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Battle of Lashkargah

Coordinates: 31°34′59″N 64°22′9″E / 31.58306°N 64.36917°E / 31.58306; 64.36917
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This article is about the 2021 battle. For the friendly fire incident near Lashkargah, see Friendly fire incident at Sangin.

Battle of Lashkargah
Part of 2021 Taliban offensive
Date29 July – 13 August 2021
(2 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Lashkargah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan
31°34′59″N 64°22′9″E / 31.58306°N 64.36917°E / 31.58306; 64.36917
Result Taliban victory
Belligerents
Taliban  Afghanistan
 United States
Commanders and leaders
Mawlawi Mubarak †[1]
(Red Group commander)		 Ezzatullah Tofan[2] (Border soldiers commander)
Units involved
Red Group[1]

Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF)

United States Armed Forces[3]
Casualties and losses
40+ killed[1] 1,500 surrendered[4]
40+ civilians killed
Battle of Lashkargah is located in Afghanistan
Battle of Lashkargah
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Location within Afghanistan

The Battle of Lashkargah was a battle between the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and the Taliban for control of the city of Lashkargah. The United States deployed airstrikes to try and assist Afghan forces during the battle.[3] The fighting started in late July, and clashes occurred around the governor's residence, NDS headquarters, police headquarters, and prison. The police headquarters was captured by the Taliban on 12 August 2021, and the last government forces evacuated or surrendered in the night from 12 to 13 August 2021.[5] Due to the fighting, there have been civilian casualties.

Background

Lashkargah, the capital of Helmand Province, was previously attacked by the Taliban in October of 2020.[6] According to the governor, their attack had been defeated.[7] Clashes were ongoing around the city in May 2021,[8] and commandoes were sent in.[9] In the weeks leading up to early June, the Taliban conducted several attacks on Lashkargah, mostly around districts 10 and 3 in the city. The districts briefly fell to the Taliban.[10]

In the weeks before the assault on Lashkargah, the local police forces had mostly deserted their posts. As a result, the defense of the area was mostly carried by local, ill-equipped border soldiers. They were mainly motivated by loyalty to their commanding officer Captain Ezzatullah Tofan, instead of allegiance to the central government.[2]

By 22 July government forces were pulling troops from Majrah District and Garmsir District to reinforce Lashkargah, causing those districts to fall to the Taliban.[11]

Battle

The city was attacked from multiple directions on 29 July 2021.[12] Around then, the fighting started in Lashkargah,[13][14] although fighting had been ongoing around it for several weeks.[15] Clashes continued in the first and seventh district, government forces only held the ninth. Reinforcements arrived on 31 July, after weeks of asking for them.[16] Clashes occurred between the Taliban and security forces near the governor's residence, police headquarters, and NDS headquarters.[17] On August 2 the government TV building in Lashkargah was captured. Only one district of the city remained in government control and only Kajaki District was under government control out of all the province's districts.[13]

On August 4 the Taliban advanced to the guard posts of the police headquarters. More soldiers were deployed, including commandos.[18] Later that day, a major clearance operation was launched by the government. The Taliban had been contesting the governor's building, police headquarters, prison, and NDS headquarters. Lashkargah residents had been warned to evacuate.[14] Two days later, an airstrike in Lashkargah killed Mawlawi Mubarak, a commander of the Taliban Red Group elite unit. By this point, nine districts had been seized by the Taliban.[1] On 9 August, clashes were focused on districts one and two. Officials said that these areas had been cleared of the Taliban.[19]

The police headquarters fell to the Taliban on 12 August after a suicide car bombing the previous day and a two week siege. Security forces retreated to the governor's residence nearby,[20][21] from where the remaining government forces evacuated by helicopter or surrendered during the night to 13 August, leaving the Taliban in control of the city.[22]

Impact

Civilians have been negatively affected by the fighting and have been injured or killed. Between 9 July and 10 August 183 civilians have been killed and 1,181 injured in Lashkargah, Kandahar, Herat, and Kunduz.[23] 40 civilians had been killed on 3 August.[15] The Emergency Surgical Center inside the city was at 90% capacity on 1 August.[24] The capture of the city was likely a significant morale boost to the Taliban, and a source of income with the province's poppy fields.[25]

While the battle of Lashkargah took several weeks and involved heavy fighting between the Afghan government and the Taliban, after its fall government forces put up less resistance, with many laying down their arms or even defecting to the Taliban. Immediately after Lashkargah was taken, the Taliban had control over 14 of Afghanistan's provincial capitals, but over the next 2 days 19 more provincial capitals fell, including the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Key Taliban commander among 40 dead in Afghanistan". lokmat. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Abed, Fahim; Hassan, Sharif (13 August 2021). "The Afghan Military Was Built Over 20 Years. How Did It Collapse So Quickly?". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b Seldin, Jeff (10 August 2021). "Pentagon: US Airstrikes in Afghanistan 'Having an Effect' on Taliban | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Bunkall, Alistair (14 August 2021). "Afghanistan: Taliban fighters take southern city of Lashkar Gah following capture of Kandahar and Herat2". Sky News. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  5. ^ Birsel, Robert (13 August 2021). "Taliban capture Afghanistan's Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand - police official". Reuters. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  6. ^ Qazi, Shereena (19 October 2020). "As violence flares in south Afghanistan, key questions answered". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Nikzad, Khalid (23 October 2020). "Taliban Plan to Overrun Lashkargah Foiled: Governor". TOLOnews. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Hamim, Abdullah (5 May 2021). "1,000 Families Displaced in Fighting Around Lashkargah: Officials". TOLOnews. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Afghan war enters more brutal phase as U.S. troops begin pullout". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Nearly 700 attacks launched on Afghanistan's Lashkargah in 3 weeks: Army Commander". ANI News. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Shaheed, Anisa (22 July 2021). "Fighting Reported in Multiple Areas, 19 Soldiers Killed". TOLOnews. Retrieved 16 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Fighting rages for key Afghan cities as Taliban blamed for attack on UN". The National. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ a b Nikzad, Khaled (2 August 2021). "Fighting in Helmand's Capital Lashkargah Continues for 5th Day". TOLOnews. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ a b "Afghan Forces Launch Major Operation in Helmand's Lashkargah". TOLOnews. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ a b "Afghanistan war: Bodies on the streets as fighting traps Lashkar Gah residents". BBC News. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  16. ^ Lister, Tim (1 August 2021). "Taliban threaten to seize first provincial capital as fighting intensifies across Afghanistan". CNN. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ Nikzad, Khaled (1 August 2021). "Fighting Continues in Key Areas of Lashkargah for 2nd Day". TOLOnews. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "After 7 Days, Heavy Clashes Still Ongoing in Helmand's Capital". TOLOnews. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ "Afghanistan: Clashes claim 20 civilians life, health clinic, school in Helmand destroyed". ANI News. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ "Afghanistan: Taliban take 10th provincial capital as Ghazni falls". BBC News. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  21. ^ Akhgar, Tameem; Faiez, Rahim; Gambrell, Jon (12 August 2021). "Taliban take Afghanistan's third-largest city in onslaught". AP NEWS. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ Birsel, Robert (13 August 2021). "Taliban capture Afghanistan's Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand - police official". Reuters. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  23. ^ "UN Seeks Action to Prevent 'Calamitous Consequences' for Afghans". TOLOnews. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ "Afghanistan: Fighting Reaches the City Of Lashkar-Gah. | EMERGENCY UK". 1 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ "Afghan Fighting Rages as US and UK Accuse Taliban of Massacring Civilians". The Defense Post. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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