The Northern Alliance capture of Kabul in November 2001 effectively ended Taliban control of Afghanistan's capital and marked a turning point in the U.S.-led war.
Key Facts
- Date of attack
- 13 November 2001
- City captured
- Kabul, capital of Afghanistan
- Taliban retreat destination
- Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan
- U.S. Special Forces unit involved
- Operational Detachment Alpha 555
- Days after fall of Mazar-i-Sharif
- 5 days
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Sustained American and British air strikes had severely weakened Taliban and al-Qaeda defensive positions around Kabul in the weeks preceding November 2001, creating conditions under which Northern Alliance ground forces could launch a rapid offensive against the city.
On 13 November 2001, Northern Alliance forces, supported by U.S. Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 555, attacked Kabul and advanced faster than planned. By the following day they entered the city and encountered no resistance, completing the capture of the Afghan capital.
Taliban forces retreated south to Kandahar, while surviving Taliban and al-Qaeda members, including Osama bin Laden, fled toward Kandahar and Tora Bora. Combined with the earlier fall of Mazar-i-Sharif, the loss of Kabul dealt a severe blow to Taliban territorial control across Afghanistan.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Side B
2 belligerents