Capture of Zaranj

Capture of Zaranj
	Part of 2021 Taliban offensive
	; Map of 2021 Taliban Offensive around Zaranj on 7 August; Grey: Taliban-controlled territory ; Pink: Territory controlled by the Afghan government ; Yellow: Unclear/contested
Date	6 August 2021
Location	Zaranj, Afghanistan
Result	Taliban victory Afghan government officials and security forces either surrendered or fled to Iran and other neighbouring provinces;
Belligerents
Taliban	Afghanistan
Commanders and leaders
Abdul Khaliq †; (Taliban's governor for Nimruz province); Abdul-Haq Abid; (Taliban commander); Muhammad Ayubi; (Taliban commander)	Unknown
Units involved
Taliban forces	Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) Afghan National Army's 215th Corps; Afghan Air Force; National Directorate of Security (NDS)
Casualties and losses
Minor casualties (according to the Taliban)	NDS personnel defending the city surrendered

The capture of Zaranj, the capital of Nimruz Province, Afghanistan, occurred on 6 August 2021. According to local officials, only the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and its forces had put up a fight against the Taliban, but they too eventually surrendered to the Taliban.^[7] Local officials had been requesting reinforcements but received no response. Zaranj was the first provincial capital to be taken by the Taliban in their 2021 offensive and the first one to be captured since Kunduz in 2016.^[8]

The Taliban faced little to no resistance while capturing the city of Zaranj. The Afghan government officials and security forces either surrendered or fled to Iran or neighbouring Afghan provinces.^[2]^[3]

^ Cullison, Alan; Amiri, Ehsanullah (6 August 2021). "Taliban Seize Capital of Afghanistan's Nimroz Province and Kill Official in Kabul". Wall Street Journal.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Kazmin, Amy; Manson, Katrina (18 August 2021). "Mistrust and mysterious surrenders: how Kabul fell to the Taliban". Financial Times.
^ ^a ^b "Taliban shadow governor for Nimruz among 25 killed in Afghan forces operations in Zaranj, Taliqan". Yahoo News. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
^ ^a ^b Moiz, Ibrahim (5 October 2021). "How the Afghan Taliban achieved their takeover of Afghanistan". The Express Tribune.
^ Baabar, Mariana; Yusufzai, Mushtaq (7 August 2021). "Taliban shut Chaman border". www.thenews.com.pk. Taliban commanders and their spokesman for southern Afghanistan Qari Yousaf Ahmadi told The News that their fighters had managed to seize control of Nimroz province without any significant resistance and casualties.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Wsj6-1] Cullison, Alan; Amiri, Ehsanullah (6 August 2021). "Taliban Seize Capital of Afghanistan's Nimroz Province and Kill Official in Kabul". Wall Street Journal.

[:0-2] Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Ft18-3] Kazmin, Amy; Manson, Katrina (18 August 2021). "Mistrust and mysterious surrenders: how Kabul fell to the Taliban". Financial Times.

[yahoo-4] "Taliban shadow governor for Nimruz among 25 killed in Afghan forces operations in Zaranj, Taliqan". Yahoo News. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.

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

[6] Baabar, Mariana; Yusufzai, Mushtaq (7 August 2021). "Taliban shut Chaman border". www.thenews.com.pk. Taliban commanders and their spokesman for southern Afghanistan Qari Yousaf Ahmadi told The News that their fighters had managed to seize control of Nimroz province without any significant resistance and casualties.

[:2-7] Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[:7-8] Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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