The following lists events that happened during 2016 in Afghanistan.

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Ashraf Ghani Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan politician, academic, and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was overthrown by the Taliban. Born in L ...

, 2014-current *

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Abdullah Abdullah Abdullah Abdullah (Dari/ ps, عبدالله عبدالله, ; born as Abdullah on 5 September 1960) is an Afghan politician who led the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) from May 2020 until August 2021, when the Afghan government wa ...

, 2014–current * Chief Justice:

Abdul Salam Azimi Abdul Salam Azimi (born 1936 in Farah Province) is an Afghan judge who was the Chief Justice of Afghanistan and, as such, the head of the Afghan Supreme Court from May 2006 to October 2014, when he resigned his position. A former professor at th ...

Events

The

war in Afghanistan (2001–present) War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) *Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...

continued.

January

* January 1 - A suicide car bomb blast struck a

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

restaurant, killing two and injuring 15. *January 2 - Afghan security forces battled a group of gunmen near the Indian consulate in

Mazar-i-Sharif , official_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif , pushpin ...

. Also that day, an Afghan counterterrorism force freed 59 prisoners from a Taliban prison in the district of Nahr-i-Sarraj. *January 5 - A

United States Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, are a special operations special operations force, force of the United States Ar ...

soldier from A Company, 1st Battalion 19th SFG was killed and two others were wounded as were an unknown number of Afghan special forces soldiers during a joint operation in support of a larger mission by the Afghan National Army's 215th Corps in clearing Taliban compounds in the town of Marja,

Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces (, '' wilåyat''). The provinces of Afghanistan are the primar ...

. An Army HH-60 special operations helicopter was also damaged. *January 13 - Militants affiliated with the ISIS–K attacked Pakistan's consulate in

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Dari/ ps, جلال‌آباد, ) is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about from the capital Kabul. Jala ...

, Afghanistan, killing 9 people and injuring 12 more *January 16 - Two Rangers from 2nd Battalion,

75th Ranger Regiment The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as Army Rangers, is the U.S. Army's premier light infantry unit and special operations force within the United States Army Special Operations Command. The regiment is headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgi ...

were wounded in an attack during a joint Ranger-Afghan special operation forces mission in

Paktika province Paktika (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktika has a population of about 789,000, mostly ethnic Pashtuns. The town of Sharana ...

February

*February 1 - A suicide bomber blew himself up while standing in a queue at the entrance of the headquarters of the

Afghan National Civil Order Police The Afghan National Civil Order Force (ANCOF), formerly known as the Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP), was an Afghan National Army (ANA) force responsible for civil order and counterinsurgency. In March 2018, most of the ANCOP personnel ...

. The blast killed at least 20 people and another 29 were injured. The

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

claimed responsibility. Also that day, U.S. airstrikes in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan, killing 29 ISIS fighters and struck the terrorist group's FM radio station. *February 2 - A U.S. airstrike in Paktika province, eastern Afghanistan, killed 18 Taliban fighters from Pakistan. *February 5 - Afghan forces suffered four KIA and seven WIA in Sangin, Helmand province. *February 6 - Afghan soldiers defending the government buildings In

Sangin Sangin ( ps, سنگين) is a town in Helmand province of Afghanistan, with a population of approximately 20,000 people. It is located on in the valley of the Helmand River at altitude, to the north-east of Lashkargah. Sangin is notorious as on ...

, suffered nine KIA, seven WIA, and three POW following a Taliban attack. *February 11 - An Afghan policeman shot dead four colleagues and injured seven more in

Kandahar Province Kandahār ( ps, ; Kandahār, prs, ; ''Qandahār'') is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southern part of the country, sharing a border with Pakistan, to the south. It is surrounded by Helmand in the west, Uruzgan ...

. *February 14 - The Nangarhar Offensive began. *February 17 - Men who appeared to be from the Afghan army raided a health clinic belonging to the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) in Tangi Saidan in

Wardak Province Maidan Wardak (Pashto: ; Dari: ), also called Wardag or Wardak, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the central region of Afghanistan. It is divided into eight districts and has a population of approximately 500,00 The capital ...

, killing 4. *February 20 - A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper crashed at Kandahar airfield. *February 22 - Afghan forces and U.S.-led coalition airstrikes kill a total 43 Islamic State militants in Nangarhar Province during a military operation against ISIS in that region. *February 26 - Afghan special forces raided a Taliban prison in an area between

Nad Ali Nad Ali or Nad-e Ali is a district in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Marja is an unincorporated agricultural district in Nad Ali. The area is irrigated by the Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority (HAVA). *February 27 - 25 people were killed in Taliban suicide attacks in Kabul and Asadabad,

Kunar province Kunar (Pashto: ; Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. Its population is estimated to be 508,224. Kunar's major political groups include Wahhabis or Ahl-e- Ha ...

