Battle of Kandahar (2021)

Battle of Kandahar
	Part of the 2021 Taliban offensive
	; Kandahar and surrounding regions before capture as of 12 August 2021
Date	9 July – 16 August 2021; (1 month and 1 week)
Location	Kandahar, Afghanistan31°36′48″N 65°42′59″E / 31.61333°N 65.71639°E
Result	Taliban victory Successful evacuation of Afghan government officials and military personnel from Kandahar Airport;
Belligerents
Taliban	Afghanistan; United States
Commanders and leaders
Haji Yousaf Wafa; (Taliban's governor for Kandahar province); Mullah Yaqoob; (Chief of Taliban's military commission); Ibrahim Sadar; (Mullah Yaqoob's second-in-command)	Rohullah Khanzada ; (Governor of Kandahar province); Ata Mohammad Khan; (Head of NDS in Kandahar); Gen. Sami Sadat; (Commander of 215th Corps); Colonel Sharifullah Sartayib; (Police chief of Kandahar province); Gen. Tadin Khan Achakzai; (former Police chief of Kandahar province); Mohammad Iqbal Nuristani; (Unit 03 commander)
Units involved
Taliban forces	Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) Afghan National Army (ANA) 205th Corps; 215th Corps; Commando Corps Unit 03; ; ; Afghan Air Force; Afghan National Police; National Directorate of Security (NDS); United States Armed Forces United States Air Force;
Casualties and losses
	100+ civilians killed or wounded
	class=notpageimage\| Location within Afghanistan

The Battle of Kandahar^[7] began on 9 July 2021, as Taliban insurgents assaulted the city to capture it from the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).^[8] After heavy fighting for weeks the city's defenses had started to dissolve in August. This allowed the Taliban to enter and overrun most of the city on 12 August 2021, including the Sarposa prison, which included the release of over 1,000 prisoners, and ultimately the capture of the city.^[9] However, the siege for the nearby airport continued, where government loyalists held out until being evacuated on 16 August.^[1]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Cite error: The named reference washington post was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Moiz, Ibrahim (5 October 2021). "How the Afghan Taliban achieved their takeover of Afghanistan". The Express Tribune.
^ Cite error: The named reference reaction was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^
Multiple References:
- "The Taliban stormed Mazar-i-Sharif and was 10 km from Kabul". middleeast.in-24.com. 14 August 2021. The movement published on its propaganda media clips showing the moment the governor of Kandahar, Ruhollah Khanzada, left the airport to surrender to the militants.
- Nikzad, Khaled (9 July 2021). "Officials Say Taliban Attack Near Kandahar City 'Repelled'". TOLOnews.
^ Achakzai, Abdullah (3 January 2021). "Senior Officials Appointed in Kandahar". TOLOnews.
^ ^a ^b "New Kandahar police chief assumes charge". Pajhwok News. 10 April 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Roggio, Bill; Tobin, Andrew (12 August 2021). "Kandahar City falls to the Taliban". Long War Journal. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
^ Nossiter, Adam (9 July 2021). "Taliban Enter Kandahar City and Seize Border Posts". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
^ Wani, Ashraf (11 August 2021). "Taliban overruns Kandahar jail, frees hundreds of prisoners as part of offensive | WATCH". India Today. Kabul.

[washington_post-1] Cite error: The named reference washington post was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Talib_commanders-2] Moiz, Ibrahim (5 October 2021). "How the Afghan Taliban achieved their takeover of Afghanistan". The Express Tribune.

[reaction-3] Cite error: The named reference reaction was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[4] Multiple References:
"The Taliban stormed Mazar-i-Sharif and was 10 km from Kabul". middleeast.in-24.com. 14 August 2021. The movement published on its propaganda media clips showing the moment the governor of Kandahar, Ruhollah Khanzada, left the airport to surrender to the militants.

Nikzad, Khaled (9 July 2021). "Officials Say Taliban Attack Near Kandahar City 'Repelled'". TOLOnews.

[5] "The Taliban stormed Mazar-i-Sharif and was 10 km from Kabul". middleeast.in-24.com. 14 August 2021. The movement published on its propaganda media clips showing the moment the governor of Kandahar, Ruhollah Khanzada, left the airport to surrender to the militants.

[6] Nikzad, Khaled (9 July 2021). "Officials Say Taliban Attack Near Kandahar City 'Repelled'". TOLOnews.

[Ghost_soldiers-5] Achakzai, Abdullah (3 January 2021). "Senior Officials Appointed in Kandahar". TOLOnews.

[Police_chief-6] "New Kandahar police chief assumes charge". Pajhwok News. 10 April 2021.

[lwj-7] Roggio, Bill; Tobin, Andrew (12 August 2021). "Kandahar City falls to the Taliban". Long War Journal. Retrieved 13 August 2021.

[Nossiter-8] Nossiter, Adam (9 July 2021). "Taliban Enter Kandahar City and Seize Border Posts". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 August 2021.

[9] Wani, Ashraf (11 August 2021). "Taliban overruns Kandahar jail, frees hundreds of prisoners as part of offensive | WATCH". India Today. Kabul.

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