Fall of Kabul (2021) 2021
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 15 August 2021 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2021 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Post-1945 (1946 onwards) | derived from year |
| Location | Afghanistan | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | 2021 Taliban offensive, War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Taliban | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 34.5000, 69.1667 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
On 15 August 2021, Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul was captured by the Taliban after a major insurgent offensive that began in May 2021. It was the final action of the War in Afghanistan, and marked a total victory for the Taliban. This led to the overthrowing of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under President Ashraf Ghani and the reinstatement of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban.
The United States–Taliban deal, signed on 29 February 2020, is considered one of the most critical factors that caused the collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Following the deal, the US dramatically reduced the number of air attacks and deprived the ANSF of a critical edge in fighting the Taliban insurgency.
Months before the fall, many in the United States Intelligence Community estimated that Kabul would be taken at least six months after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan was completed. However, beginning in May 2021, even while the withdrawal was occurring, the Taliban was able to take most of Afghanistan's provinces in rapid succession during a major offensive. During this period, estimates for the longevity of the Afghan state declined significantly.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Fall of Kabul (2021) (revision 1379490656), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Kabul Expedition (1842) 1842 · 3 km
- Fall of Kabul (2001) 2001 · 3 km
- Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment 1879 · 4 km
- Siege of the British Residency in Kabul 1879 · 4 km
- Siege of Kabul (1504) 1504 · 4 km
- Battle of Charasiab 1879 · 11 km
Other battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Battle of Kunduz (2015) 2015
- Battle of Boz Qandahari 2016
- Battle of Kunduz (2016) 2016
- Battle of Tarinkot (2016) 2016
- Battle of Farah 2018
All 33 battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) →
Browse more: battles in Afghanistan · Asia · Post-1945 battles