Ghazni offensive

Ghazni offensive
Part of the War in Afghanistan
Date10 August 2018 – 15 August 2018
(5 days)
Location
Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
Result
  • Taliban insurgents entered Ghazni city and captured five districts of Ghazni Province[1][2]
  • Government forces regain control of Ghazni city,[3] but only three districts in Ghazni Province remain under full government control[1]
Territorial
changes		 Taliban control ten of Ghazni Province's districts, and contest six more[1]
Belligerents
 Afghanistan
 United States		  Taliban
Commanders and leaders
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani
(President of Afghanistan)
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Sharif Yaftali[4]
(ANA chief of staff)
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Brig. Gen. Dadan Lawang[5]
(203rd Corps)
United States Gen. John Nicholson
(Commander of Resolute Support Mission)		 Hibatullah Akhundzada
(Supreme Commander)
Units involved

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Afghan National Security Forces

United States Armed Forces

Several contingents

  • Foreign insurgents (Pakistanis, Chechens and Arabs acc. to Afghan gov.)[8]
Strength
At least 1,500[9]
United States 3 Army Special Operations teams (ODA's)		 More than 1,000[10]
Casualties and losses
  • 140–200 killed (in the whole Ghazni province)[11][12]
  • 2 helicopters shot down[13][14][15]
  • 9 injured[5]
  • 7 U.S. military armoured vehicles destroyed[5]
  • 500–600 killed (Afghan military claim)[3]
  • 226 killed (US claim)[5]
    • 150 civilians killed[3]

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

    The battle was part of a larger coordinated offensive by the Taliban which allowed the Taliban to capture several government bases and districts and killed hundreds of Afghan soldiers and police.

    1. ^ a b c Roggio, Bill (18 August 2018). "Taliban fighters loot district center in Ghazni". Long War Journal. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
    2. ^ Roggio, Bill; Gutowski, Alexandra (13 August 2018). "Resolute Support obscures status of 7 Ghazni districts as 3 more fall to Taliban". Long War Journal. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
    3. ^ a b c "Taliban overruns another base in north as it withdraws from Ghazni City". 15 August 2018.
    4. ^ Rod Nordland; Jawad Sukhanyar (13 August 2018). "As Taliban Fight for Ghazni City in Afghanistan, Nearby Districts Fall". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
    5. ^ a b c d "Exclusive: Inside the U.S. Fight to Save Ghazni From the Taliban". Time. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
    6. ^ Roggio, Bill (12 August 2018). "Taliban routs Afghan Commandos while overrunning remote district in Ghazni". Long War Journal. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
    7. ^ Rempfer, Kyle (15 August 2018). "Ghazni City update: Here's what Green Berets, 1st SFAB and Apaches are doing to help". Military Times. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
    8. ^ Joscelyn, Thomas (13 August 2018). "Foreign fighters involved in assault on Ghazni, Afghan defense minister says". Long War Journal. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
    9. ^ Afghan City Gauges Toll After Taliban Siege . Wall Street Journal.
    10. ^ The Afghan Army’s Last Stand at Chinese Camp. NYTimes.
    11. ^ Cite error: The named reference nyt3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    12. ^ "Taliban Kill More Than 200 Afghan Defenders on 4 Fronts: 'a Catastrophe'". New York Times. 12 August 2018.
    13. ^ "Exclusive: Inside the U.S. Fight to Save Ghazni from the Taliban". 23 August 2018.
    14. ^ Rahim, Najim; Nordland, Rod (4 August 2018). "Witness recounts horror of fleeing Afghan city under Taliban siege". The New York Times. The Observer. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
    15. ^ "Taliban forces storm major Afghan city before being repelled by U.S.-backed government forces". The Washington Times. Retrieved 10 August 2018.