-i-Sauf Payeen, Samangan province, but Afghan security forces push them back. The clashes erupted after 9 p.m. and lasted approximately five hours.“UK security firm G4S says five employees killed in Kabul attack,” France 24, November 29, 2018, https://www.france24.com/en/20181129-uk-security-firm-g4s-says-five-employees-killed-kabul-attack; Mohammad Barat, “Taliban closing in on Dara-i-Sauf Payeen district,” Pajhwok, November 29, 2018, https://www.pajhwok.com/en/2018/11/29/taliban-closing-dara-i-sauf-payeen-district; Nancy Youssef, “Attack at Security Company in Afghanistan Kills 10, Injures 19,” Wall Street Journal, November 28, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/attack-at-security-company-in-afghanistan-kills-10-injures-19-1543450878.
- December 3, 2018: Taliban fighters kill a police chief and one other when they storm a police checkpoint in Sari Pul province.“Afghan official: Taliban storm checkpoint, kill police chief,” Associated Press, December 3, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/5797d491f80047729b81237cf3243f2a.
- December 6, 2018: Taliban fighters kill 14 and capture 21 soldiers in coordinated attacks on two Afghan National Army bases in Herat province.“Afghan soldiers killed in 'coordinated Taliban attack' in Herat,” Al Jazeera, December 7, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/afghan-soldiers-killed-coordinated-taliban-attack-herat-181207082508638.html.
- December 8, 2018: Taliban fighters kill eight and capture nine soldiers in an attack on an Afghan National Army outpost in Farah province.“At Least Eight Afghan Soldiers Killed, Nine Captured In Taliban Attack,” Radio Free Europe, December 9, 2018, https://www.rferl.org/a/at-least-eight-afghan-soldiers-killed-nine-captured-in-taliban-attack/29646292.html.
- December 11, 2018: The Taliban kill at least 40 in attacks in five provinces. At least four security forces and eight civilians are killed in a suicide bombing on a security convoy in the outskirts of Kabul. In the Chardara District of Kunduz, the Taliban kill 10 police officers and wound 12 in coordinated attacks on 15 security outposts. In Kandahar the Taliban kill eight police officers. In the Pashtun Zarghun district of Herat, the Taliban kill six police officers. The Taliban kill four additional members of the security forces in various attacks across Kunduz and Badghis Provinces.“Death toll from Taliban attack in Afghan capital rises to 12,” Associated Press, December 11, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/9b9e2dd20a7842829c429aaaa6026b1c; Fahim Abed, “Attacks Across Afghanistan Leave at Least 30 Dead,” New York Times, December 11, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/world/asia/kabul-afghanistan-attacks.html; Bill Roggio, “Taliban attacks on Afghan forces undeterred by mounting US pressure,” Long War Journal, December 11, 2018, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/12/taliban-attacks-on-afghan-forces-undeterred-by-mounting-us-pressure.php.
- December 20, 2018: Taliban fighters assassinate the commander of the Afghan Local Police in Dahana-i-Ghori district, Baghlan Province.“Senior Afghan police official killed in Taliban attack in N. province,” Xinhua, December 20, 2018, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-12/20/c_137687229.htm.
- December 24, 2018: Militants kill 43 in an attack on the Ministry of Public Works and Ministry for Martyrs and Disabled Persons in Kabul involving a suicide bombing and small arms. There were no immediate claims of responsibility.Alice Tidey, “Gunmen kill dozens after storming Afghan government building,” Euro News, December 24, 2018, https://www.euronews.com/2018/12/25/car-bomb-and-gun-attack-underway-in-kabul.
- January 1, 2019: Taliban fighters kill more than 21 security personnel and capture two outposts as they advance on the oil fields in Sayyad district, Sar-e-Pol Province. The Taliban also kill six and wound seven police officer in an attack in Chemtal District, Balkh Province.Ayaz Gul, “Afghan Forces Repulse Taliban Attack on Oil Fields,” Voice of America, January 1, 2019, https://www.voanews.com/a/afghan-forces-repulse-taliban-attack-on-oil-fields/4724271.html; Najim Rahim and Fahim Abed, “Taliban Attacks in Northern Afghanistan Kill 27 Security Officers,” New York Times, January 1, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/01/world/asia/afghanistan-attacks-taliban.html.
- January 2, 2019: Taliban fighters kill five Afghan soldiers at a military base in Maiwand district, Kandahar Province. On the same day, Afghan forces repel an attack on Italian military advisors in Herat province. One Taliban fighter is killed and one captured in the attempted attack. Meanwhile, the Taliban carry out an overnight attack on two security checkpoints in Pul-e Khumri, the capital of Baghlan Province. Eleven security personnel are killed and the checkpoints destroyed.“Five Afghan Soldiers Killed In Taliban Attack,” Radio Free Europe, January 2, 2019, https://www.rferl.org/a/five-afghan-soldiers-killed-in-taliban-attack/29688268.html; “At Least 11 Afghan Police Officers Killed In Taliban Attacks,” Radio Free Europe, January 3, 2019, https://www.rferl.org/a/at-least-11-afghan-police-officers-killed-in-taliban-attacks/29690134.html.
- January 5, 2019: Taliban militants kidnap 15 government employees on their way to work in Farah city, the capital of Farah province. The kidnappings take place on the same day that Afghan forces raid a Taliban prison and free 12 hostages. Taliban militants storm a checkpoint in the town of Nava in Kandahar province along the Pakistan border, killing at least seven border police officers. Afghan security reportedly kills 16 of the attackers. The Taliban claim responsibility over social media.“Seven Afghan border guards killed in Kandahar,” The Nation (Lahore), January 6, 2019, https://nation.com.pk/06-Jan-2019/seven-afghan-border-guards-killed-in-kandahar; “Afghan Forces Free Hostages As Taliban Kidnap Government Employees,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, January 5, 2019, https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-forces-free-hostages-as-taliban-kidnap-government-employees/29693098.html.
- January 6, 2019: Taliban fighters kill at least 21 security personnel in attacks on a military base in Qadis district and a police checkpoint in Ab Kamis district, Baghdis Province.“Roadside bomb, Taliban attacks kill 27 across Afghanistan,” Al Jazeera, January 7, 2019, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/roadside-bomb-taliban-attacks-kill-27-afghanistan-190107092105633.html.
- January 9, 2019: Taliban militants attack multiple security positions in three separate provinces, killing a total of at least 21 police officers and wounding 23 officers. In Badghis province, militants kill six policemen. Militants also kill seven police officers in Baghlan province and eight officers in Takhar province. Taliban forces also take control of 30 villages and strategic areas, according to Afghan officials.“Taliban militants overrun 30 villages in western Afghan province,” Xinhua, January 9, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-01/09/c_137731042.htm; “Afghan officials: Taliban attacks kill 21 policemen,” Associated Press, “Afghan officials: Taliban attacks kill 21 policemen,” January 10, 2019, https://www.apnews.com/c0ad9dafd6ba463a84f7c77dbd5e1bd6.
- January 13, 2019: A U.S. Army Ranger is wounded in Baghdis province and dies of wounds several days later.Zachary Cohen and Ryan Browne, “Pentagon identifies US soldier killed in Afghanistan,” CNN, January 23, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/23/politics/us-soldier-killed-afghanistan/index.html.
- January 21, 2019: Taliban fighters kill 126 Afghan army, special forces, and intelligence personnel in an attack on a training center of the National Directorate for Security in Maidan Wardak province, west of the capital Kabul. The attackers used a captured Humvee as a car bomb before fighting with small arms.Rupam Jain and Abdul Qadir Sediqi, “Taliban attack on Afghan security base kills over 100,” Reuters, January 20, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack/taliban-attack-kills-more-than-100-security-personnel-in-central-afghanistan-defense-ministry-source-idUSKCN1PF0FC.
- January 22, 2019: A second U.S. soldier is killed in fighting in Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan Province.Zachary Cohen and Ryan Browne, “Pentagon identifies US soldier killed in Afghanistan,” CNN, January 23, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/23/politics/us-soldier-killed-afghanistan/index.html.
- February 1, 2019: Taliban fighters kill 17 Afghan security personnel in attacks across two provinces. The Taliban kill six soldiers in an attack on an outpost in Gorekab, Sozma Qala District, Sar-i-Pul Province. In the Baghdis Province, Taliban fighters kill one soldier and five police officers in an attack in Qades District while five soldiers are killed in an attack on the village of Morichaq, Bala Murghab District.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: Feb. 1-7,” New York Times, February 8, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html.
- February 4, 2019: Taliban fighters kill 10 pro-government militiamen in an attack on the village of Gola, Dara-i-Suf Payan District, Samangan Province.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: Feb. 1-7,” New York Times, February 8, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html.
- February 5, 2019: Taliban fighters kill 30 Afghan security personnel and wound 20 more when they storm a checkpoint in the Telawaki area of Kunduz City. The Taliban also capture a security outpost and kill 11 security personnel in the Hasan Tal area of Baghlan-e-Markazi District, Baghlan Province.Ajmal Kakar, “28 security personnel killed in Kunduz firefight,” Pajhwok Afghan News, February 5, 2019, https://www.pajhwok.com/en/2019/02/05/28-security-personnel-killed-kunduz-firefight; Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: Feb. 1-7,” New York Times, February 8, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html
- February 6, 2019: Taliban fighters kill seven soldiers in an attack on a military outpost in Arghandab District, Zabul Province.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: Feb. 1-7,” New York Times, February 8, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html.
- February 12-13, 2019: On February 12, Taliban militants attack a security checkpoint in the Balamurghab district in the Badghis province, killing eight and wounding eight others. Later in the day, Taliban militants attack a security post in Farah city, killing four and wounding four others. A mortar strikes a house in the Takhar province, killing three and wounding eight.“Afghan gov't forces, Taliban increase activities, 32 killed,” Xinhua, February 13, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/12/c_137816387.htm.
- February 17, 2019: Taliban gunmen open fire on a police vehicle in the Baghlan province, killing at least two civilians and wounding five others.“Taliban firing kills 2 civilians, wounds 5 in N. Afghanistan,” Xinhua, February 17, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/17/c_137829023.htm.
- March 1, 2019: Up to 30 Taliban militants wearing Afghan military uniforms, including at least eight suicide bombers, attack the Camp Shorab military compound in Helmand province, killing at least 40 and wounding 16. A small contingent of U.S. forces is stationed at the base to train Afghan soldiers but no U.S. citizens are injured.Taimoor Shah, Fatima Faizi, and David Zucchino, “Taliban Target Key Afghan Base on Eve of Peace Talks,” New York Times, March 1, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/01/world/asia/taliban-peace-talks-attack.html?module=inline; Zabihullah Ghazi and Fahim Abed, “16 Civilians Are Killed in Attack on Construction Company in Afghanistan,” New York Times, March 6, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/world/asia/afghanistan-attack-construction-company.html.
- March 4, 2019: Taliban militants attack a military base and police outpost in Kunduz province, killing 19 soldiers and police officers. Separately, Taliban militants storm the main bazaar of Yangi Qala district in the Takhar province, killing three and wounding seven.Zabihullah Ghazi and Fahim Abed, “16 Civilians Are Killed in Attack on Construction Company in Afghanistan,” New York Times, March 6, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/world/asia/afghanistan-attack-construction-company.html; “Over 40 including 3 civilians killed within one day in Afghan fighting,” Xinhua, March 4, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/04/c_137868603.htm.
