Key Facts
- Operation start
- 2015
- Operation end
- 8 July 2021
- Duration
- Approximately 6 years
- Framework mission
- NATO Resolute Support Mission
- Follow-on operation
- Operation Pitting (August 2021)
Strategic Narrative Overview
UK forces performed two principal roles: training and mentoring the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, and providing force protection to NATO advisors through the Kabul Security Force and Kabul Protection Unit. This advisory and protective posture was maintained across several years as the security situation in Afghanistan remained fragile and the Taliban continued to contest territory.
01 / The Origins
Following the formal end of Operation Herrick and the NATO combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, the UK launched Operation Toral as part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission. The mission reflected a strategic shift from direct combat to an advisory role, with British forces tasked with building Afghan security capacity rather than engaging in frontline operations against the Taliban.
03 / The Outcome
Operation Toral concluded on 8 July 2021 as the United States and NATO completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan. The rapid Taliban advance that followed prompted the UK to redeploy troops under Operation Pitting in August 2021, a separate emergency evacuation mission to extract British nationals and Afghan staff from Kabul before the Taliban consolidated control of the country.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent