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Draft:Battle of Kabul (1995)

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  • Comment: Searching "Taliban Kabul Ahamad Shah Massoud" on Google Books and lumping in the first five you find without checking if they are relevant is not helpful. ~~ AirshipJungleman29 (talk) 11:21, 3 February 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: Not enough sourcing on the battle itself. I will remove all the totally-irrelevant citations about Saudi Arabia ~~ AirshipJungleman29 (talk) 13:33, 13 December 2024 (UTC)


Battle of Kabul 1995
Part of Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)
Date11 March, 1995
Location
Kabul, Afghanistan
Result Islamic State of Afghanistan victory
Belligerents
 Islamic State Afghanistan AfghanistanTaliban
Commanders and leaders
Afghanistan Ahmad Shah Massoud AfghanistanMuhammad Omar
AfghanistanMullah Borjan  X
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Minor damages heavy

Battle of Kabul was a battle between the Islamic State of Afghanistan and the Taliban that took place in 1995 in the Kabul which was a decisive victory for the government forces and a heavy defeat for the Taliban. After capturing Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's territory and by deposing of the Hezbe Wahdat, on 11 March the Taliban launched a massive campaign to capture Kabul. the war started in the south and west of Kabul between the Taliban and the government forces. This was the first time which the Taliban faced the forces of Ahmad Shah Massoud,The Taliban suffered heavy losses and retreated to Logar.[1][2][3]

Background

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On February 2, 1995, the Taliban captured Wardak, located 50 kilometers south of Kabul. For the first time, Hekmatyar's bases around the capital were threatened on the other hand The Taliban were advancing at lightning speed. On February 10, 1995, after fierce clashes that left 200 dead, they captured Maidan Shahr and then Mohammad Agha District the next day.Hekmatyar realized that he was caught between the government forces in the north and the Taliban in the south. The morale of his forces was rapidly decreasing. On February 14, 1995, Hekmatyar's headquarters in Char Asiab District captured by the Taliban. His forces, who were very scared, fled to the east towards Jalalabad. The government army, under the command of Ahmad Shah Masoud, retreated into the city of Kabul.[4][5]In March 1995, the Taliban had captured almost one-third of the Afghanistan they defeated Hezbe Wahdat and killed their leader Abdul Ali Mazari.[6]

The Battle

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on 6 March Ahmad Shah Massoud marched against the Hazaras and driving them out of the kabul in desperation The Hazaras made a deal with the Taliban yielding their heavy weapons and positions to the Taliban in the meantime Ahmad Shah Massoud was not going allow the Taliban to replace the Hazaras in southern Kabul.[7]Ahmad Shah Massoud advised the Taliban to exercise restraint and avoid conflict. He persistently attempted to convince them to accept a political solution to the country’s crisis and to prevent any war between his forces and the Taliban. However, his efforts were unsuccessful, as the Taliban were unwilling to accept anything less than the disarmament of government forces and the capture of Kabul.

Eventually, war broke out between government forces and the Taliban in the western and southern parts of Kabul. This was the first battle between the Taliban and Ahmad Shah Massoud’s forces in the capital. The Taliban suffered heavy casualties, while government forces managed to recapture several areas in western Kabul after two days of intense fighting.

The Taliban retreated to Rish Khor camp military base and the surrounding hills but responded by ruthlessly shelling Kabul with rockets, leading to the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians. They continued to resist for several days in Rish Khor camp and Chahar Asiab, but after a series of continuous and large-scale government operations, the Taliban were defeated and withdrew to Mohammad Agha District in Logar Province.

In Mohammad Agha District, the Taliban established a defensive line to prevent government forces from advancing. However, in the following days, they launched a renewed offensive towards Kabul from the direction of Maidan Shahr. Their advance was halted at Argandai Pass and the surrounding areas due to government counterattacks, forcing the Taliban to retreat to Maidan Shahr.

As a result, Kabul was secured from Taliban artillery shelling from both the western and southern directions.[8] [9]<[10][11][12][13][14]

Aftermath

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After their defeat in Kabul, the Taliban turned westward to capture Herat. By late February 1995, they had seized Nimroz and Farah provinces and advanced toward Shindand. The Kabul government, concerned about the Taliban’s advance and Ismael Khan’s weakening defenses, launched airstrikes against Taliban positions. Additionally, Ismael Khan airlifted 2,000 battle-hardened Tajik fighters from Kabul to reinforce Shindand and Herat.

However, the Taliban suffered from poor logistics, lack of air support, and weak command structures. They faced heavy casualties as they continued their assault on government positions. By the end of March 1995, they had been pushed out of Shindand, losing most of the territories they had captured earlier. At least 3,000 Taliban fighters were killed, and many wounded were abandoned in the desert without medical aid, food, or water, leading to further deaths. The retreating Taliban were demoralized, with soldiers running out of ammunition and losing communication with their commanders.

This major defeat significantly weakened the Taliban’s image as potential peacemakers, making them appear as just another warlord group in the eyes of many Afghans. Meanwhile, President Burhanuddin Rabbani solidified his government’s control over Kabul and Herat. By May 1995, government forces controlled six provinces, while Ismael Khan maintained control over western Afghanistan.

References

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[15]

  1. ^ Goodson, Larry P. (July 1, 2011). Afghanistan's Endless War: State Failure, Regional Politics, and the Rise of the Taliban. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-80158-2 – via Google Books page 77.
  2. ^ Pacific, United States Congress House Committee on International Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the (October 20, 1996). Afghanistan: Civil War Or Uncivil Peace? : Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Congress, Second Session, May 9, 1996. U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-16-053910-7 – via Google Books page 63.
  3. ^ https://www.ariaye.com/ketab/andeshmand/ketab.pdf pages 188_193
  4. ^ The Taliban and the Crisis of Afghanistan. Harvard University Press page 65. 15 May 2009. ISBN 978-0-674-26286-7.
  5. ^ Ghosts of Afghanistan: The Haunted Battleground. Granta Publications. 6 October 2011. ISBN 978-1-84627-432-9.
  6. ^ Goodson, Larry P. (July 1, 2011). Afghanistan's Endless War: State Failure, Regional Politics, and the Rise of the Taliban. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-80158-2 – via Google Books page 77.
  7. ^ The Rise of Militant Islam: An Insider's View of the Failure to Curb Global Jihad. Casemate Publishers. 19 August 2010. ISBN 978-1-84468-548-6.
  8. ^ https://www.ariaye.com/ketab/andeshmand/ketab.pdf page 189
  9. ^ The Statesman's Yearbook 1998-99. Palgrave Macmillan UK. 17 December 2016. ISBN 978-0-230-27127-2.
  10. ^ Terror Network. BlueRose Publishers. 26 March 2020.
  11. ^ Enduring Freedom, Enduring Voices: US Operations in Afghanistan. Bloomsbury. 20 January 2015. ISBN 978-1-78200-977-1.
  12. ^ How We Missed the Story: Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban, and the Hijacking of Afghanistan. US Institute of Peace Press. 2008. ISBN 978-1-60127-024-5.
  13. ^ Afghanistan Labor Policy, Laws and Regulations Handbook: Strategic Information and Regulations. Lulu.com. July 2017. ISBN 978-1-4387-8020-7.
  14. ^ Rashid, Ahmed (April 30, 2010). Taliban: The Power of Militant Islam in Afghanistan and Beyond. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85771-728-3 – via Google Books page 35.
  15. ^ فرزان, احمد شاه (1389). افغانستان از حکومت مجاهدین تا سقوط طالبان (in Persian). ایران: اهنگ قلم. p. 181. ISBN 9789647641951.
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