- March 13, 2019: Taliban forces attack an army checkpoint in the Farah province, killing 10. At least five soldiers are reported missing after security forces repel the attack. The Taliban claim responsibility.Rahim Faiez, “Afghan journalist wounded in bombing; 10 troops killed,” Associated Press, March 13, 2019, https://www.apnews.com/e86459b857ff437fa41e69ce749b91fe.
- March 17, 2019: Taliban forces capture 150 Afghan soldiers after forcing Afghan units in the Badghis province into neighboring Turkmenistan. It is the largest known capture to date of Afghan soldiers in the war against militants. The capture raises the total number of Afghan soldiers captured that week to 190. At least 16 soldiers are killed. Taliban forces largely take control of the Murghab district.Najim Rahim and Rod Nordland, “Taliban Capture About 150 Afghan Soldiers After Chase Into Turkmenistan,” New York Times, March 17, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/17/world/asia/afghanistan-soldiers-taliban-turkmenistan.html.
- March 22, 2019: Taliban militants attack Afghan forces in the Sangin district of Helmand province, killing at least 40. Afghan officials do not confirm the details of the attack or the death toll, but some reports claims up to 65 Afghan soldiers are killed.Taimoor Shah and Fahim Abed, “Taliban Kill Dozens of Security Forces in Major Strike in Afghanistan,” New York Times, March 24, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/24/world/asia/taliban-attack-afghanistan-helmand.html.
- March 23, 2019: Twin explosions at an agricultural show in Lashkar Gah kill at least four and wound 31. The Taliban claim responsibility.“4 Dead, 30 Hurt in Southern Afghanistan Attack,” Voice of America, March 23, 2019, https://www.voanews.com/a/afghanistan-helmand-attack/4845017.html; “Taliban claim twin blasts that kill four at Afghan stadium,” Al Jazeera, March 23, 2019, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/taliban-claim-twin-blasts-kill-4-afghan-stadium-190323094939550.html.
- March 28-29, 2019: Taliban forces attack security outposts in Badakhshan, Zabul, and Ghazni provinces, killing at least 17. The Taliban claim responsibility for all three attacks.Associated Press, “Afghan officials: Taliban attacks target police, killing 17,” Fox News, March 29, 2019, https://www.foxnews.com/world/afghan-officials-taliban-attacks-target-police-killing-17.
- March 30-31, 2019: On March 30, multiple Taliban attacks on security checkpoints across the country kill at least 30. On March 31, Taliban fighters ambush the convoy of Afghan Vice President Abdurrashid Dostum, killing two of his guards. Four Taliban militants are also reportedly killed. The Taliban claim responsibility.“Explosion, Taliban attacks kill dozens across Afghanistan,” Al Jazeera, March 30, 2019, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/explosion-taliban-attacks-kill-dozens-afghanistan-190330091317275.html; Sharif Hassan, Sayed Salahuddin, and Amie Ferris-Rotman, “Afghan vice president survives Taliban assassination attempt,” Washington Post, March 31, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghan-vice-president-survives-taliban-assassination-attempt/2019/03/31/7c82d94e-53cc-11e9-aa83-504f086bf5d6_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.de89678ae41d.
- April 4, 2019: Hundreds of Taliban fighters attack the center of Bala Murghab district in Badghis province, killing at least 30 Afghan soldiers and officers and capturing 21 others. The Afghan Air Force launches airstrikes around the district in response, but Afghan officials warn that reinforcements are desperately needed. Also that day, explosives at a health facility in Pul-i-Kumri City kill one and wound 18. In the Faizabad district of the Jowzjan province, Taliban fighters launch a pre-dawn raid on a security outpost that leaves six police officers dead and one wounded. Four Taliban fighters are also reportedly killed during the fighting.Fahim Abed, “Taliban Attack Kills Dozens in Afghanistan Despite U.S. Efforts in Peace Talks,” New York Times, April 4, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/world/asia/taliban-attack-afghanistan.html.
- April 6, 2019: Twin explosions in Jalalabad kill at least three and wound 20. There are no immediate claims of responsibility. Also that day, suspected Taliban militants attack two security checkpoints in Sari Pul and Ghazni provinces, killing at least seven and wounding 12. The Taliban claim responsibility for the attack on Ghazni but not in Sari Pul.Associated Press, “Afghan officials: Taliban attacks kill 7 police,” Washington Post, April 6, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghan-officials-taliban-attacks-kill-7-policemen/2019/04/06/38742368-583e-11e9-aa83-504f086bf5d6_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c8e6be582946; Associated Press, “Double blast kills three people, injures 20 in east Afghanistan,” Arab News (Jeddah), April 6, 2019, http://www.arabnews.com/node/1478456/world.
- April 8-9, 2019: On April 8, an explosives-laden vehicle explodes at the Bagram Air Field, killing three U.S. Marines and wounds three others. The Taliban claim responsibility. Overnight, Taliban forces raid Afghan army bases near the Pakistani border, killing at least 20 soldiers. A Taliban spokesman claims credit and claims the group also stole weapons.Gordon Lubold and Nancy A. Youssef, “Three Americans Killed in Taliban Blast Were Marines, Officials Say,” Wall Street Journal, April 9, 2019, https://www.wsj.com/articles/three-americans-killed-in-taliban-blast-were-marines-officials-say-11554825303; Gordon Lubold and Nancy A. Youssef, “At Least Three Americans Killed in Afghanistan Blast,” Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2019, https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-least-four-americans-killed-in-afghanistan-blast-11554750265?mod=article_inline; Associated Press, “Afghan officials: Taliban storm checkpoints, kill 20 troops,” Washington Post, April 9, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghan-officials-taliban-kill-5-soldier-kills-2-troops/2019/04/09/fd3838a2-5a9a-11e9-98d4-844088d135f2_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a7db6060508d.
- April 12, 2019: The Taliban announce the al-Fath (“Victory) operation, the beginning of their annual spring offensive. A Taliban statement calls on Afghan soldiers and police officers to abandon the government. Taliban militants ambush a police convoy in the Ghor province, killing at least seven and wounding three. In Baghlan province, militants kill seven and wound eight in attacks on police checkpoints. Militants kill at least two officers in an attack on a district police headquarters in Nangarhar province.James Mackenzie, “Taliban announce annual spring offensive in Afghanistan,” Reuters, April 12, 2019, https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-afghanistan-taliban/taliban-announce-annual-spring-offensive-in-afghanistan-idUKKCN1RO0M6; Associated Press, “Taliban launch multi-pronged attack on northern Afghan city,” Washington Post, April 13, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/taliban-ambush-afghan-police-convoy-killing-7/2019/04/13/4df6ac06-5db6-11e9-98d4-844088d135f2_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.35a83a0e515ahttps://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/taliban-ambush-afghan-police-convoy-killing-7/2019/04/13/4df6ac06-5db6-11e9-98d4-844088d135f2_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.35a83a0e515a.
- April 13, 2019: Taliban militants attack the city of Kunduz, killing at least six and wounding at least 50.Associated Press, “Taliban launch multi-pronged attack on northern Afghan city,” Washington Post, April 13, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/taliban-ambush-afghan-police-convoy-killing-7/2019/04/13/4df6ac06-5db6-11e9-98d4-844088d135f2_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.35a83a0e515ahttps://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/taliban-ambush-afghan-police-convoy-killing-7/2019/04/13/4df6ac06-5db6-11e9-98d4-844088d135f2_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.35a83a0e515a.
- April 14 – 15, 2019: On April 14, the Benafsha Girls High School in the Farah province’s Tosak village is burned down by unidentified militants. Overnight on April 15, militants blow up the Nawdeh Girls High School, also in Farah province. There are no casualties in the attacks. There are no immediate claims of responsibility, though the Taliban had recently warned that it would attack girls’ schools. Approximately 2,000 students attended the two schools altogether.“Another Girls’ School “Destroyed” in Farah,” Tolo News, April 16, 2019, https://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/another-girls%E2%80%99-school-%E2%80%98destroyed%E2%80%99%C2%A0-farah.
- April 27, 2019: The Taliban attacks a security outpost in Feroz Koh City. Nine security forces are killed and five others are wounded.Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: April 26-May 2,” New York Times, May 2, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-april-26-may-2.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- May 5, 2019: A suicide car bomber strikes the entrance of a police headquarters in Pul-e-Khmuri with eight gunmen rushing in after the explosion, killing 13 officers and injuring 55. The Taliban claims responsibility. The attack comes two days after President Ashraf Ghani demands an immediate ceasefire between the Taliban and government forces.“At Least 13 Dead, Dozens Injured In Taliban Attack On Police HQ,” Radio Free Europe, May 6, 2019, https://www.rferl.org/a/eight-dead-dozens-injured-in-taliban-attack-on-police-hq/29923053.html.
- May 8, 2019: Four Taliban insurgents detonate an explosive-laden vehicle and then break into American NGO Counterpart International’s offices in Kabul. At least nine are killed, including the attackers, and 24 are injured.Bianca Britton, Ehsan Popalzai and Caitlin Hu, “Five Killed in Attack on Charitable Group in Afghanistan,” CNN, June 21, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/08/asia/afghanistan-kabul-attack-counterpart-international-intl/index.html.
- May 10, 2019: Taliban militants overrun two government outposts in Murghab. The exact number of casualties is not released, but it is reported that more than 20 Afghan soldiers are dead including several officers from an elite police unit.Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Najim Rahim, “Taliban Kill at Least a Dozen Afghan Soldiers, a Day After Peace Talks,” New York Times, May 10, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-attack.html.
- May 15, 2019: The Afghan Ministry of the interior confirms that Mullah Khadem, a key Taliban commander, is killed in a military operation in Balkh Province. Khadem commanded over 10 insurgents in the area.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: May 10-16,” New York Times, May 16, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/16/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- May 27, 2019: The Taliban captures and burns down Qashqari military base while also attacking several outposts in Sar-i-Pul City. During the five-hour attack, eight security officials are killed, 29 are wounded, and three soldiers are taken prisoner by the Taliban.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: May 24-30,” New York Times, May 30, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/30/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-may-24-30.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- May 28, 2019: Taliban insurgents attack security checkpoints in western Ghor province and eastern Logar province. Eighteen are killed and seven are wounded in Ghor, while five soldiers are killed, four wounded, and four captured in Logar.“Taliban attacks kill 23 members of Afghan security forces,” Associated Press, May 28, 2019, https://www.apnews.com/75a1ff6ae9f44ec8be6e8117b1457421.
- May 31, 2019: A car bomb hits a convoy of foreign forces in Kabul. It is reported that at least four bystanders are killed, and seven are wounded, including four U.S. troops. The Taliban-sponsored attack came as a delegation of Taliban officials met Senior Afghan politicians in Moscow to discuss a possible peace process to end the almost two-decade war in Afghanistan.Siobhan O’Grady, “Car bomb targets U.S. convoy in Kabul, killing four bystanders and wounding four U.S. troops,” Washington Post, May 31, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/car-bomb-targets-us-convoy-in-kabul-killing-four-bystanders-and-wounding-four-us-troops/2019/05/31/a33ce810-8372-11e9-933d-7501070ee669_story.html.
- June 11, 2019: Afghan security forces launch clearance operations in Kohistanat, killing 16 insurgents including Abdul Bashir, the commander of the Taliban’s Red Unit Force and wounding 23 others. Two security personnel are killed and four others are injured during the operation.“Taliban's Red Unit Commander among 16 killed in N. Afghanistan,” Xinhua, June 11, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-06/11/c_138134591.htm.
