TheUnited Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported a record high 10,993 civilian casualties (3,804 deaths and 7,189 injured) in2018, which it said represented a 5% increase in overall civilian casualties and an 11% increase in civilian deaths compared to2017. UNAMA identified causes including a spike insuicide attacks by anti-government elements and aerial and search operations by pro-government forces (more than 500 civilians killed by aerial operations for the first time on record).[1]
January 4 –Taliban fighters continued to threaten majoroil wells in northernSar-e Pol Province since attacks began before the new year, with Afghan security force casualties totaling about 40 dead or wounded. A provincial government spokesperson described the security situation as "alarming", and an aide to interior ministerAmrullah Saleh said reinforcements had been sent and a team from Kabul would soon arrive.[6]
January 4 – TheWorld Health Organization declared the country (along withPakistan) to be the "final wildpoliovirusbastion" with less than 30 reported cases in 2018, and committed to help both governments tacklepolio in its last strongholds and get rid of the debilitating disease for good.[7]
January 10 – Taliban attacks in northernBalkh Province blocked major highways, including to the capital, and killed more than 30 police and soldiers. American and Afghan air forces retaliated, leading to large numbers of Taliban casualties. Other attacks inHerat andBadghis provinces caused additional security force deaths and injuries, while the insurgents also suffered more casualties.[9] Meanwhile, a senior ISIS-K commander was killed in a raid in Nangarhar Province according to a U.S. forces spokesman. He was reported to have facilitated major attacks and provided ISIS-K bombmakers with explosive materials.[10]
January 11 –Mohasif Motawakil, a former translator for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was detained atHouston Intercontinental Airport byU.S. Customs and Border Protection and threatened withdeportation toKabul just hours after arriving from there, along with his wife and five children. Motawakil and his family were denied access tolegal counsel at the airport before his wife and children wereparoled to a hotel, while Motawakil was still being held at the airport.[11] Motawakil was released a week later after legal intervention, and he and his family had their visas reinstated.[12]
January 11 – Kabul'sair quality ranked the worst in the world. TheWHO estimated more than 17,000 Afghanis suffered premature death from air pollution in2016, but Afghan health officials did not have data to confirm this. Current and former officials said the government could not curbcoal consumption andvehicle exhaust, causes Kabul's thicksmog.[13]
January 15 – Shortly after U.S. special envoyZalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul for talks to Afghan government officials, the Taliban issued a statement threatening to end talks with the U.S., accusing Washington of trying to expand the agenda (possibly referring to direct talks between the Taliban and Afghan government). Also, Taliban leaderHafiz Mohibullah was reported arrested and released in Pakistan.[15]
January 20 – The Taliban claimed responsibility for acar bomb attack on easternLogar Province's governor and his convoy, which killed eight security forces and wounded at least 10 on the highway to Kabul. The governor and the provincial head of theNational Directorate of Security (NDS) were uninjured.[18]
January 21 – The Taliban attacked an NDS training base inMaidan Wardak Province with acaptured military vehicle bomb, killing at least 126 and wounding at least 58 (some reports indicated higher casualties). The victims of the attack were personnel ofNational Directorate of Security (NDS).[19][20] Later the NDS announced that the Taliban mastermind of the attack had been killed in an airstrike, though the Talibans denied this.[21] Similarly residents and local officials in the area also rejected Afghan security officials claims and said that six civilians were killed in the Afghan airstrike.[22]
January 22 – AU.S. Army Special Forces soldier died of combat wounds sustained from small arms fire inUruzgan Province'sTarin Kowt District according to a military statement. His was the second reported U.S. military death in Afghanistan in 2019.[23] Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with Taliban representatives inDoha,Qatar following their decision to resume talks after threatening withdrawal.[24]
January 24 – As talks between the Taliban and U.S. negotiators continued in Doha, the outlines of an agreement emerged in which the U.S. would withdraw troops in return for the Taliban pledging terrorist groups likeAl-Qaeda would not be allowed to remain. The Taliban announced as their new chief negotiatorMullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was recently released fromPakistani custody.[25]
During the last quarter of 2018, the U.S. military quietly ended Operation Iron Tempest, a series of air and artillery strikes begun in late 2017 with the goal of denying illicit drug revenues to the Taliban. According to the U.S.Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the campaign involving America's most sophisticated air attack capabilities did little to impact the illegal drug trade; Afghanistan continuesrecord high opium production, at levels more than twice those when U.S. intervention began in 2001.[26]