March

*March 2 - Militants attacked the Indian consulate in Jalalabad, five militants were killed and nine people were injured. *March 6 - The Nangarhar Offensive ended; Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani announced in the Afghan parliament that the Islamic State has been defeated in the eastern parts of the country. Also that day, a U.S.

drone strike Drone warfare is a form of aerial warfare using unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) or weaponized commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The United States, United Kingdom, Israel, China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, France, India, Pakista ...

in Nangarhar killed 15 ISIL militants. *March 9 - As many as 10 Taliban insurgents attacked Afghan government buildings in Helmand Province. *March 14 -

Khanneshin Khanashin, or Khan Neshin, (other names: Khān Neshīn, Khannesin, Khan Nashin, Khān Nashīn, Khan Nashim, Khānnešīn) is a village located in the Reg District (Helmand), Reg District of Helmand Province, Afghanistan at at 642 altitude. It is ...

district fell to the Taliban. *March 16 - Militants loyal to ISIS-K attacked an Afghan police checkpoint in Nangarhar province, killing and wounding six policemen. *March 29 - A USAF

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...

crashed on takeoff near Bagram Air Field. *March 30 - Taliban militants blocked the highway between Dihrawud and

Tarin Kot Tarīnkōṭ ( prs, ترين کوت), also spelled as Tarin Kowt, is the capital of Uruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan in the Tarinkot District. Tarinkot city has a population of 71,604 (2015), with some 200 small shops in the city's baza ...

Uruzgan province Uruzgan (Dari), also spelled as Urozgan or Oruzgan, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Uruzgan is located in the center of the country. The population is 436,079, and the province is mostly a tribal society. Tarinkot serves as th ...

Afghan forces cleared them from the highway after four days of fighting, afghan forces suffered 15 killed and 8 wounded. Around 100 Taliban insurgents, including foreign fighters, attacked police check points – in particular they clashed with the Taliban in Charhar Bolak district

Balkh province Balkh (Dari: , ''Balx'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country. It is divided into 15 districts and has a population of about 1,509,183, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a Persian-speaking society. The c ...

which resulting in two police officers dead and eight insurgents dead. The Taliban were pushed back after reinforcements arrived and fighting continued in

Jawzjan province Jowzjan, sometimes spelled Jawzjan or Jozjan (Dari: ), is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country bordering neighboring Turkmenistan. The province is divided into 11 Districts of Afghanistan, districts ...

April

*Early April - A mission lasting 36-hour mission took place in Kot district in Nangarhar province involving unilateral U.S. strikes against ISIL targets which enabled Afghan special operations forces to move into the district and clear part of a valley. *April 6–39 IS militants are killed, including their Commander Qari Yusif, and 15 others are wounded in clashes with Afghan forces in Nangarhar province. *April 15 - Afghan and U.S. forces carried out a raid on the house of Abu Abdullah; a suspected

al Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

member in Kharwar district,

Logar province Logar (Pashto/Dari: ; meaning Greater Mountain ( لوې غر)) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan located in the eastern section of the country. It is divided into 7 districts and contains hundreds of villages. Puli Alam is the capital of ...

. Two people were seized along with weapons and intelligence, 12 people (seven of them were ethnic

Chechens The Chechens (; ce, Нохчий, , Old Chechen: Нахчой, ''Naxçoy''), historically also known as ''Kisti'' and ''Durdzuks'', are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group of the Nakh peoples native to the North Caucasus in Eastern Europe. "Europ ...

), including three children, were killed. *April 19 - As part of the Taliban spring offensive; the Taliban and the

Haqqani network The Haqqani network is an Afghan Islamist group, built around the family of the same name, that has used asymmetric warfare in Afghanistan to fight against Soviet forces in the 1980s, and US-led NATO forces and the Islamic Republic of Afghanis ...

carried out attacks on Kabul killing 71 and wounding more than 367. *For that month, the U.S., Afghan and other allied special operations forces carried out just under 19 counterterrorism strikes on ISIL targets and a few on al-Qaeda targets.

May

*May 5 - Afghan special forces, with NATO forces in support, liberated over 60 people held in a Taliban jail in

Nawzad district Nawzad is a district in the north of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Its population, which is 100% Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geograph ...

, killing 2 militants and capturing many more. *May 7 - 2 Romanian special forces operatives were killed by 2 Taliban members/supporters in an "insider attack" in

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...

. *May 8 - The Afghan government executed six Taliban prisoners for perpetrating serious crimes against civilians and security forces and after demands from victims families. Also that day, two buses and a fuel tanker collided on a major highway in

Ghazni province Ghazni (Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in southeastern Afghanistan. The province contains 19 districts, encompassing over a thousand villages and roughly 1.3 million people, making it the 5th most populous province. The ...

, killing 73 people and more than 50 other people injured. Also that day, Taliban fighters attacked police checkpoints on the outskirts of

Lashkar Gah Lashkargāh ( ps, لښکرګاه; fa, لشکرگاه), historically called Bost or Boost (), is a city in southwestern Afghanistan and the capital of Helmand Province. It is located in Lashkargah District, where the Arghandab River merges into ...