- June 30, 2019: The Taliban attacks a military base in Kandahar. The insurgents detonate an explosive-filled Humvee and then drive a stolen police pickup truck filled with explosives into the base. The attack leaves 45 of the 60 police officers, 8 civilians, and 25 Taliban fighters dead.Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: June 28-July 4,” New York Times, July 4, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-june-28-july-4.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- July 1, 2019: Five Taliban members detonate a car bomb and storm an area housing military and government buildings in Kabul. The attack leaves 105 people wounded and at least 16, including the five insurgents, dead.Ehsan Popalzai and Tara John, “Six killed, 51 schoolchildren injured in Taliban attack on Kabul,” CNN, July 1, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/01/middleeast/kabul-car-bombing-afghanistan-intl/index.html.
- July 2, 2019 – July 3, 2019: Taliban forces—comprised of 130 militants—capture Qosh Tepa, killing 20 security forces, including N.D.S. officers and soldiers. A day later, the Taliban ambush Darzab District, killing the head of the National Directorate of Security and five officers who fled Qosh Tepa the day before. Two others are wounded.Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: June 28-July 4,” New York Times, July 4, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-june-28-july-4.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- July 9, 2019: The Taliban attack and eventually capture two military bases and three security outposts in Imam Sahib District. Nine security forces are killed, and 11 are injured. 10 border force members are taken hostage.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: July 5-11,” New York Times, July 11, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- July 13, 2019: The Taliban plant a roadside bomb in Sayedabad which strikes an American armored personnel carrier. One U.S. soldier is killed in the attack. The same day, a group of suicide bombers storm a police base in Qala-e-Naq, killing at least three security personnel and wounding eight others. The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack.Ayaz Gul, “US Soldier Killed 'in Action,' Taliban Attack Afghan Police Base,” July 13, 2019, https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/us-soldier-killed-action-taliban-attack-afghan-police-base.
- July 16, 2019: Afghan commandos raid a Taliban prison near the house of the Taliban shadow governor in Aab Kamari District. Thirty-five commandos and four civilians are killed Four civilians are taken prisoner by the insurgents. Thirty Taliban fighters are killed and another 50 are wounded.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: July 12-18,” New York Times, July 18, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- July 18, 2019: Taliban fighters detonate a car bomb outside the police headquarters in Kandahar city. At least 11 are killed and nearly 90 others are wounded. Two Taliban attackers blew themselves up and six others are shot dead.“At least 11 killed in Taliban attack on Afghan police HQ,” Al Jazeera, July 18, 2019, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/car-bomb-hits-police-hq-afghanistan-kandahar-190718123727497.html.
- July 25, 2019: The Taliban detonate a car bomb in Kabul, killing 11 civilians. On the same day, A Taliban Red Unit attacks two security bases in Ishkamish District. Thirty-seven soldiers and police officers are killed, and six officers are wounded. Afghan reinforcements later recapture both bases.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: July 19-25,” New York Times, July 25, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- July 27, 2019: A suicide bomber attacked the Ab Band police headquarters in southeastern Ghazni Province. There were three casualties and 12 injuries. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing.“Afghan official: Taliban suicide blast hits police, kills 3,” Associated Press, July 27, 2019, https://apnews.com/a5bef71c4470472b867ae89a453830b6.
- July 29, 2019: In an insider attack, an Afghan solider opens fire on American troops in Kandahar. Two U.S. soldiers are killed, and the perpetrator, reportedly a member of the Taliban, is wounded.“Afghan 'insider attack' kills two US soldiers in Kandahar,” BBC News, July 29, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49157007.
- July 31, 2019: A roadside bomb tears through a bus in western Afghanistan. At least 34 people are killed and 15 are injured. It is suspected that the Taliban are behind the attack.“Roadside bomb tears through bus in western Afghanistan,” France 24, July 31, 2019, https://www.france24.com/en/20190731-roadside-bomb-tears-through-bus-officials-say-aghanistan-taliban-Farah-Kandahar.
- August 1, 2019: ISIS releases a video of its members publicly beheading a Taliban member. According to the Middle East Media Research Institute, “ISIS considers Taliban members to be apostates who can thus be lawfully killed.”Rowan Scarborough, “ISIS shares shocking video of beheading as children cheer,” Washington Times, August 1, 2019, https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/aug/1/isis-shares-shocking-video-beheading-children-chee/.
- August 3, 2019: An airstrike kills three Taliban leaders, including Mullah Abdul Bari, the shadow governor, in Farah province. It is uncertain whether the strike was conducted by the Afghan Air Force or NATO-led coalition forces.“3 Taliban leaders including shadow governor killed in W. Afghan airstrike,” Xinhua, August 3, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-08/03/c_138280881.htm.
- August 5, 2019: A policeman in Kandahar opens fire on his colleagues. The attacker fled the scene after killing seven officers. Taliban spokesperson Qari Yusouf Ahmadi claims the attacker is a member of the Taliban. Separately, the Afghan special forces conduct airstrikes in Uruzgan, Ghazni, Paktika and Faryab provinces. At least 16 militants are killed within 24 hours.“16 militants killed in separate airstrikes in Afghanistan,” Xinhua, August 5, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-08/05/c_138285071.htm.
- August 7, 2019: A suicide car bomb explodes outside of a police station in Kabul. The attack kills 18 and injures at least 145. The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack. The blast comes a day after the insurgents call for a boycott of the presidential election on September 28. Separately, security forces conduct raids on two Islamic State hideouts in Kabul. The raids kill five, including two militants and three members of the security forces.Fahim Abed, Fatima Faizi and Mujib Mashal, “Violence in Afghanistan Worsens as U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks Plod On,” New York Times, August 7, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/07/world/asia/kabul-afghanistan-bombing-taliban.html.
- August 9, 2019: The Afghan National Police launch an operation in eastern Logar province, arresting two Taliban suspects involved in terror attacks. The suspects were using walkie-talkie radio signals to report the location and commute of government officials along the Kabul-Logar highway.“Police arrest 2 terror suspects in E. Afghanistan,” Xinhua, August 9, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-08/09/c_138296626.htm.
- August 10, 2019: Taliban forces attack a military convoy on the highway connecting Kabul and Kandahar. During the battle, the military Humvee hits a roadside bomb, killing four soldiers in the process. Also that day, the Taliban attacks Qarqin district center where fighting ensues for five hours. One soldier and one pro-government militia member are killed in the clash, and two other members are wounded.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: August 9-15,” New York Times, August 15, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/15/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html.
- August 11, 2019: Taliban militants surrender to security forces in northern Badakhshan. Among the 15 who surrendered was Taliban commander Mullah Asho, the second in command in Badakshan province. The same day, Special Forces of the National Directorate of Security raid the Kolalgo area of Zurmat District. The operation kills at least 11 civilians.“15 Taliban militants surrender in Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan,” Xinhua, August 11, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-08/11/c_138301034.htm.
- August 14, 2019: Afghan security forces ambush a group of Taliban fighters in Kunduz province. The ambush kills five militants and injures five others. The militants were trying to establish a checkpoint on a road leading to the border town of Shir Kham Port.“5 militants killed in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province,” Xinhua, August 14, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-08/14/c_138309100.htm.
- August 16, 2019: A bomb detonates at a mosque in southwestern Pakistan, killing Hafiz Ahmadullah, the brother of Afghan Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhunzada. At least four others were killed in the attack. The mosque served as a headquarters for a council of Taliban leaders to meet and discuss issues. Also that day, NATO-led aircrafts strike Ghazni province, killing six Taliban militants and injuring four others.Sami Yousafzai and Shereena Qazi, “Brother of Afghan Taliban leader killed in Pakistan mosque blast,” Al Jazeera, August 16, 2019, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/brother-afghan-taliban-leader-killed-pakistan-mosque-blast-190816143737376.html.; “Afghan forces kill 60 militants, recapture villages in Afghanistan: official,” Xinhua, August 16, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-08/16/c_138313820.htm.
- August 19, 2019: A series of bombings strike restaurants and public squares in Jalalabad on Afghanistan’s 100th Independence Day. At least 66 people are wounded. No group claims responsibility for the 10 bombs, but both ISIS and the Taliban operate in the area.“Afghanistan blasts wound dozens on Independence Day,” Reuters, August 21, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast/explosions-in-afghanistan-wound-dozens-on-independence-day-idUSKCN1V90OI.
- August 20, 2019: Taliban fighters and security forces clash in Firouz Koh. Two police officers and one pro-government militia member are killed. Local authorities claim that 38 members of the Taliban are killed, eight are wounded, and seven others are arrested by security forces. Also that day, in Zareh District, the Taliban ambushes a military convoy of Afghan forces, killing three officers and one member of the National Directorate of Security. Six Taliban fighters are killed in the ensuing battle.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: Aug. 16-22,” New York Times, August 22, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports&action=click&contentCollection=magazine®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection.
- August 27, 2019: Taliban fighters launch multi-pronged offensives on security checkpoints in Faizabad. At least 11 pro-government militia and three militants are killed. Another 11 militia members are injured.“Gun battle kills 14 including 11 pro-government militia in N. Afghanistan,” Xinhua, October 27, 2019, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-08/27/c_138342693.htm.
- August 28, 2019: Taliban fighters storm security checkpoints in the Chahardara area. At least 14 members of the pro-government militia are killed and several civilians are also wounded.Abdul Qadir Sediqi Storay Karimi, “Fourteen militia members killed as Taliban storm checkpoint in western Afghanistan,” Reuters, August 28, 2019, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-fourteen-militia-killed-as-taliban-storm-checkpoint-in-western/.
- August 31, 2019: A suicide bomber strikes a busy roundabout in Kunduz with other Taliban fighters launch a major assault on the city from multiple sides. The suicide attack kills a police spokesman and the multi-sided assault provokes a day-long standoff with Afghan forces. Dozens of Taliban fighters, 20 members of the security forces and five civilians are killed in the standoff.Siobhan O’Grady, Sayed Salahuddin and Sharif Hassan, “Taliban Targets Second Afghan City As U.S. Negotiator Says Peace Deal Is Near,” Washington Post, September 1, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/taliban-attacks-second-afghan-city-as-us-negotiator-says-peace-deal-is-near/2019/09/01/28b2d234-cc84-11e9-a4f3-c081a126de70_story.html.
- September 1, 2019: Taliban fighters attack Pol-e-Khomri, blocking a key highway linking Kabul with the rest of the north. Taliban fighters hide out in civilian homes and use residents as “human shields.” There are an unconfirmed number of casualties.Siobhan O’Grady, Sayed Salahuddin and Sharif Hassan, “Taliban Targets Second Afghan City As U.S. Negotiator Says Peace Deal Is Near,” Washington Post, September 1, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/taliban-attacks-second-afghan-city-as-us-negotiator-says-peace-deal-is-near/2019/09/01/28b2d234-cc84-11e9-a4f3-c081a126de70_story.html.
- September 2, 2019: A car bomb detonates in front of the Green Village compound in Kabul. At least five civilians are killed and 50 are wounded. The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack. The compound was targeted as it houses several international organizations and guesthouses.Rahim Faiez and Cara Anna, “Taliban Attack Kabul As US Envoy Says Deal Almost Final,” Associated Press, September 2, 2019, https://www.apnews.com/5b43a817115a46aab585700ee7e67a23.
- September 5, 2019: A suicide car bomb detonates near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. One American soldier and 11 others are killed. The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack.Tameem Akhgar and Cara Anna, “Taliban Blast Kills U.S. Soldier, Several Civilians in Kabul,” Associated Press, September 5, 2019, https://www.apnews.com/874989f36e364304b757186340dc9e6d.
