2021 Taliban offensive — 2021 military offensive by the Taliban causing the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
The 2021 Taliban offensive ended the 20-year Afghan republic, reinstating the Islamic Emirate and triggering major human rights and security consequences globally.
Key Facts
- Offensive start date
- 1 May 2021
- US troops withdrawn
- 2,500 troops
- Districts taken in 3 months
- 73 to 223 districts
- Provincial capitals fell
- From 6 August 2021 onward
- Kabul fell
- 15 August 2021
- Duration of preceding war
- Nearly 20 years years
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The February 2020 US–Taliban deal triggered a US military withdrawal and removal of technical and logistical support that Afghan security forces depended upon. Compounding factors included ghost soldiers, unpaid salaries, cronyism in military appointments, police extortion, and President Ghani's failure to build a national consensus among warlords and ethnic communities.
Beginning 1 May 2021, the Taliban launched a sweeping offensive across Afghanistan, rapidly expanding district control from 73 to 223 within three months. By 13 August, major cities including Herat, Kandahar, and Lashkargah had fallen. On 15 August, President Ghani fled the country and the Taliban captured Kabul with minimal resistance, collapsing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was reinstated as the de facto governing authority. The swift collapse surprised the United States, allied governments, Russia, and even the Taliban itself. Widespread international concern followed over human rights conditions under Taliban rule and the potential for Afghanistan to again become a base for terrorist organizations.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
2 belligerents
Ashraf Ghani (fled 15 Aug 2021), Ismail Khan (recruited warlord).