Afghanistan Archives

Resolute Support obscures status of 7 Ghazni districts as 3 more fall to Taliban

Bill Roggio & Alexandra Gutowski | August 13, 2018

In addition to Ajristan and Khwaja Umar, the districts of Nawur, Jaghatu, and Deh Yak have fallen to the Taliban. Meanwhile, Resolute Support has intentionally misled the the public about the status of seven of Ghazni’s districts. Resolute Support claimed these districts were under government control; in reality the Taliban physically controlled the terrain while the Afghan government operated the government remotely from Ghazni City.

Video from Ghazni City shows Taliban on streets as buildings ablaze

Bill Roggio | August 13, 2018

Meanwhile, Resolute Support continues its claim Ghazni City is under Afghan control and uses Taliban body counts as a measure of success.

Taliban seizes second district in Ghazni as provincial capital remains contested

Bill Roggio | August 13, 2018

The current fighting in and around Ghazni City indicates that the Taliban has a detailed plan to tie up Afghan forces while attempting to seize the provincial capital. Additionally, the Taliban was able to mass its forces undetected; the Afghan military was clearly caught off guard and is struggling to get into the fight four days after the Taliban launched its attack.

Ghazni City remains under assault, despite RS assurances

Bill Roggio | August 12, 2018

Resolute Support initially described the attack on Ghazni City as a “failed attempt” that would be used by the press to generate sensational headlines. Two days later, Afghan forces are still battling entrenched Taliban fighters inside the city, and the vital Kabul-Kandahar remains severed. Battles such as the one in Ghazni, reveal a disturbing pattern of misinformation and deception by Resolute Support when it comes to assessing and reporting on the Taliban’s attacks on major cities as well as its assaults on district centers.

Ghazni City up for grabs after coordinated Taliban assault

Bill Roggio | August 10, 2018

Both the Afghan government (and Resolute Support) and the Taliban claim they control the city. The Afghan government and Resolute Support have proven unreliable in the past when it denied that the Taliban twice took control of Kunduz City, as well as Farah City earlier this year.

Afghan forces target al Qaeda commanders in Helmand and Nangarhar

Bill Roggio | August 7, 2018

The raids in Helmand and Nangarhar indicate that al Qaeda’s leaders are not focused on its survival. Al Mesri was focused on manufacturing IEDs to support the Taliban’s insurgency in Helmand, while Rahmatullah and his cohorts were operating in Nangarhar’s provincial capital.

Taliban suicide bomber kills 3 Czech soldiers

Bill Roggio | August 5, 2018

The Taliban remains active in Parwan, where it contested five of the provinces 10 districts. One American and two Afghan soldiers were also wounded in the suicide attack.

Foreign Islamic State fighters captured by Taliban in Jawzjan

Caleb Weiss | August 4, 2018

The video, which purports to show several foreign Islamic State militants surrendering to the Taliban, allows for a more detailed look at the composition of the group in northern Afghanistan.

Taliban says Islamic State has been ‘completely defeated’ in Jawzjan

Bill Roggio | August 1, 2018

The complex Taliban operation that was designed to eject the Islamic State from Jawzjan highlights the Taliban’s ability to coordinate and mass for attacks in the Afghan north. However it is unlikely that the Islamic State has been “completely defeated” in the north.

Resolute Support invents new terms to obfuscate Taliban control

Bill Roggio & Alexandra Gutowski | July 31, 2018

Resolute Support continues to invent new terminology to obfuscate the extent of Taliban control in Afghanistan.

Raid on Afghan school for midwives ended after several hours

Thomas Joscelyn | July 29, 2018

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack on a school for midwives in Jalalabad, Afghanistan yesterday, saying the target was a headquarters for USAID. Despite a focused, US-led counterterrorism campaign against Wilayah Khorasan in Nangarhar, the group retains an operational footprint in eastern Afghanistan.

Taliban overruns 2 districts in eastern Afghanistan

Bill Roggio | July 24, 2018

The Taliban takeover of the Paktika districts of Omna and Gayan occur as US generals attempt to put a positive spin on the Afghan military’s capabilities.

Afghan military suffers significant casualties since end of government’s ceasefire

Bill Roggio | July 24, 2018

An estimated 150 Afghan security personnel (soldiers, policemen, and militia fighters) have been killed in major Taliban attacks over the past two weeks.