- September 12, 2019: The Taliban claims responsibility for a car-bomb attack on the Afghan Army Special Operation Corp in the Reshkhor area of Kabul. The explosion kills four soldiers and wounds three others.Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: September 2019,” New York Times, September 19, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- September 17, 2019: A suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonates outside a Presidential rally in Charikar. At least 26 people are killed and another 30 are injured. Later that day, a Taliban suicide bomber detonates outside the Ministry of Defense in Kabul. The attack kills 22 and wounds another 38. The Taliban claims responsibility for both attacks.Pamela Constable and Susannah George, “Taliban suicide bombers strike Kabul and rally for Afghan president, killing at least 48,” Washington Post, September 17, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/bomb-explodes-near-afghan-election-rally-killing-24-but-president-unhurt/2019/09/17/6f1f2908-d926-11e9-a688-303693fb4b0b_story.html.; Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: September 2019,” New York Times, September 19, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- September 19, 2019: A Taliban truck bomb explodes near a hospital in Qalat, Zabul Province. The attack kills at least 20 people and injures another 95.Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: September 2019,” New York Times, September 19, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.; Pamela Constable and Susannah George, “Taliban suicide bombers strike Kabul and rally for Afghan president, killing at least 48,” Washington Post, September 17, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/bomb-explodes-near-afghan-election-rally-killing-24-but-president-unhurt/2019/09/17/6f1f2908-d926-11e9-a688-303693fb4b0b_story.html.
- September 25, 2019: The Taliban attacks outposts in Qaramqul District. The attack kills 13 police officers and pro-government militia members.Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: September 2019,” New York Times, September 26, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- September 26, 2019: The Taliban attacks a security outpost in Pashton Kot District. The attack kills 13 public protection officers and wounds six others. That same day, the Taliban attacks a security outpost in Darzab District killing four officers and wounding five others. Also on the 26th, the Taliban attacks a security outpost in Dara-e-Suf Payan District. The ambush kills five officers and wounds five others.Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: September 2019,” New York Times, September 26, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports.
- September 28, 2019: In order to curb voter participation in the presidential election, the Taliban carries out over 68 attacks on polling stations across the country. At least 40 people are killed and over 190 are wounded in the attacks.Mujib Mashal, Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, “Afghanistan Election Draws Low Turnout Amid Taliban Threats,” New York Times, September 28, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/28/world/asia/afghanistan-president-election-taliban.html.
- October 4, 2019: A Taliban Red Unit attacks a security outpost in Telawka. The attack kills 10 soldiers.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: October 2019,” New York Times, October 17, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-october-2019.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports&action=click&contentCollection=magazine®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection.
- October 8, 2019: The Taliban ambush pro-government militia members in the Kohna Kakil area of Dasht-e-Qala District, where after Afghan security forces had just carried out an operation. The attack kills five pro-government militia members and wounds another. The Taliban seize all of the militia’s weapon.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: October 2019,” New York Times, October 17, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-october-2019.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports&action=click&contentCollection=magazine®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection.
- October 17, 2019: The Taliban attack the center of Andkhoy District one day after a joint military operation in the area. The attack kills three and wounds six others. In Zawol District, the Taliban attack a vehicle on the Kandahar-Herat highway in the village of Kalesk. The attack kills two civilians and wounds three others. The car had been targeted due to errant intelligence information. Also on the 17th, the Taliban attack a local police outpost in the Pasha Gul area of Norgiram District. The attack kills six police officers and wounds two others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: October 2019,” New York Times, October 17, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-october-2019.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fafghan-war-casualty-reports&action=click&contentCollection=magazine®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection.
- October 22, 2019: The Taliban storm a checkpoint in Kunduz province. The attack kills at least 15 policemen and wounds another two. The Taliban has a strong presence in Kunduz and controls several of the province’s districts. The city of Kunduz, the provincial capital, is a strategic crossroads with easy access to much of northern Afghanistan as well as the country’s capital, Kabul. The Taliban now controls nearly half of Afghanistan and has been relentless in its near-daily attacks targeting Afghan security forces.“Taliban attack kills at least 15 policemen in north Afghanistan,” Al Jazeera, October 22, 2019, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/taliban-attack-kills-15-policemen-north-afghanistan-191022075956988.html.
- October 23, 2019: The Taliban ambush a group of commandos in Cham Qurghan, Khwaja Ghar District. At least six commandos are killed and four others are wounded.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: October 2019,” New York Times, October 31, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-october-2019.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
- October 29, 2019: A Taliban Red Unit attacks the Bala Hisar military base in Aqcha District. The attack kills 24, injures 5 and leads to the capture of soldier. TheTaliban seized equipment, four Humvees and 29 weapons before reinforcements arrived and recaptured the base.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: October 2019,” New York Times, October 31, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-october-2019.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
- November 1, 2019: The Taliban attacks the Charsiha security outpost in Khawaja Bahauddin District. The attack kills nine and wounds three security forces.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: November 2019,” New York Times, December 2, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-november-2019.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
- November 4, 2019: The Taliban targets security forces with a roadside bomb in the Akakhil village of Dand-e-Shahabuddin area in Pul-i-Kumri City, the provincial capital. The bomb hit a vehicle, killing eight civilians and wounding six others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: November 2019,” New York Times, December 2, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-november-2019.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
- November 10, 2019: The Taliban attacks a security outpost in the Terezai area of Alisher District with a roadside bomb. The attack kills six and wounds four others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: November 2019,” New York Times, December 2, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-november-2019.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
- November 13, 2019: A car bomb detonates in Kabul, targeting a private security company’s convoy in the Qasaba area in Kabul's police District 15. At least 12 people are killed and 20 others are wounded. No one immediately claims responsibility for the blast, which came a day after the Afghan government released three key Taliban prisoners in exchange for two Western hostages.“Car Bomb Explodes In Afghan Capital, Killing At Least 12,” Radio Free Asia, November 13, 2019, https://www.rferl.org/a/day-after-prisoner-swap-deadly-explosion-rips-through-afghan-capital-killing-at-least-7/30268561.html.
- November 20, 2019: A Taliban Red Unit attacks a military base in the village of Arbab Khalili in Imam Sahib District. The attack kills 13 soldiers and wounding five others. Also on the 20th, a member of the Taliban infiltrates the border patrol in Atishan, Adraskan District, and shoots and kills five border soldiers.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: November 2019,” New York Times, December 2, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-november-2019.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
- November 27, 2019: A car strikes a roadside bomb, in Imam Sahib District. At least 13 people are killed. It is suspected that the Taliban planted the bomb.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: November 2019,” New York Times, December 2, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-november-2019.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
- December 1, 2019: The Taliban attacks security outposts on the highway connecting Kunduz to Takhar Province. The attack kills 11 soldiers and leads to the capture of five others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: December 2019,” New York Times, December 5, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-december-2019.html.
- December 9, 2019: A suicide car bomb detonates in southern Helmand province. The attack kills five soldiers and wounds at least four others. The attacker was shot and killed before reaching his intended target—a checkpoint for an Afghan national army compound—at which point the vehicle exploded. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.Tameem Akghar, “Taliban abduct 45 people from gov't employee's funeral,” Associated Press, December 10, 2019, https://news.yahoo.com/taliban-abduct-45-people-govt-134943143.html.
- December 10, 2019: The Taliban ambushes the funeral of an Afghan government employee in Jawzjan province. The militants abduct as many as 45 elderly family members of the deceased. The Taliban have consistently warned people not to attend the funerals of anyone working with the Kabul government.Akghar, Tameem, “Taliban abduct 45 people from gov't employee's funeral,” Associated Press, December 10, 2019, https://news.yahoo.com/taliban-abduct-45-people-govt-134943143.html.
- December 11, 2019: Two suicide bombers and five gunmen target an under-construction medical facility near Bagram Air Base, an American base north of Kabul. The explosion kills two and wounds more than 70. The Taliban claim responsibility for the attack.“Scores wounded in attack near U.S. Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan,” CBS News, December 11, 2019, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bagram-air-base-afghanistan-taliban-suicide-bombing-attack-death-toll-medical-facility-2019-12-11/.
- December 23, 2019: Taliban insurgents target U.S. and Afghan soldiers in northern Kunduz province with an improvised explosive device. The attack kills one U.S. service member, Sgt. First Class Michael J. Goble, and wounds two others. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid announces that the Taliban was responsible for the attack via WhatsApp, while also attaching photos of an ID belonging to the U.S. Army sergeant and blood-soaked clothing.Craig Nelson, “U.S. Service Member Killed in Afghanistan,” Wall Street Journal, December 23, 2019, https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-service-member-killed-in-afghanistan-11577079586/.; Thomas Gibbons-Neff, “American Special Forces Soldier Is Killed in Afghanistan,” New York Times, December 22, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/22/world/asia/american-soldier-killed-afghanistan.html.
- December 24, 2019: Taliban insurgents enter a military base in Dawlat Abad District, Balk Province. In the suspected insider attack, the insurgents then burn an army container, killing 16 soldiers. They also hold six soldiers hostage.Fatima Faizi and Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: December 2019,’ New York Times, December 30, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-december-2019.html.; “Taliban kill 15 in attack on Afghan security checkpoint: local officials,” Reuters, December 24, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack/taliban-kill-15-in-attack-on-afghan-security-checkpoint-local-officials-idUSKBN1YS0K2.
- December 25, 2019: Taliban militants intercept a convoy of vehicles on a highway in Farah Province. The insurgents kidnap 27 peace activists from the organization People’s Peace Movement. The activists planned to travel throughout Farah to call for peace and ceasefire among Afghanistan’s rival sides.“27 local peace activists abducted in western Afghanistan,” Reuters, December 25, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanitan-kidnapping/27-local-peace-activists-abducted-in-western-afghanistan-idUSKBN1YT0FB.
- December 28, 2019: The Taliban detonate explosives under an army checkpoint before ambushing soldiers in Sangin, Helmand Province. The attack kills sixteen and injures at least six others.Ayaz Gul, “Taliban Assault on Army Base Kills 10 Afghan Soldiers,” Voice of America, December 28, 2019, https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/taliban-assault-army-base-kills-10-afghan-soldiers; Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: January 2020,” New York Times, January 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-january-2020.html.
- December 29, 2019: A Taliban red unit attacks a security outpost in Khowaja Bahauddin Distric. The attack kills 17 militia members and wounds four others. Also on the 29th, the Taliban attacks a military base in the Balghali area of Sar-i-Pul Province. A roadside bomb hits a Humvee and kills two soldiers and wounds three others.Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: January 2020,” New York Times, January 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-january-2020.html.
- December 30, 2019: Three separate attacks occur in Jowzjan, Faryab and Helmand Provinces. In the first, Taliban militants violently clash with Afghan forces in the Abad outpost in Faizabad District. The attack kills 14 security forces. The second attack occurs when a bomb detonates in Khwaja Sabz Posh District. The explosion kills two, with no group claiming responsibility for the bomb. In the third attack, the Taliban attacks a government vehicle in the Qala-e-Rig village of Zendah Jan District. The attack kills one and wounds two others.Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: January 2020,” New York Times, January 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-january-2020.html.
