Fall of Kabul (2021)

This article is about the Taliban siege of Kabul in 2021 during their offensive. For the 2001 U.S. capture of Kabul following the United States invasion of Afghanistan, see Fall of Kabul (2001).

Fall of Kabul
Part of the 2021 Taliban offensive of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the war on terror

Clockwise from top left: Afghans fleeing Kabul Airport aboard a US Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, US Marines assisting at an evacuation checkpoint at Hamid Karzai International Airport, coalition soldiers assist a child during the evacuation, armed Taliban fighters in Kabul, Taliban fighters aboard a captured Humvee
Date15 August 2021 (2021-08-15)
Location
Kabul, Afghanistan
34°18′47″N 69°06′15″E / 34.3131°N 69.1042°E / 34.3131; 69.1042 (Kabul, Afghanistan)
Result

Taliban victory

Territorial
changes		 Taliban control Kabul; NATO completely withdraws
Belligerents
  Afghanistan
Supported by:
Commanders and leaders
Units involved
Taliban units

 Afghan Armed Forces

On 15 August 2021, Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul was captured by the Taliban after a major insurgent offensive that began in May 2021. It was the final action of the War in Afghanistan, and marked a total victory for the Taliban. This led to the overthrowing of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under President Ashraf Ghani and the reinstatement of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban.

The United States–Taliban deal, signed on 29 February 2020, is considered one of the most critical factors that caused the collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).[18][19] Following the deal, the US dramatically reduced the number of air attacks and deprived the ANSF of a critical edge in fighting the Taliban insurgency.[20]

Months before the fall, many in the United States Intelligence Community estimated that Kabul would be taken at least six months after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan was completed. However, beginning in May 2021, even while the withdrawal was occurring, the Taliban was able to take most of Afghanistan's provinces in rapid succession during a major offensive. During this period, estimates for the longevity of the Afghan state declined significantly. Ultimately, US president Joe Biden conceded on 16 August that the collapse "unfold[ed] more quickly than [they] had anticipated".[21][22][23][24][25]

Between 14 and 30 August 2021, the US and its coalition partners evacuated more than 123,000 people from Afghanistan via airlifts from Kabul International Airport (known then as Hamid Karzai International Airport). During the evacuation, the airport remained under NATO and US military control despite the collapse of the central government.[26][27] Evacuees included foreign diplomatic staff and military personnel, third-country civilians,[a] Afghan allies and vulnerable Afghans such as journalists and human rights activists.[27] The airlift was the largest non-combatant evacuation operation in US military history, with US military personnel transferring 79,000 civilians through the airport and out of Afghanistan over the 18-day mission.[26][28][29]

After the United States' withdrawal on 30 August, a group of about 1,000 people, including US citizens and Afghans holding American visas, were still stranded in Kabul.[30] Two weeks later, secretary of state Antony Blinken said it was several thousand US residents and one hundred US citizens.[31]

  1. ^ Roggio, Bill (12 July 2021). "Taliban advances as U.S. completes withdrawal". FDD's Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Afghanistan crisis and response". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Taliban declares 'war is over in Afghanistan' as foreign powers exit Kabul". The Guardian. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  4. ^ Ghantous, Ghaida (18 August 2021). "UAE says Afghanistan's Ghani is in Gulf Arab state". Reuters. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  5. ^ Baker, Sinéad (19 August 2021). "The Taliban have declared the 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,' the same name it used when it brutally ruled the country in the 1990s". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Taliban declare formation of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan". www.uniindia.com.
  7. ^ "The Panjshir Valley: what is the main bastion of resistance against the Taliban advance in Afghanistan". Market Research Telecast. 17 August 2021. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  8. ^ Kapetas, Anastasia (16 August 2021). "After the fall of Kabul". www.aspistrategist.org.au/. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference eco was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Moiz, Ibrahim (27 August 2021). "A tricky path from insurgency to Emirate". TRT World.
  11. ^ "Senior Taliban commander, several civilians killed in Kabul hospital attack". France 24. 2 November 2021.
  12. ^ "First to enter presidential palace, Taliban member died in Daesh attack". TRT World. 3 November 2021.
  13. ^ Batchelor, Tom (15 August 2021). "Afghan president Ashraf Ghani flees capital Kabul for Tajikistan as Taliban enter city". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  14. ^ Azaz, Syed (11 August 2021). "Afghanistan Army Chief removed from post". Geo.tv. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Talib-commander was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Kilcullen, David (17 August 2021). "Critical intervention that swung the battle for Kabul". The Australian. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  17. ^ a b Roggio, Bill (14 August 2021). "Taliban encircling Afghan capital Kabul, prepping final assault through east". FDD's Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  18. ^ "Afghan conflict: US and Taliban sign deal to end 18-year war". BBC News. 29 February 2020.
  19. ^ Borger, Julian (18 May 2022). "US withdrawal triggered catastrophic defeat of Afghan forces, damning watchdog report finds". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  20. ^ "US withdrawal prompted collapse of Afghan army: Report". Al Jazeera. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  21. ^ Liptak, Kevin; Zeleny, Jeff; Collins, Kaitlan; Hansler, Jennifer; Vazquez, Maegan (16 August 2021). "Biden admits Afghanistan's collapse 'did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated'". CNN.
  22. ^ Merchant, Nomaan; Miller, Zeke (18 August 2021). "Misread warnings helped lead to chaotic Afghan evacuation". AP NEWS.
  23. ^ Ryan, Missy; DeYoung, Karen (13 April 2021). "Biden will withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  24. ^ "The Fall of Kabul: Beginning of Taliban 2.0". The Financial Express. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Final US planes leave Kabul airport after two decades of war in Afghanistan". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  26. ^ a b Coote, Darryl; Jacobson, Don (30 August 2021). "Afghanistan rockets fired at Kabul airport amid US withdrawal". United Press International.
  27. ^ a b "Factbox: Evacuations from Afghanistan by country". Reuters. 30 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021.
  28. ^ Watson, Kathryn (31 August 2021). "Uncertainty lingers for Americans trying to leave Afghanistan after U.S. withdrawal". CBS News.
  29. ^ Jakes, Lara (31 August 2021). "Stranded in Kabul: A U.S. Resident Runs Out of Options". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  30. ^ Melissa Eddy and; Thomas Gibbons-Neff (5 September 2021). "U.S. Citizens and Afghans Wait for Evacuation Flights From Country's North". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021. Around 1,000 people, including dozens of American citizens and Afghans holding visas to the United States or other countries, remained stuck in Afghanistan for the fifth day on Sunday as they awaited clearance for the departure from the Taliban
  31. ^ "Blinken pushes back on GOP criticism of Afghan withdrawal". www.nbc29.com. Associated Press. 13 September 2021.


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