NATO command touts body count of ‘Taliban irreconcilables’

Bill Roggio | July 23, 2018

The press release also described the Taliban who are being targeted and killed as “Taliban irreconcilables.” However, Resolute Support has yet to identify any reconcilable Taliban.

Islamic State claims suicide bombing near ceremony for Afghanistan’s returning vice president

Thomas Joscelyn | July 22, 2018

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that struck near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul only minutes after Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum passed through the area.

Islamic State releases photos from Jowzjan battles with the Taliban

Caleb Weiss | July 20, 2018

The photo-set is at least the second this month showing clashes with the Taliban in the Afghan north.

Taliban, Islamic State continue battle in northern Afghanistan

Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss | July 18, 2018

The rise of the Islamic State in Jawzjan province over the past year has threatened the Taliban’s operations in the Afghan north.

Afghan commandos free 58 from Taliban prison

Bill Roggio | July 17, 2018

The Taliban has been operating prisons in Helmand for at least three years. Raids on Taliban prisons has done nothing to keep the group from expanding its control in Helmand.

UN: Taliban remains prime culprit in Afghan civilian casualties

Thomas Joscelyn | July 16, 2018

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) found that the Taliban was responsible for more civilian casualties than any other party in Afghanistan during the first six months of 2018.

Khorasan arm of Islamic State again strikes Afghan ministry in Kabul

Thomas Joscelyn | July 15, 2018

The Islamic State quickly claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at the Afghan government’s Rural Rehabilitation and Development Ministry in Kabul earlier today. The so-called caliphate dispatched a suicide bomber to strike the same ministry in June.

Afghan forces suffer heavy casualties in Kunduz

Bill Roggio | July 12, 2018

The Red Unit, the Taliban’s version of special forces that operates throughout Afghanistan and is often at the tip of the spear of assaults on district centers, military bases and outposts, is said to have initiated the fighting in Dasht-i-Archi district. At least 30 Afghan soldiers were killed during the assault.

Pakistani Taliban claims Peshawar suicide attack, threatens more to come

Bill Roggio | July 11, 2018

The deadly bombing is the first major attack executed by the Taliban group since Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud assumed command of the group in late June.

Taliban again equates their Islamic Emirate with the Afghan nation

Bill Roggio | July 10, 2018

The Taliban reiterated that it views itself as the sole representative of the Afghan people, while those who fight for the Afghan government are “puppets” of the United States.

Analysis: Pentagon continues to underestimate al Qaeda, downplay ties to Taliban

Bill Roggio | July 5, 2018

The Pentagon and the US intelligence community have been consistently wrong about al Qaeda’s strength in Afghanistan, and evidence of strategic ties between the two groups does indeed exist.

Taliban captures more than 70 Afghan police in attack near the capital

Bill Roggio | June 24, 2018

The Afghan government is maintaining its unilateral ceasefire despite the current Taliban offensive.

Pakistani Taliban appoints new emir after confirming death of Mullah Fazlullah

Bill Roggio | June 23, 2018

The TTP appears to be returning to its roots by selecting Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, a prominent commander from the Mehsud tribe, to lead it. The TTP also confirmed the death of Mullah Fazlullah.

Taliban rejects ceasefire extension, resumes attacks on ‘internal puppets’

Thomas Joscelyn & Bill Roggio | June 18, 2018

The Taliban has rejected a request by the Afghan government to extend its three-day ceasefire. The Taliban claims that the short-lived lull in the fighting proved that it has command-and-control over its forces throughout the country and that the mujahideen enjoy popular support.

Emir of Pakistani Taliban thought killed in US airstrike

Bill Roggio | June 15, 2018

The Afghan Ministry of Defense claims Mullah Fazlullah was killed in a US airstrike in Kunar on June 13. His death has not been confirmed by the US or the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. Fazlullah’s death, if confirmed, may not be as impactful as US, Pakistani, and Afghan officials would like to believe.

Taliban denies it is in ‘secret talks’ with NATO

Bill Roggio | June 12, 2018

Yet again, the Taliban stated that it will only negotiate after US and NATO forces withdraw from Afghanistan, and that everyone must accept the “ground realities,” meaning that the Taliban will rule the country.

Taliban overruns another district in northern Afghanistan

Bill Roggio | June 12, 2018

The move by the Taliban directly contradicts the top US and NATO general in Afghanistan’s assertion that the Taliban is “no longer attempting to gain new ground.”