- January 1, 2020: The Taliban attacks security outposts in Dash-e-Arch District, Kunduz Province. The attack kills 14 and injures two others. Also on the 1st, the Taliban attack Belcheragh District center in Faryab, Province. The attack kills five security forces and wounds two others. Also in Balk province on the same day, the Taliban attack a security outpost on the Balk-Jowzjan highway. The attack kills nine officers.Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: January 2020,” New York Times, January 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-january-2020.html.
- January 11, 2020: A vehicle carrying U.S. troops hits a roadside bomb in southern Kandahar. The attack kills two U.S. service members—Staff Sergeant Ian McLaughlin and Private First Class Miguel Villalon—and injures two others. The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack.“Two U.S. soldiers killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan identified,” CBS News, January 13, 2020, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-two-us-soldiers-killed-roadside-bomb-identified/; “American troops killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan,” CBS News, January 11, 2020, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2-american-troops-killed-by-roadside-bomb-in-afghanistan-2020-01-11/.
- January 16, 2020: A Taliban red unit attacks a security outpost in Nawabad-e-Andarabiha village of Khan Abad District. The attack kills 11 and wounds two others. Police officers eventually repel the insurgents.Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: January 2020,” New York Times, January 23, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-january-2020.html.
- January 23, 2020: The Taliban attack a security outpost in Baghlan-e-Markazi District. The attack kills five security forces and wounds seven others.Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: January 2020,” New York Times, January 23, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-january-2020.html.
- January 27, 2020: A U.S. Air Force jet crashes in Ghazni province, eastern Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, later releases a statement claiming “an aircraft of American occupiers has crashed in Ghazni province,” and that “lots” of U.S. service members were killed. However, the next day, the U.S. military confirmed that the remains of two American service members were recovered from the wreckage. The circumstances around the crash are still unclear as some versions of Mujahid’s statement claimed the plane crashed while another stated that the jihadist group brought down the aircraft. The crash site is in territory controlled by the Taliban. Colonel Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, later confirms that “while the cause of [the] crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire.” Although the Taliban claims to have shot down the aircraft, the Taliban often takes credit for attacks that will legitimize their role as a viable threat to military forces. Adding to the confusion around the crash, Iranian news and social media reports have framed the crash as retaliation for the death of Major General Qasem Soleimani, the former leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force, who was killed in an American drone strike weeks earlier. Iranian reports also went so far as to falsely identifying a C.I.A. official who had been killed in the crash. The U.S. military was quick to negate these claims. The U.S. Air Force uses the jet that crashed as a flying command and communications hub, according to CBS News.“Taliban says US plane 'crashed' in eastern Afghanistan,” Al Jazeera, January 27, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/ariana-airlines-plane-crashes-eastern-afghanistan-200127101145634.html.; Justine Coleman, “US jet crashes in Taliban territory in Afghanistan: report,” The Hill, January 27, 2020, https://thehill.com/policy/defense/air-force/480055-us-jet-crashes-in-taliban-territory-in-afghanistan-report.; Tucker Reals, “U.S. Air Force plane crashes in Taliban-held territory in Afghanistan,” CBS News, January 27, 2020, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-plane-crash-today-ariana-afghan-airlines-denies-ghazni-crash-casualties-deaths-2020-01-27/.; Bill Bostock, “A US military plane crashed in eastern Afghanistan,” Business Insider, January 27, 2020, https://www.businessinsider.com/afghanistan-passenger-plane-crash-boeing-2020-1.; Sayed Salahuddin and Susannah George, “U.S. military plane crashes in Taliban territory in Afghanistan,” Washington Post, January 27, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/conflicting-reports-emerge-over-plane-crash-in-taliban-territory-in-afghanistan/2020/01/27/9744b184-4107-11ea-99c7-1dfd4241a2fe_story.html.; Helene Cooper and Mujib Mashal, “Officials Recover Remains at U.S. Military Plane Crash Site in Afghanistan,” New York Times, January 28, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/us/politics/plane-crash-afghanistan.html.; Idrees Ali and Abdul Qadir Sediqi, “U.S. military recovers remains from Afghanistan plane crash,” New York Times, January 28, 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-airplane-crash/u-s-military-recovers-remains-from-afghanistan-plane-crash-idUSKBN1ZR0OU.
- January 29, 2020: The Taliban ambush security checkpoints in Dasht-e Archi district, northern Kunduz province. At least 13 Afghan security forces are killed and at least 12 others are injured in the overnight assault. Government forces eventually repel the insurgents.“Afghan security forces killed in Taliban attacks on checkpoints,” Al Jazeera, January 29, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/afghan-security-forces-killed-taliban-attacks-checkpoints-200129095841288.html.
- February 2, 2020: The Taliban attacks a security outpost in Ali Abad District. The attack kills five and wounds three others. Security forces eventually repel the insurgents.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: February 2020,” New York Times, February 13, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-february-2020.html.
- February 3, 2020: The Taliban ambushes a pro-government militia commander in Sar-i-Pul City. The attack kills six and wounds three others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: February 2020,” New York Times, February 13, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-february-2020.html.
- February 8, 2020: In an insider attack, an assailant dressed in an Afghan army uniform opens fire in Nangarhar province. The attack kills two U.S. soldiers, Sgt. Javier Jaguar Gutierrez and Sgt. Antonio Rey Rodriguez, and wounds six others. No group claims responsibility for the attack, but U.S. and Afghan forces have been fighting both Taliban and ISIS fighters in the area.Ehsanullah Amiri, “Two U.S. Service Members Killed in Eastern Afghanistan,” Wall Street Jounal, February 9, 2020, https://www.wsj.com/articles/two-u-s-service-members-killed-in-eastern-afghanistan-11581245632.; Rahim Faiez And Kathy Gannon, “US says 2 soldiers killed, 6 wounded in Afghanistan attack,” Associated Press, February 9, 2020, https://apnews.com/ed573fec92465305a5e3256cda62160c.
- February 16, 2020: The Taliban ambush a security checkpoint in Kunduz. According to Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, the attack kills 19 people. However, the Afghan defense ministry puts the death toll at five.Abdul Qadir Sediqi and Jibran Ahmad, “No let up in Taliban attacks, fresh orders awaited over deal with U.S.,” Reuters, February 17, 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-talks/no-let-up-in-taliban-attacks-fresh-orders-awaited-over-deal-with-u-s-idUSKBN20B122.
- February 17, 2020: The Taliban ambush a security outpost in Kunduz. The attack kills 15 soldiers and wounds three others. Also in Kunduz, the Taliban launch a mortar attack. The attack kills one and wounds eight others. Also that day, the Taliban shoot and kill one pro-government militia member in Faryab province and two members of the security forces in Jowzjan province.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: February 2020,” New York Times, February 20, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-february-2020.html.
- February 18, 2020: A bomb targeting a police vehicle detonates in Peshawar. The explosion kills a policeman who was assigned to the area for an anti-polio campaign and wounds three others. No group claims responsibility, but the Taliban regularly threatens anti-polio drives which they consider to be a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.“Bomb kills Pakistani policeman assigned to anti-polio team,” Associated Press, February 18, 2020, https://apnews.com/6bd5875a2f1829b56d4cd66adec88111.
- February 20, 2020: The Taliban attacks a local outpost in Khwaja Ghar District. The attack kills four police officers.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: February 2020,” New York Times, February 20, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-february-2020.html.
- February 24, 2020: The Taliban attacks a pro-government checkpoint in Balkh’s Chahar Kint district. The attack killed at least six and wounds another five.“At Least Six Killed In Afghanistan Despite 'Reduction Of Violence' Deal,” Radio Free Europe, February 24, 2020, https://www.rferl.org/a/attacks-in-afghanistan-despite-reduction-of-violence-deal/30452041.html.
- March 2, 2020: The Taliban carry out eight different attacks in Faryab, Kandahar, Wardak, Helmand, Herat, Paktia, and Badghis Provinces. In each attack, the assailants ambush a security outpost. In total, the attacks kill nine.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2020,” New York Times, March 5, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-march-2020.html.
- March 4, 2020: The Taliban attack a military base in Kunduz city. The attack kills 15 soldiers. That same day, they attack a security outpost in the Niche area of Tarin Kot. The attack kills nine.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2020,” New York Times, March 5, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-march-2020.html.
- March 5, 2020: The Taliban attacks a security outpost in Sharesafa. The attack kills six and wounds others. Also that day, the Taliban ambush the Makhmal Kocha area of Imam Sahib District. The attack kills six.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2020,” New York Times, March 5, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-march-2020.html.
- March 29-30, 2020: Militants kill at least 28 members of the Afghan security forces in multiple attacks. On March 29, an attack on a military checkpoint in the Arghandab district in the southern Zabul province kills at least six. Separately, militants attack a checkpoint in the Baghlan province, killing at least five and wounding six others. Militants also storm a police compound in the Takhar province, killing at least 13. On March 30, a sticky bomb attached to a vehicle in Kabul kills at least four. Authorities blame the Taliban for the attacks, but the group does not immediately claim responsibility. As a result of the attacks, the Afghan government cancels the release of 100 Taliban prisoners that had been scheduled for March 31 as part of peace negotiations with the Taliban.Abdul Qadir Sediqi, “At least 27 Afghan security personnel killed in Taliban assaults,” Reuters, March 30, 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban-attacks/at-least-27-afghan-security-personnel-killed-in-taliban-assaults-idUSKBN21H1JL; Agence France-Presse, “Taliban kill dozens of Afghan forces in two attacks,” Yahoo News, March 30, 2020, https://www.yahoo.com/news/taliban-kill-dozens-afghan-forces-two-attacks-112715408.html; “At Least 28 Afghan Soldiers Killed In Taliban Attacks, Prisoner Release Postponed,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, March 30, 2020, https://www.rferl.org/a/at-least-28-afghan-soldiers-killed-in-taliban-attacks-prisoner-release-postponed/30517702.html; “Afghan forces killed as Taliban attacks checkpoints: Gov’t,” Al Jazeera,” March 30, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/afghan-forces-killed-taliban-attacks-checkpoints-gov-200330091555475.html.
- April 2, 2020: The Taliban attack security outposts in Karistan, Moqor district. Six security forces are killed.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2020,” New York Times, April 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-april-2020.html.
- April 7, 2020: Taliban rebels storm the headquarters of Baharak district. However, Afghan security forces are able to repel the attack, killing three militants, including Taliban commander Qari Ansarullah Gajar. Gajar’s death will likely affect Taliban operations in Takhar and surrounding areas.“Taliban key commander killed as attack plan foiled,” Xinhua, April 7, 2020, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-04/07/c_138954324.htm.; “Key Taliban commander killed in attack foiled by security forces,” Telangana Today, April 7, 2020, https://telanganatoday.com/key-taliban-commander-killed-in-attack-foiled-by-security-forces.
- April 7-8, 2020: On April 7, the Taliban ambushes security forces in Sholgara, northern Balkh province. The attackers took seven civilians hostage during the ambush, killing them the next day.“Taliban reportedly kills at least 7 civilians in Afghanistan,” Los Angeles Times, April 8, 2020, https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-04-08/afghan-official-taliban-kill-7-civilians-in-countrys-north.
- April 12, 2020: The Taliban ambush a vehicle belonging to an officer of the National Directorate of Security in Gardez City. The attack kills three, including the officer.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2020,” New York Times, April 17, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-april-2020.html.
- April 15, 2020: In an insider job, a cook poisons five police officers at a security outpost in Imam Saheb. He seizes weapons, equipment, and a military vehicle before fleeing to join the Taliban.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2020,” New York Times, April 17, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-april-2020.html.