February 5 – Taliban fighters attacked an Afghan army post in northernKunduz Province, killing at least 23 soldiers and 3 police officers; the previous night, other insurgents attacked a police checkpoint in neighboringBaghlan Province, killing at least 10 officers. Meanwhile, in Moscow, Taliban negotiators met with Afghan political opposition figures, including former presidentHamid Karzai.[27] Former Taliban chief negotiatorSher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai stated in an interview that the group did not want to seize "the [whole] country by military power", but also would not agree to a ceasefire until all foreign forces withdraw.[28][29]
February 8 – Afghan and American forces struck Taliban units inKandahar,Helmand, andNangarhar provinces, killing two low-level Taliban commanders and an intelligence chief. This continued a trend of increased U.S. air and special operations attacks at the highest levels since 2014, intended to give American negotiators leverage in peace talks; two senior Afghan officials said the Taliban complained about the pace of air attacks during negotiations with U.S. envoyZalmay Khalilzad.[30]
February 16 – Afghan presidentAshraf Ghani had little contact with the media at theMunich Security Conference, and organizers did not put Afghanistan's conflict high on the agenda. FormerNATO secretary generalJaap de Hoop Scheffer warned against an expedited withdrawal of U.S. troops, while former U.S. secretary of defenseWilliam Cohen said it would not be easy for the U.S. to pull out. Conference observers reportedly gleaned that Ghani appears to be an increasingly isolated figure.[33] After meeting with Ghani at the conference, abipartisan group ofU.S. lawmakers warned against a wider drawdown like the one contemplated inSyria.[34]
February 17 – The Taliban announced a delegation had been forced to postpone travel toIslamabad to meet with Pakistan's prime ministerImran Khan and U.S. negotiators. Afghanistan's deputy representative to theUnited Nations submitted a letter to theSecurity Council stating the trip posed a threat to the security and stability of the country, but other reasons for the cancellation included internal Taliban dissension over the appearance of close ties to Pakistan.[35]
February 28 – The U.S. military was developing a plan, shared with European allies, to withdraw all American troops in three to five years. Half of the 14,000 troops would be withdrawn in coming months, with the remainder focused oncounterterrorism strikes whileNATO and other troops continued to train theAfghan military. The plan was being offered in renewed U.S. peace talks with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar which included American commander GeneralScott Miller.[38] Meanwhile, aChinese military spokesman denied having troops in theWakhan Corridor, even while defending its military cooperation with neighboringTajikistan.[39]
March 3 - Heavy rains caused deadly flooding across the south of the country, includingKandahar Province where at least 20 people were killed. At least 10 people including children were missing, and up to 2,000 homes damaged. Heavy snow had already made travel difficult and dangerous, hampering flood rescue and recovery according to the provincial governor's office.[42]
March 6 - Asuicide bomb and gun attack on a construction company near theJalalabad Airport inNangarhar Province killed 16 company employees and an Afghan intelligence officer and lasted over five hours. Afghan forces with U.S. assistance overcame and killed the five attackers, who were later claimed byISIS-K.[43]
March 6 - Reportedly 59 people were killed due to heavy rains,Flash flooding and snowfall in past two weeks across Afghanistan, left thousands homeless, with the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar the worst-hit.[44]
March 14 - National security adviserHamdullah Mohib condemned U.S. peace talks with the Taliban as "the wrong approach" and "delegitimizing the Afghan government", singling out U.S. envoyZalmay Khalilzad in particular as weakening presidentAshraf Ghani so he could take over asviceroy. Mohib was subsequently summoned to the U.S.State Department to meet with undersecretaryDavid Hale, who conveyed American displeasure with the remarks.[45]
March 17 - The Taliban captured 150 Afghan army border troops inBadghis Province'sMurghab District, after the soldiers fled toTurkmenistan but were later forced back. The capture was considered the largest Afghan security force loss since theGhazni offensive in August 2018. Afghan forces suffered an additional 44 casualties during the week and the district was considered on the verge of collapse in spite of reinforcements.[46]
March 20 - The electoral authority once again delayed the upcomingpresidential election, this time by two months fromJuly 20 toSeptember 28. A spokesman for theIndependent Election Commission blamed the delay on changes in election laws along with management and technical problems—the presidential vote will now coincide with local council votes and delayed parliamentary elections inGhazni Province.[48]
