Battle for Kunduz

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The Battle of Kunduz is a battle between the Taliban and Afghan forces over the city of Kunduz in 2015.

Fight in the outskirts of Kunduz

The Taliban began their first attacks on April 24, 2015 in Kunduz Province and by April 28 they surrounded the city of Kunduz and a battalion of 400 ANA soldiers in Imam Sahib . On April 27, the trapped battalion began to be liberated and 27 Taliban were killed. In Talawka , local police units had to retreat. Elsewhere, the Taliban succeeded in arresting 26 police officers and killing two police officers. Until May 7, 2015, there was a stalemate with no territorial gains. Then the fighting became more active again and the Afghan security forces discovered foreign fighters such as Chechens and Turks among the dead . It was reported that people loyal to the Islamic State first fought with the Taliban. At the end of May, the Taliban was able to come within two kilometers of the city, although the Taliban could be pushed back in Gor Tepa , 15 kilometers from Kunduz.

Taking the city

On September 28, 2015, the Taliban took Kunduz for the first time since the start of the Afghan War. They set fire to a police station. Strangers looted jewelry stores, a report that later turned out to be propaganda. The Taliban captured the Kunduz prison and hundreds of prisoners escaped from their cells. Only Kunduz Airport remained in the hands of the government forces as a place of retreat. It is estimated that around 500 Taliban faced 7,000 government troops. However, the government troops are said to have been poorly organized.

On September 29, 2015, US forces intervened for the first time with two air strikes. US special forces arrived at the airport. The Taliban also looted the UN agency, radio stations, shops and the local headquarters of the Afghan secret service. On September 30, 200 Afghan special forces attempted to take Kunduz. The Afghan Ministry of Defense said it had killed 150 Taliban. At the same time, other Afghan units retook Imam Saheb without much fighting. There were reports that the Special Boat Service was flown from Kabul to Kunduz. At first they are said to have only acted in an advisory capacity, but then also intervened in the events themselves. British Joint Terminal Attack Controllers were also flown in to coordinate the air strikes.

On October 4, 2015, MSF reported that their hospital had been attacked by US air strikes the day before (see MSF clinic bombing in Kunduz ). On the same day, the Taliban announced that large parts of Kunduz were again in their own hands. This information was confirmed by General John F. Campbell on the Senate Armed Services Committee on October 6th. On October 13, it was announced that the city was again in the hands of the Afghan government.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ MUJIB MASHAL, JAWAD SUKHANYAR: Afghan Troops Rush to Kunduz Amid Taliban Assault. In: The New York Times. April 28, 2015, accessed October 20, 2015 .
  2. ^ Afghanistan forces defend Kunduz from Taliban. In: BBC News. May 7, 2015, accessed October 20, 2015 .
  3. ^ Lynne O'Donnel: Afghan forces struggle as Taliban seeks northern stronghold. In: Military Times. May 26, 2015, accessed October 20, 2015 .
  4. ^ Friederike Böge: Afghanistan: The trauma of Kunduz. The fact that the Taliban could simply overrun Kunduz seriously damaged trust in the Afghan government. It's not just the governor who is tired of war and would like to emigrate to Germany. Visit to a shaken city. In: FAZ. October 19, 2015, accessed October 20, 2015 .
  5. ↑ JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN, MUJIB MASHAL: Taliban Fighters Capture Kunduz City as Afghan Forces Retreat. In: The New York Times. September 28, 2015, accessed October 20, 2015 .
  6. ↑ JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN, MUJIB MASHAL: Afghan Crisis Grows as Push to Retake Kunduz From Taliban Fails. In: The New York Times. September 28, 2015, accessed October 20, 2015 .
  7. ^ Sune Engel Rasmussen: Afghan troops seize parts of Kunduz from Taliban. Residents say fighting continues in several central areas, including around police headquarters. In: The Guardian. October 1, 2015, accessed October 20, 2015 .
  8. ↑ British Special Forces helped Afgan security forces to retake Kunduz. (No longer available online.) October 1, 2015, archived from the original on October 9, 2015 ; accessed on October 23, 2015 .
  9. ^ Mark Nicol: UK special forces kill 200 Taliban insurgents in Northern Afghanistan. In: Daily Mail Online. October 3, 2015, accessed October 23, 2015 .
  10. ↑ Taliban claims recapture of large parts of Kunduz city. Group says it controls most of Afghan city after it was briefly taken by government forces backed by US air strikes. In: Al Jazeera English. October 5, 2015, accessed October 20, 2015 .
  11. ↑ ROD NORDLAND, Najim RAHIM: Taliban Gain Advantage in Tug of War in Kunduz. In: The New York Times. October 6, 2015, accessed October 20, 2015 .
  12. ↑ Two weeks after invasion: Taliban release Kunduz again. Their invasion of Kunduz had shocked many - now the radical Islamic Taliban are withdrawing from the northern Afghan city by their own account. Nevertheless, their regained strength has put pressure on the Kabul government. In: tagesschau.de. ARD, October 13, 2015, archived from the original on October 20, 2015 ; accessed on October 20, 2015 .