- April 16, 2020: The Taliban ambushes security outposts in Charkh District, Logar Province. The attack kills 13 soldiers and injures one other. That same day, the Taliban shoot and kill two police officers, one in Pul-e-Malan and the other in Tagob-Esmail.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2020,” New York Times, April 17, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-april-2020.html.
- April 19, 2020: Suspected Taliban militants ambush Khwaja Ghor district, opening fire on security personnel. At least 19 security personnel are killed. In northern Balk province, the Taliban ambush security forces, killing seven and injuring one child. In western Badghis province, the Taliban attack an army checkpoint, killing three soldiers and wounding 10.“Taliban attacks on checkpoints across Afghanistan kill 29 security personnel,” The Hindu, April 20, 2020, https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/taliban-attacks-on-checkpoints-across-afghanistan-kill-29-security-personnel/article31389823.ece.; Rahim Faiez, “Afghan officials: Taliban attacks on checkpoints kill 29,” Associated Press, April 20, 2020, https://apnews.com/273a7ea4166e47f8f7a6824e584013d9.
- April 20, 2020: Taliban militants ambush a security outpost in North Waziristan, Pakistan, on the border of Afghanistan. The attack kills one soldier.Ayaz Gul, “akistani Soldier, 5 Militants Killed in Firefight Near Afghan Border,” Voice of America, April 20, 2020, https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/pakistani-soldier-5-militants-killed-firefight-near-afghan-border.
- April 21, 2020: Suspected Taliban militants attack a security checkpoint at the Mes Aynak Copper Mine in eastern Logar province, killing at least eight members of the Afghan security forces. Militants also attack multiple checkpoints in Sar-e-Pul province, killing 11 and wounding 19. The Taliban capture one of the checkpoints. A roadside bomb kills at least four in Ghazni province. The Afghan government blames the Taliban for all the attacks, though the group does not immediately claim responsibility.“Dozens die in clashes across Afghanistan as US struggles to broker Taliban ceasefire,” France 24, April 23, 2020, https://www.france24.com/en/20200422-afghanistan-taliban-clashes-mes-aynak-copper-mine-logar-usa-peace-deal.
- May 3, 2020: Suspected Taliban militants throw a hand grenade into a mosque in the Khayerkot district of the southeastern Paktika province, wounding at least 20. Separately, a truck bomb at a military center in Helmand province kills at least five and wounds seven. The following day, the Taliban claim responsibility for the Helmand attack and claim the bombing killed and wounded dozens.“Taliban attack military centre in Afghanistan, casualties reported,” Reuters, May 4, 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban-attacks/taliban-attack-military-centre-in-afghanistan-casualties-reported-idUSKBN22G0FU; “Taliban Claims Responsibility For Afghan Military Center Bombing,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, May 4, 2020, https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-attacks-afghan-military-center-casualties-reported/30591429.html.
- May 10-11, 2020: On May 10, militants attack an Afghan army outpost in Laghman province, killing six soldiers and wounding five. In all, at least 27 soldiers are killed in attacks on military outposts in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban claim responsibility. On May 11, four bombs in northern Kabul wound four. There are no immediate claims of responsibility, but the government blames the Taliban.Tameem Akhgar, “Afghan officials: Taliban attack on army checkpoint kills 6,” Associated Press, May 11, 2020, https://apnews.com/a5dff7376ec10bc37301a2b6bee6b770; Ehsanullah Amiri and Dion Nissenbaum, “Militants Attack Afghan Hospital, Killing Children,” Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2020, https://www.wsj.com/articles/militants-attack-afghan-hospital-killing-children-11589295126.
- May 14, 2020: An explosives-filled truck detonates near a military court in the eastern city of Gardez, killing at least five and wounding at least 14. The Taliban claim responsibility, calling the attack retaliation for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani blaming the group for a May 12 attack on a maternity hospital in Kabul that killed at least 24. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for that attack.“Taliban claim deadly attack on court in Afghanistan’s Paktia,” Al Jazeera, May 14, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/taliban-claim-deadly-attack-court-afghanistan-paktia-200514070025362.html; Tameem Akhgar and Kathy Gannon, “Official says suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan kills 5,” Associated Press, May 14, 2020, https://apnews.com/86c8f6aec3bdbd23dff36b261ec1f99a.
- May 19, 2020: Gunmen open fire outside of a mosque in Kalezay village, Charikar. The attack kills 12 people and wounds six others. Although the government claims the Taliban is responsible for the attack, the insurgents allege the attack was actually the government’s doing.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2020,” New York Times, May 21, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-may-2020.html.
- May 20, 2020: Taliban militants attack a security outpost in the Lala Gozar village of Khowaja Bahawuddin District. The attack kills nine pro-government militia members and wounds six others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2020,” New York Times, May 21, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-may-2020.html.
- May 21, 2020: The Taliban ambush a bus in Shajoe, Zabul province. The attack kills three passengers. In Shah-Tigh, Goh province, Taliban militants attack a security outpost. The ambush kills one officer and wounds another.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2020,” New York Times, May 21, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-may-2020.html.
- May 22, 2020: The Taliban attacks a security outpost in Faiz Abad. The attack kills five and wounds seven others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2020,” New York Times, May 21, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-may-2020.html.
- May 26, 2020: The Taliban attacks a security convoy in Shanky District, Zabul Provinc. The attack kills three and wounds one other.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2020,” New York Times, May 21, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-may-2020.html.
- May 28, 2020: The Taliban attacks a security outpost in Siah Gird District, Parwan Province. The attack kills seven, wounds one, and results in the kidnapping of two others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2020,” New York Times, May 21, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-may-2020.html.
- June 1, 2020: A roadside bomb detonates in northern Afghanistan. The attack kills seven. Afghan authorities suspect the Taliban was behind the attack.“Afghanistan: Two killed in bomb attack inside Kabul mosque,” Al Jazeera, June 2, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/wounded-suicide-attack-kabul-mosque-200602160137783.html.
- June 12, 2020: The Taliban attack a village in Pasaban District. The attack kills seven security officials and wounds one other. In Khosan District, Taliban insurgents attack a security outpost, killing five and wounding six others. In Kabul, the Taliban detonate explosives hidden in a mosque, killing the imam and three others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2020,” June 18, 2020, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-june-2020.html.
- June 15, 2020: The Taliban ambush four villages—Akhundzada, Norkhil, Payendakhil and Jangali—in Tagab District. The attacks kill 14 and wound 22 others. In Deh Yak District, the Taliban capture a security outpost and detonate a roadside bomb. The ambush and explosion kills 15 security forces and wounds nine others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2020,” June 18, 2020, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-june-2020.html.
- June 17, 2020: The Taliban attacks two military bases in Aqcha District. The attack kills 16, wounds five others, and results in the kidnapping of one other. In Kunduz City, a Taliban Red Unit attacks a security outpost. The attack kills seven and wounds three others. In Zurmat District, a mother and her two children are killed when their vehicle collides with a roadside bomb planted by the Taliban.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2020,” June 18, 2020, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-june-2020.html.
- June 23, 2020: The Taliban launch overnight raids in Ghazni province. The raids kill at least 14 security personnel and wound at least eight others.“Taliban Kills At Least 14 Afghan Forces In Raids On Checkpoints,” Gandhara, June 23, 2020, https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/taliban-kills-at-least-14-afghan-forces-in-raids-on-checkpoints/30686391.html.
- June 29, 2020: The Taliban attack Afghan forces in Kalata Nazar village. The attack kills three and wounds one other. In Qazi, the Taliban attack a security outpost. The ambush kills four police officers and wounds two others. In Faryab province, the Taliban shoot and kill the police chief of Khwaja Sabz Posh and one other soldier.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2020,” New York Times, July 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-june-2020.html.
- July 1, 2020: The Taliban ambushes security outposts in Naziyan district. The attack kills three soldiers and wounds five others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2020,” New York Times, July 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-june-2020.html.
- July 2, 2020: The Taliban attack security outposts in Khogyani District. The attack kills two soldiers and wounds 11 others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2020,” New York Times, July 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-june-2020.html.
- July 8, 2020: A suicide bomber rams a truck filled with explosives into the Shah Walikot police station. The attack kills three police officers and wounds 20 others. The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack.Farhad Naibkhel, “Afghanistan- 'Taliban truck bomb' kills three in Kandahar,” MENAFN, July 8, 2020, https://menafn.com/1100454572/Afghanistan-Taliban-truck-bomb-kills-three-in-Kandahar.; Shadi Khan Saif, “7 Afghan policemen killed, 20 hurt in Taliban attacks,” Anadolu Agency, July 8, 2020, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/7-afghan-policemen-killed-20-hurt-in-taliban-attacks/1903455.
- July 13, 2020: Taliban fighters ambush security forces following a car bomb blast at a government compound in Samangan, northern Afghanistan. The attack kills at least 11 people and wounds over 43 others. The attack was launched close to one of the offices of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghanistan’s main intelligence agency. According to local officials, the Taliban also ambushed three other security force checkpoints in Badakhshan, Kunduz, and Parwan. Between the three attacks, 25 people are killed.“Taliban car bomb attack on Afghan intelligence compound kills 11,” Al Jazeera, July 13, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/dozens-injured-car-bomb-blast-afghan-spy-agency-office-200713074223424.html.; Ehsanullah Amiri and Sune Engel Rasmussen, “New Taliban Attacks Complicate Afghan Peace Process,” Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2020, https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-taliban-attacks-complicate-afghan-peace-process-11594654731.
- July 16, 2020: The Taliban attacks the center of Dawlat Abad District. The attack kills eight pro-government militia members and wounds at least another 18.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2020,” New York Times, July 30, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/09/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-july-2020.html.
- July 21, 2020: Taliban members ambush police officers in Takhtapol District. The insider attack kills 14.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2020,” New York Times, July 30, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/09/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-july-2020.html.
- August 4, 2020: Taliban members ambush a convoy transporting a former member of the provincial council. The attack kills 12.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2020,” New York Times, August 28, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-august-2020.html.
- August 14, 2020: The Taliban attacks a military base in the Malarghi area connecting Kunduz to Takhar province. The attack kills nine and wounds five others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2020,” New York Times, August 28, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-august-2020.html.
- August 22, 2020: The Taliban clashes with the Afghan security forces in Khwaja Bahauddin District. The attack kills nine pro-government members and injures three others.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2020,” New York Times, August 28, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-august-2020.html.
- September 3, 2020: The Taliban ambush a vehicle carrying police forces in Khost City. The attack kills six and wounds one other.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: September 2020,” New York Times, September 11, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-september-2020.html.
- September 9, 2020: The Taliban detonate a bomb that targets Amrullah Saleh, Afghanistan’s senior vice president and opponent of the Taliban, and his vehicle in Kabul. Saleh survives the attack, but 10 civilians are killed and 15 others are wounded.“Roadside bomb attack misses Afghan vice president, but kills 10,” Reuters, September 9, 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-attack/roadside-bomb-attack-misses-afghan-vice-president-but-kills-four-idUSKBN2600K8.
- September 20, 2020: Taliban militants ambush a security checkpoint in Uruzgan. The attack kills at least 24 members of the Afghan security forces.“Dozens killed in bloodiest Afghanistan clashes since peace talks began,” Reuters, September 21, 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-taliban-clashes/dozens-killed-in-bloodiest-afghanistan-clashes-since-peace-talks-began-idUSKCN26C2GD.