The governor ofHelmand Province was knocked over but not seriously injured inbomb blasts which killed 4 and wounded 31 at theLashkar Gah stadium. The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack, which came duringFarmer's Day celebrations associated with the Persian new year.[51]
Ten children, part of the same extended family, were killed by a US air strike in Kunduz, along with three adult civilians, the United Nations said.[52]
March 27 -Pakistan's human rights ministerShireen Mazari referred to U.S. ambassadorJohn R. Bass as a "little pygmy" in atweet, responding to the ambassador's tweet using acricket metaphor to advise Pakistani prime ministerImran Khan not to interfere in the Afghan peace process. The ambassador's tweet came in response to remarks by Khan about an interim government that caused Afghanistan to temporarily recall its ambassador fromIslamabad.[53]
March 29 - Ruinousflash flooding struck in northernBadghis and westernHerat Provinces among other northerly locations, killing at least 16, injuring at least 9, and damaging nearly 400 homes; hundreds ofcattle were also killed. Thousands of people, including farmers, may have been affected by storms some called the worst in 20 years. The impact is magnified by the extended drought already suffered by the region.[54]
March 30 - Vice presidentAbdul Rashid Dostum escaped an expected assassination attempt while traveling fromMazar-e-Sharif toJawzjan Province, though one of his bodyguards was killed. No group took responsibility for this second attack in eight months, thoughISIS-K claimed the previous attempt.[55]
March 31 - Reportedly heavy rains caused deadly flooding across the south of the country, includingHerat Province, at least 35 people were killed in three days. At least 12 people including children were missing, and up to 700 homes destroyed.[56][57]
According to the government and aid organizations, thewinter wheat harvest in June and July will be critical due to last year's extreme drought combined with recent flooding. Grain reserves have already been tapped, some farmers already used their seed for bread, farm infrastructure such as canals, wells, and reservoirs has been damaged, and rapid snow melt could wipe out ripe crops.[58] Meanwhile, according to theUnited Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, civilian casualties declined in the first quarter of 2019 relative to the same period in 2018 (possibly because winter weather reducedsuicide bombings), but for the first time since 2009 civilian deaths in the quarter attributed to Afghan government, U.S., and international forces exceeded those attributed to the Taliban andISIS-K. Aerial operations caused the most civilian deaths, while insurgents caused the most civilian casualties including injuries (more fromIED attacks than suicide bombings, a change in trends).[59]
April 8 - ThreeU.S. Marines were killed, three injured, and an Afghan contractor wounded by aroadside bomb near the main U.S. base atBagram Airfield, according to a statement from theNATO-led force—the Taliban claimed it wassuicidecar bomb. At least five Afghan civilians were also wounded in the aftermath. These deaths bring to seven the number of American military deaths in-country this year.[60]
April 12 - Reportedly 77 people were killed from March to early April due to heavy rains and snowfall which caused deadlyflooding across the country,Herat,Helmand,Badghis were the worst-hit. More than 42,000 people have been displaced by the floods, thousands of homes have been destroyed and up to 163,000 people needs urgent help but humanitarian agencies are being prevented for providing assistance to affected people due to roadblocks or deteriorating security conditions.[61]
April 18 - A scheduled meeting inDoha between government officials and theTaliban collapsed over disagreements about the scope of the government delegation. PresidentAshraf Ghani's office blamedQatari officials, while the Taliban criticized the delegation for claiming to represent the government and people. U.S. special envoyZalmay Khalilzad expressed disappointment in the delay.[62]
April 20 - Asuicide attack on theCommunications Ministry inKabul ended with all five attackers dead, while four civilians and three police officers were killed.ISIS-K later claimed responsibility, which caused the evacuation of two government ministries.[63]
April 26 - U.S. special envoyZalmay Khalilzad hailed as a "milestone" an agreement between the United States, Russia, and China to support an "inclusive Afghan-led" peace process, including orderly and responsible withdrawal of foreign troops and a Taliban "commitment" to fightISIS-K and cut ties withal-Qaeda. The three countries also called on the Taliban to speak with a "broad, representative" Afghan delegation including the government as soon as possible.[64]
April 30 - Afghan government forces undertook clearing operations directed against bothISIS-K and theTaliban in easternNangarhar Province, after the two groups fought for over a week over a group of villages in an area of illegaltalc mining. TheNational Directorate of Security claimed 22 ISIS-K fighters were killed and two weapons caches destroyed, while the Taliban claimed US-backed Afghan forces killed seven civilians; a provincial official said over 9,000 families had been displaced by the fighting.[65]
