Fall of Kandahar

This article is about the 2001 battle. For other battles in Kandahar, see Battle of Kandahar.

Fall of Kandahar
Part of the Afghan Civil War and the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

Aerial view of a section of Kandahar
Date22 November – 9 December 2001
(2 weeks and 3 days)
Location
Kandahar, Afghanistan
Result

Coalition victory

Belligerents
Gul Sharzai-led militia
 Islamic State of Afghanistan
 United States
 Australia
 al-Qaeda
Commanders and leaders
Islamic State of Afghanistan Gul Agha Sherzai
Islamic State of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai
United States Tommy Franks
Strength
3,000 Karzai militia[3]
350 Sharzai's militia[4]
800 Eastern Alliance
750 Americans
150 Australians		 Unknown number of Taliban fighters
300 Al-Qaeda fighters[4]
Casualties and losses
Unknown Afghan losses
3 Americans killed		 Unknown

The Fall of Kandahar took place in 2001 during the War in Afghanistan. After the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif, Kabul and Herat, Kandahar was the last major city under Taliban control. Kandahar was where the Taliban movement had originated and where its power base was located, so it was assumed that capturing Kandahar would be difficult. The city fell after several weeks of fighting to a force of local militia under Pashtun military commanders and their American advisers. The fall of Kandahar signaled the end of organized Taliban control of Afghanistan.[5]

  1. ^ a b Dam, Bette (2019). "The Secret Life of Mullah Omar" (PDF). Zomia Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  2. ^ Said 2018, p. 80.
  3. ^ Malkasian, Carter (2021). The American War in Afghanistan: A History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-755077-9.
  4. ^ a b Malkasian 2021.
  5. ^ On The Ground – The Fall Of Kandahar | Campaign Against Terror | FRONTLINE | PBS