- September 27, 2020: The Taliban attacks a security outpost in Bala Baluk district. The attack kills eight and the eight police officers are taken prisoner.Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: September 2020,” New York Times, October 1, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-september-2020.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
- October 8, 2020: The Taliban ambushes security forces in the Rawza area of Imam Sahib District. The attack kills seven and injures another eight. At least 15 other security forces are taken prisoner.Fahim Abed, “Afghan War Casualty Report: October 2020,” New York Times, October 8, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-october-2020.html. October 10, 2020: The Taliban carries out simultaneous attacks in Nawa and Nadali districts in Lashkar Gah. The attacks kill at least two officers.Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: October 2020,” New York Times, October 29, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-october-2020.html.
- October 17, 2020: The Taliban ambushes security outposts in Imam Sahib District. The attacks kill at least eight and wound two others.Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: October 2020,” New York Times, October 29, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-october-2020.html.
- October 21, 2020: The Taliban ambush a unit of national police and police forces in Baharak District. At least 34 security personnel are killed, and eight others are injured.“Taliban ambush kills dozens of Afghan forces in northern province,” Al Jazeera, October 21, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/21/taliban-ambush-kills-dozens-of-afghan-forces-in-northern-province.
- October 23, 2020: The Taliban attacks a military base in Delaram District. The attack kills 26 and five others are taken prisoner.Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, “Afghan War Casualty Report: October 2020,” New York Times, October 29, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/magazine/afghan-war-casualty-report-october-2020.html.
Designations
Designations by the U.S. Government:
Afghan Taliban
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July 4, 1999: The White House designated the Taliban as a sponsor of terrorism under Executive Order (E.O.) 13129 on July 4, 1999.“Executive Order 13129 of July 4, 1999,” Federation of American Scientists, accessed April 9, 2015, http://fas.org/irp/offdocs/eo/eo-13129.htm. | July 2, 2002: The White House labeled the Taliban a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on July 2, 2002.“Executive Order 13268 of July 2, 2002,” U.S. Government Publishing Office, July 3, 2002, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2002-07-03/pdf/02-16951.pdf. |
July 2, 2002: The White House labeled Mohammed Omar (a.k.a. Emir al-Mumineen) a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on July 2, 2002.“Executive Order 13268 of July 2, 2002,” U.S. Government Publishing Office, July 3, 2002, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2002-07-03/pdf/02-16951.pdf. |
Pakistani Taliban
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September 1, 2010: The U.S. Secretary of State designated Tahrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on September 1, 2010.“Designations of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan and Two Senior Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, September 1, 2010, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/09/146545.htm. | September 1, 2010: The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Tahrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to Executive Order 134224 on September 1, 2010.“Recent OFAC Actions-September 1, 2010,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 1, 2010, http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20100901.shtml.aspx. |
September 1, 2010: The U.S. State Department listed top TTP leaders Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali ur-Rehman as Specifically Designated Global Terrorists on September 1, 2010.“Designations of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan and Two Senior Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, September 1, 2010, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/09/146545.htm. | January 13, 2015: The U.S. State Department listed TTP leader Mualana Fazlullah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on January 13, 2015.“Terrorist Designations of Mualana Fazlullah,” U.S. Department of State, January 13, 2015, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/01/235901.htm. |
Designations by Foreign Governments and Organizations:
Afghan Taliban
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Pakistani Taliban
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Associations
Ties to Extremist Entities:
The Taliban provided a safe haven for al-Qaeda insurgents in Afghanistan prior to the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.Richard Barrett, Sajjan Gohel, Ronald E. Neumann, and Nigel Inkster, “The al-Qaeda-Taliban Nexus,” Council on Foreign Relations, November 25, 2009, http://www.cfr.org/pakistan/al-qaeda-taliban-nexus/p20838. In 1996, Osama bin Laden met with Taliban leader Mullah Omar and formally pledged his allegiance and financial backing in exchange for protection from the Taliban.Steve Coll, “Looking for Mullah Omar,” New Yorker, January 23, 2012, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/01/23/looking-for-mullah-omar.
During this time, bin Laden established al-Qaeda’s 55th Arab Brigade to fight alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan.Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn, “The al-Qaeda-Taliban Connection,” Weekly Standard, July 4, 2011, http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-al-qaeda-taliban-connection/article/575548. Leaked memos from the U.S. military Joint Task Force Guantanamo describe the brigade as bin Laden’s “primary battle formation supporting Taliban objectives,” with bin Laden “participating closely in the command and control of the brigade.”Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn, “The al-Qaeda-Taliban Connection,” Weekly Standard, July 4, 2011, http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-al-qaeda-taliban-connection/article/575548.
Following the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, al-Qaeda and the Taliban fled to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan, where both organizations began to regroup and retool.Richard Barrett, Sajjan Gohel, Ronald E. Neumann, and Nigel Inkster, “The al-Qaeda-Taliban Nexus,” Council on Foreign Relations, November 25, 2009, http://www.cfr.org/pakistan/al-qaeda-taliban-nexus/p20838. After the 55th Arab Brigade was destroyed by coalition forces in late 2001, bin Laden and al-Qaeda rebuilt the organization as the Lashkar al Zil, or “the Shadow Army,” recruiting from jihadist groups in Pakistan.Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn, “The al-Qaeda-Taliban Connection,” Weekly Standard, July 4, 2011, http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-al-qaeda-taliban-connection/article/575548.
Al-Qaeda maintained a close relationship with the Taliban following the U.S. invasion. A U.S. intelligence report acquired by Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn from Guantanamo Bay described “a newly-conceived ‘unification’ of Al Qaeda and Taliban forces within Afghanistan.”Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn, “The al-Qaeda-Taliban Connection,” Weekly Standard, July 4, 2011, http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-al-qaeda-taliban-connection/article/575548. The same report indicated that Mullah Omar and bin Laden “envisioned this new coalition” during a meeting in Pakistan in early spring 2003.Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn, “The al-Qaeda-Taliban Connection,” Weekly Standard, July 4, 2011, http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-al-qaeda-taliban-connection/article/575548.
Guantanamo detainee Haroon al Afghan reported an August 2006 meeting during which commanders of the Taliban and al-Qaeda “decided to increase terrorist operations in the Kapisa, Kunar, Laghman, and Nangarhar provinces, including suicide bombings, mines, and assassinations.”Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn, “The al-Qaeda-Taliban Connection,” Weekly Standard, July 4, 2011, http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-al-qaeda-taliban-connection/article/575548.
Despite the increasing number of drone attacks in the Pakistani tribal areas under the Obama administration, the death of bin Laden in 2011, and continued killing of many senior al-Qaeda leaders, the alliance between al-Qaeda and the Taliban is likely to endure. Both organizations have proven they are adept at reforming their structure and tactics even while weakened and vulnerable.Simon Franzen, “Unity in Terrorism,” Institute for Middle Eastern Democracy, 2012, http://instmed.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Al-Qaeda-and-the-Taliban.pdf. Following the death of bin Laden in 2011, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the new emir of al-Qaeda, has repeatedly renewed his oath of allegiance to the leader of the Taliban.Thomas Joscelyn, “Al Qaeda Renews Its Oath of Allegiance to Taliban Leader Mullah Omar,” Long War Journal, July 21, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/07/al_qaeda_renews_its.php. Al-Qaeda leaders have also been featured in Taliban propaganda videos, confirming the continued alliance between the two groups.Thomas Joscelyn and Bill Roggio, “Taliban rejects peace talks, emphasizes alliance with al Qaeda in new video,” Long War Journal, December 9, 2016, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/12/taliban-rejects-peace-talks-emphasizes-alliance-with-al-qaeda-in-new-video.php.
The Taliban maintain particularly close ties with al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), an al-Qaeda branch formed in September 2014. AQIS’s emir, Asim Omar, was a former commander in the Pakistani Taliban and reported directly to Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar before the latter’s death.Bill Roggio, “Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent Incorporates Regional Jihadist Groups,” Long War Journal, September 5, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/09/analysis_al_qaeda_in.php. AQIS fights alongside the Taliban in the Afghan insurgency. AQIS published a “Code of Conduct” in June 2017, in which it reiterated its allegiance to the emir of the Taliban and revealed that its members fight “shoulder-to-shoulder” with the Taliban––and sometimes even under its banner. It also revealed that AQIS is so closely integrated with the Taliban that some AQIS members are part of the Taliban’s chain-of-command.Thomas Joscelyn, “AQIS emphasizes allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri, Taliban in new ‘code of conduct,’” Long War Journal, June 26, 2017, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/06/aqis-emphasizes-allegiance-to-ayman-al-zawahiri-taliban-in-new-code-of-conduct.php.
In February 2020, the Taliban reached an agreement with the United States for a U.S. troop drawdown in Afghanistan. Among other commitments, the Taliban agreed to renounce al-Qaeda and prevent al-Qaeda and other groups from using Afghanistan as a base for terrorism against the United States.Mujib Mashal, “Taliban and U.S. Strike Deal to Withdraw American Troops From Afghanistan,” New York Times, February 29, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/29/world/asia/us-taliban-deal.html.
Shortly after the Taliban assumed governance of Afghanistan in 1996, Jalaluddin Haqqani accepted an appointment as Minister of Tribal Affairs.Richard Barrett, Sajjan Gohel, Ronald E. Neumann and Nigel Inkster, “The al-Qaeda-Taliban Nexus,” Council on Foreign Relations, November 25, 2009, https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/the-evolution-of-iran%E2%80%99s-special-groups-in-iraq. Ever since, the Haqqani Network has been “officially subsumed under the larger Taliban umbrella organization led by Mullah Omar,” although the Haqqanis “maintain distinct command and control, and lines of operations.”“Part 3: Through the eyes of the Taliban,” Asia Times Online, May 5, 2004, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FE05Ag02.html. In 2008, Haqqani stated that “all the Mujahideen wage Jihad under the leadership of the Ameer ul-Momineen Mullah Mohammed Omar Mujahid against the American invaders and their lackeys.”“Part 3: Through the eyes of the Taliban,” Asia Times Online, May 5, 2004, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FE05Ag02.html.
In September 2012, Haqqani’s son Sirajauddin declared, “We are one of the fronts of the Islamic Emirate… and we are proud of our pledge to its Emir [Mullah Omar] and we carry out its orders and all its regulations… and we obey completely in good deeds the Emir of the Believers Mullah Muhammad Omar.”Bill Roggio, “Haqqani Network is part of the Taliban- Siraj Haqqani,” Long War Journal, October 5, 2012, http://www.understandingwar.org/report/haqqani-network. The Taliban also released a statement on its website stating that there is “no separate entity or network in Afghanistan by the name of Haqqani” and that Jalaluddin Haqqani is “a member of the Leadership Council of Islamic Emirate and is a close, loyal and trusted associate” of Mullah Omar.Bill Roggio, “Haqqani Network is part of the Taliban- Siraj Haqqani,” Long War Journal, October 5, 2012, http://www.understandingwar.org/report/haqqani-network.
Ties to Other Entities:
Pakistan
Throughout the 1990s, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) provided support and training to Mullah Omar while he organized the Taliban in Kandahar.Bruce Riedel, “Pakistan, Taliban and the Afghan Quagmire,” Brookings Institution, August 24, 2013, http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/08/26-pakistan-influence-over-afghan-taliban-riedel.