May 3 - TheTaliban rejected calls for aRamadanceasefire made by a nationwide assembly, orloya jirga, inKabul. Responding to the 3,200 religious leaders, politicians, and representatives, presidentAshraf Ghani agreed to a truce as long as it was not one-sided, and made a goodwill gesture by agreeing to release 175 prisoners. The Taliban also continues to reject direct talks with the Afghan government, and responded to a U.S. call to lay down arms during ongoing talks inDoha by demanding the U.S. end the use of force instead.[66]
May 8 - The Taliban claimed an attack on theKabul compound of U.S.-based aid organizationCounterpart International in which four civilians and a policeman were killed and 24 others were wounded. All five insurgents were killed after a huge explosion and more than six-hour battle with security forces during which 200 people in the compound were rescued. U.S. AmbassadorJohn R. Bass and theUnited Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan both condemned the attack on an aid organization.[67]
May 16 - U.S. airstrikes nearLashkar Gah in southernHelmand Province killed as many as 18 Afghan police officers in what U.S. military officials described as a "tragic accident." A U.S. spokesman said Afghan forces requested air support during heavy fighting with theTaliban, but the target areas were not clear of friendly forces despite U.S. coordinators confirming they were. An unknown number of Taliban fighters were also killed.[68]
May 31 - Despite earlier concerns, positive development ofwinter wheat crops is most likely leading to a near-average harvest. Food security outcomes across the country are most likely to continue to gradually improve as the main harvest begins, and above average cumulative 2018/19 precipitation is supporting favorable wheat and pasture development. The 2019 spring flooding occurred at near average levels, with only localized impacts on the cereal harvests. Income from labor and remittances remains below-average. Overall, agriculture labor availability is similar to average; however, wages are below average.[69]
Afghanistan overtookSyria as the least peaceful country in the world, according to theGlobal Peace Index from the Australia-basedInstitute for Economics and Peace. In the past year, Afghanistan also had the largest deterioration in confidence in the local police among all nations surveyed, falling by 32 percentage points.[70]
June 3 - Negotiations failed to create a truce for the three-dayEid al-Fitr festival ending the Muslim holy month ofRamadan, disappointing civilians who had hoped for a ceasefire similar to that which occurred last year. Violence spiked toward the end of the holy month, leaving at least 17 dead and dozens injured.[71]
June 13 - Anancient tower in easternGhazni collapsed due mostly to vulnerability to rain damage according to a government spokesman, one of dozens already destroyed in the city. Critics accuse the government of negligence in protecting the city's Islamic and pre-Islamic architecture.[72]
A Taliban attack on pro-government militia security posts in northernBaghlan Province killed at least 27 militia members, while U.S. envoyZalmay Khalilzad opened the seventh round of talks with the Taliban inDoha. One U.S. official called the meeting a "make-or-break moment" in war termination efforts.[74]
July 15 - A Taliban ambush in the northwestern province ofBadghis killed 25 eliteAfghan commandos. 20 militants were also killed in the assault.[76]
July 18 - ATaliban double suicide car bombing and shooting attack on aKandahar police headquarters killed 12 people including civilians and injured almost 90 others.[77]
July 19 - Eight people were killed and 33 injured in a blast outside ofKabul University. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.[78][79]
August 17 -17 August 2019 Kabul bombing: A suicide bomber killed at least 80 and wounded more than 160 people at a wedding hall in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. It is believed that over 1,000 people were attending the wedding when the explosion took place. The Taliban immediately denied responsibility for carrying out the attack.[81][82]
August 21 - The United States military command confirmed that two of its soldiers, from Army Special Forces unit, were killed in Afghanistan, certainly during a firefight.[83]
September 2 - A Taliban claimedsuicide car bombing near a compound in Kabul that houses numerous international organizations killed 16 people and injured over 100 more.[84]
September 5 - Asuicide car bomb attack, claimed by Taliban, killed 10 people and wounded dozens in Kabul. The attack was carried out in a diplomatic area near the US embassy.[86]
September 11 - An explosion was heard inKabul, near theUS Embassy, shortly after midnight on the9/11 anniversary. An embassy employee reached by phone confirmed the blast but had no details. It was the first major attack in Kabul sincePresidentDonald Trump abruptly called off United States-Taliban talks on the brink of an apparent deal to end America's longest war.[87]
September 19 -2019 Qalat bombing: A Taliban car bomb at aQalat hospital in the southernZabul Province killed at least 20 people and injured 90 others. A government intelligence building next door was the intended target.[89][90]
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