By 2001, Pakistan was providing the Taliban regime in Kabul with hundreds of military advisers, thousands of Pakistani Pashtuns to serve in the Taliban’s infantry, and Special Services Group commandoes to help fight the Northern Alliance.Bruce Riedel, “Pakistan, Taliban and the Afghan Quagmire,” Brookings Institution, August 24, 2013, http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/08/26-pakistan-influence-over-afghan-taliban-riedel. The ISI also facilitated the alliance between Mullah Omar and Osama bin laden prior to 9/11.Bruce Riedel, “Pakistan, Taliban and the Afghan Quagmire,” Brookings Institution, August 24, 2013, http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/08/26-pakistan-influence-over-afghan-taliban-riedel.
Although Pakistani officials deny supporting the Taliban after 9/11, a leaked 2006 report from a British Defense Ministry think tank concluded, “Pakistan (through the ISI) has been supporting terrorism and extremism--whether in London on 7/7 [the July 2005 attacks on London's transit system], or in Afghanistan, or Iraq.”Jayshree Bajoria and Eben Kaplan, “The ISI and Terrorism: Behind the Accusations,” Council on Foreign Relations, May 4, 2011, http://www.cfr.org/pakistan/isi-terrorism-behind-accusations/p11644.
Similarly, a NATO study published in 2012 based on the interrogations of 4,000 captured Taliban, al-Qaeda, and other fighters in Afghanistan concluded that “ISI support was critical to the survival and revival of the Taliban after 2001 just as it was critical to its conquest of Afghanistan in the 1990s.”Bruce Riedel, “Pakistan, Taliban and the Afghan Quagmire,” Brookings Institution, August 24, 2013, http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/08/26-pakistan-influence-over-afghan-taliban-riedel.
The NATO report also determined that the ISI is “thoroughly aware of Taliban activities and the whereabouts of all senior Taliban personnel.”Bruce Riedel, “Pakistan, Taliban and the Afghan Quagmire,” Brookings Institution, August 24, 2013, http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/08/26-pakistan-influence-over-afghan-taliban-riedel. While he was alive, Mullah Omar was believed to be hiding in Quetta and Karachi under the protection of the ISI.Bruce Riedel, “Pakistan, Taliban and the Afghan Quagmire,” Brookings Institution, August 24, 2013, http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/08/26-pakistan-influence-over-afghan-taliban-riedel.
Qatar
In January 2012, the Taliban announced their agreement to open an office in Doha, Qatar. Western observers viewed the decision as a sign of the Taliban’s possible willingness to enter formal talks with the West.Matthew Rosenberg, “Taliban Opening Qatar Office, and Maybe Door to Talks,” New York Times, January 3, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/world/asia/taliban-to-open-qatar-office-in-step-toward-peace-talks.html. The U.S. government reportedly approved the move in 2011.Nick Amies, “US endorses Taliban office in Qatar in bid to bolster talks,” Deutsche-Welle, September 16, 2011, http://www.dw.com/en/us-endorses-taliban-office-in-qatar-in-bid-to-bolster-talks/a-15392674. The Taliban opened its Doha office, the group’s first overseas, in June 2013.Agence France-Presse, “Afghan peace in 6 months: Zardari, Karzai set an ambitious target,” Express Tribune (Karachi), February 5, 2013, http://tribune.com.pk/story/502839/afghan-peace-in-6-months-zardari-karzai-set-an-ambitious-target/; “Q&A: Afghan Taliban open Doha office,” BBC News, June 20, 2013, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-22957827. In 2017, a Taliban official told Al Jazeera that Qatar played a significant role in initiating peace talks between the terror group and Afghanistan by allowing the group to open its Doha office.Shereena Qazi, “Afghan Taliban: Qatar plays major role in peace talks,” Al Jazeera, August 1, 2017, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/afghan-taliban-qatar-plays-major-role-peace-talks-170801082357391.html.
In July 2017, the New York Times revealed 2011 e-mails between Yousef al-Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to the United States, and the UAE foreign ministry showing that the UAE had sought to host the Taliban office instead of Qatar.David D. Kirkpatrick, “Persian Gulf Rivals Competed to Host Taliban, Leaked Emails Show,” New York Times, July 31, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/world/middleeast/uae-qatar-taliban-emails.html. Otaiba responded the following month in a letter-to-the-editor alleging that the UAE had insisted the Taliban first renounce its ties to al-Qaeda before opening an office in its country. According to Otaiba, the Taliban refused and Qatar made no similar demand of the group.Yousef al-Otaiba, “The United Arab Emirates and the Taliban,” New York Times, August 9, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/opinion/the-united-arab-emirates-and-the-taliban.html.
In December 2016, the Taliban demanded direct talks with the United States and official recognition of its Doha office as a political office.Ayaz Gul, “Taliban Seeks Recognition for Qatar Office, Direct Talks With US,” Voice of America, December 8, 2016, https://www.voanews.com/a/taliban-seeks-recognition-for-qatar-office-direct-talks-with-us/3628179.html. In February 2017, Afghan President Ashraf Gani met with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and demanded the closure of the Taliban’s Doha office until the group ceased its violent activities in Afghanistan.Abdul Wali Arian, “Taliban’s Qatar Office Should Be Closed: Ghani,” Tolo News, February 20, 2017, http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/taliban%E2%80%99s-qatar-office-should-be-closed-ghani.
Qatar has since hosted negotiations between the United States and the Taliban to reach an end to the war in Afghanistan that started in 2001. On December 7, 2019, Doha hosted a new round of peace talks between the United States and the Taliban. These negotiations between the U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Afghanistan’s Taliban were the first talks between the two camps since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the dialogue in September.Kathy Gannon, “US opens first round of resurrected peace talks with Taliban,” Associated Press, December 7, 2019, https://apnews.com/26b7d5ad331f40502fd3373005d99f17; Ayaz Gul, “Taliban-US Afghan Peace Talks Stall Again,” Voice of America, February 1, 2020, https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/taliban-us-afghan-peace-talks-stall-again. On February 29, 2020, following an agreed seven-day reduction in violence period, U.S. and Taliban representatives meeting in Doha signed an agreement for a U.S. troop withdrawal. The United States agreed to draw its forces down from 13,000 to 8,600 in the next three to four months, with the remaining U.S. forces withdrawing in 14 months. In exchange, the Taliban agreed to renounce al-Qaeda and prevent al-Qaeda and other groups from using Afghanistan as a base for terrorism against the United States. The U.S. troop drawdown is dependent on the Taliban maintaining its commitments. The agreement also called for permanent ceasefire and power-sharing talks that March between Afghan militant groups as well as between the Taliban and the Afghan government.Asad Hashim, “Pakistan warns US of ‘spoilers’ on US-Taliban deal in Afghanistan,” Al Jazeera, March 1, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/pakistan-warns-spoilers-taliban-deal-afghanistan-200302093650382.html; Matthew Lee and Kathy Gannon, “US and Taliban sign deal aimed at ending war in Afghanistan,” Associated Press, February 29, 2020, https://apnews.com/491544713df4879f399d0ff5523d369e.
Russia
In April 2017, U.S. General John Nicholson, who commands U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said the U.S. military had received reports that Russia is arming the Taliban. Other U.S. military officials corroborated the reports and said that Russia had increased its supply of small arms to the Taliban in the past 18 months. Russia denied the allegations.Thomas Gibbons-Neff, “Russia is sending weapons to Taliban, top U.S. general confirms,” Washington Post, April 24, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/04/24/russia-is-sending-weapons-to-taliban-top-u-s-general-confirms/?utm_term=.1b3e9c11fe7a. A Taliban video released in late July 2017 claimed that the Russian government has provided the terrorist group with snipers, heavy machine guns, and other weapons.Nick Patton Walsh and Masoud Popalzai, “Videos suggest Russian government may be arming Taliban,” CNN, July 26, 2017, http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/25/asia/taliban-weapons-afghanistan/index.html. Nicholson has previously criticized Russia for providing “legitimacy” to the Taliban.Thomas Gibbons-Neff, “Russia is sending weapons to Taliban, top U.S. general confirms,” Washington Post, April 24, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/04/24/russia-is-sending-weapons-to-taliban-top-u-s-general-confirms/?utm_term=.1b3e9c11fe7a.
Taliban officials claim that the group has had prominent contacts with Russia since at least 2007, but that Russia’s role with respect to the Taliban does not go beyond “moral and political support.”Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali, “Russia May Be Helping Supply Taliban Insurgents: U.S. General,” Reuters, March 23, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-russia-idUSKBN16U234. In December 2016, Afghan officials accused Russian of providing—mostly—political support to the Taliban. Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Alexander Mantytskiy, denied “intensive contacts” with the Taliban and claimed that his country’s engagement with the group was aimed solely at protecting Russians in Afghanistan and furthering peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. Nonetheless, Afghan and U.S. security officials called Russian contacts with the Taliban a “dangerous new trend” that gives Russia “malign influence” in Afghanistan.Hamid Shalizi and Josh Smith, “Ties between Russia and the Taliban worry Afghan, U.S. officials,” Reuters, October 7, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-russia/ties-between-russia-and-the-taliban-worry-afghan-u-s-officials-idUSKBN13W2XJ.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia maintained diplomatic and financial ties to the Taliban when the group controlled the Afghan government in the 1990s. In 1998, the Taliban rejected a Saudi demand to deport Osama bin Laden.Judith Miller and James Risen, “Backed by U.S., Saudis Seek Afghan Ouster of Bin Laden,” New York Times, October 18, 1998, http://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/18/world/backed-by-us-saudis-seek-afghan-ouster-of-bin-laden.html. Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia maintained its relationship with the Taliban government until its overthrow in 2001.Carlotta Gall, “Saudis Bankroll Taliban, Even as King Officially Supports Afghan Government,” New York Times, December 6, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/world/asia/saudi-arabia-afghanistan.html.
After the fall of the Taliban government, Saudi Arabia became a source of private funding for the Taliban. Former Taliban Finance Minister Agha Jan Motasim told the New York Times that after the Taliban fell from power in 2001, he would frequently travel from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia to raise money as the Taliban regrouped. Motasim claimed he traveled to Saudi Arabia two to three times a year from 2002 to 2007 to raise money from foundations, wealthy Saudis, and other individuals who traveled to the country on pilgrimage to Mecca. Motasim also claimed that Saudi Arabia provided the only location where he could meet with donors from other countries. In 2009, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Saudi Arabia the “most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide.”Carlotta Gall, “Saudis Bankroll Taliban, Even as King Officially Supports Afghan Government,” New York Times, December 6, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/world/asia/saudi-arabia-afghanistan.html; “TERRORIST FINANCE: ACTION REQUEST FOR SENIOR LEVEL ENGAGEMENT ON TERRORISM FINANCE,” WikiLeaks, December 30, 2009, https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09STATE131801_a.html. Former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal denied that his government provided any support for the Taliban.Carlotta Gall, “Saudis Bankroll Taliban, Even as King Officially Supports Afghan Government,” New York Times, December 6, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/world/asia/saudi-arabia-afghanistan.html.
Saudi Arabia reportedly sought to host the Taliban’s political office before Qatar, according to Abdullah Anas, a former mujahideen fighter with ties to Osama bin Laden who laid early groundwork for the Afghan peace process. With the alleged support of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Saudi intelligence, Anas traveled between Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan between 2006 and 2008 in an attempt to launch a dialogue that included the Taliban.“Saudi Arabia and UAE ‘tried to host’ Taliban first,” Al Jazeera, August 12, 2017, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/saudi-arabia-uae-host-taliban-170812171821732.html; David Hearst, “Saudi Arabia tried to host Taliban office, says former mujahidin,” Middle East Eye, August 11, 2017, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-failed-bid-host-taliban-office-says-former-mujaheddin-qatar-uae-719884153.
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