, killing 15 security officers, but police said 14 fighters were killed before the group was driven off, this assault brought an end to the lull in fighting during the annual opium harvest in Helmand province. *May 9 - A U.S. drone strike killed 12 Taliban fighters, including a senior commander, in Chahar Dara district, Kunduz province. *May 10 - A joint Afghan-US special forces rescued

Ali Haider Gilani Ali Haider Gillani is the son of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousuf Raza Gillani. He is member of Provincial Assembly of Punjab since August 2018. Abduction On 9 May 2013, he was kidnapped in his home district of Multan after unidentified ...

; the son of a former Pakistani prime minister

Yusuf Raza Gilani Yusuf Raza Gilani (Urdu: ; born 9 June 1952), is a Pakistani politician who served as 18th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 25 March 2008, until his retroactive disqualification and ouster by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 26 April 2012. He ...

, in Ghazni province, he had been kidnapped 3 years before and was being held by an al-Qaeda affiliated group. Other reports state the raid took place in Patika province, additionally; 4 enemy combatants were killed. Also that day, contact with a U.S. unmanned aircraft over Nangahar province was lost, the Taliban claims that they shot it down. *May 14 - At least four people are killed and 12 injured after a suicide bomb attack on an Afghan National Police training center in Helmand Province. *May 17 - A U.S. airstrike/drone strike killed a senior Al Qaeda leader in the Shah Joyi district,

Zabul province Zabul (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the south of the country. It has a population of 249,000. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963. Historically, it was part of the Zabu ...

. *May 21 - A Taliban suicide bomber attacked a NATO convoy in Nasro,

Parwan province Parwan (Dari: ), also spelled Parvan, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 751,000. The province is multi-ethnic and mostly rural society. The province is divided into ten districts. The town of Imam Abu Hanif ...

; wounding 2 civilians. Also that day, in the Uruzgan province, 6 Afghan policemen were killed in an insider attack by 3 Taliban fighters. *May 26 - U.S. Army Special forces supported some 80 soldiers of the Afghan 3rd Special Operations Battalion whose mission was to clear insurgents out of Elbak, Kandahar province which would clear the road from Kandahar, through Elbak to Tarin Kowt so an 800-man Afghan army convoy could deliver troops and supplies to Tarin Kowt. U.S. aircraft spotted Taliban fighters close to where the U.S. helicopters were going to land the commandos; the Green Berets won permission for 3 airstrikes which was carried out by U.S. drones, killing seven and wounding others. The mission had mixed results; the Taliban reoccupied the area and the convoy barely made any progress, however, the operation had interrupted the Taliban's nightly routine of bomb-planting. A week later, U.S. helicopters again dropped Afghan commandos into Elbak and this time they stayed for more than a day whilst police cleared some 18 booby-trap bombs from the road and slowly, the relief convoy began to make its way north. * May 31 - The beginning of the

Kunduz-Takhar highway hostage crisis On May 31, 2016, Taliban insurgents posing as government officials kidnapped around 220 civilians at a fake checkpoint along the Kunduz-Takhar highway near Arzaq Angor Bagh in Kunduz province, Afghanistan, on the outskirts of the city of Kundu ...

, where hundreds of civilians were kidnapped, with many casualties.

June

*June 12 - A clash occurred between Pakistani and Afghan soldiers at the main border crossing at the end of the

Khyber Pass The Khyber Pass (خیبر درہ) is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by traversing pa ...

and continued into the night, leaving one Pakistani soldier wounded, while on the Afghan side one soldier was killed and six have been injured. *June 14 - Taliban fighters overran much of Charchino district in Uruzgan province after several days of fighting in which a "handful” of international advisors and Special Operations forces provided support to government forces. 77 Taliban fighters were killed and another 36 wounded, while 12 Afghan security forces members were killed and five wounded. *June 18–27 Islamic State loyalists were killed in a drone strike in different areas of Achin district, Nangarhar province. *June 20 - At least 14

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

ese security guards were killed by a Taliban suicide bomber in Kabul, nine people were also wounded; separately ten civilians died in an explosion at a market in northeastern

Badakhshan province Badakhshan Province (Persian/ Uzbek: , ''Badaxšān'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan in the north and the Pakistani regions of Lower ...

, ten civilians were killed and 40 others wounded when a bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded in a crowded market in Badakhshan province's Keshm district. See the

Kabul attack on Canadian Embassy Guards On June 20, 2016, at around 0600 AFT, a suicide bombing attack claimed to be conducted by the Taliban or the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (IS-KP) hit a convoy of Canadian embassy security guards en route to the embassy in Kabul. The att ...

*June 26 - An airstrike killed Qari Ghafour, a senior Taliban commander in

Char Dara District Chārdara District (; also known as Chahar Dara, Chahar Darreh or Char Darreh) is one of the seven districts in Kunduz Province in northern Afghanistan. It is situated in the south-west part of Kunduz Province and has borders with Qalay-I-Zal Dis ...

; another top Taliban commander in

Faryab province Faryab (Dari: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, which is located in the north of the country bordering neighboring Turkmenistan. It has a population of about 1,109,223, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a tribal society. The pr ...

surrendered to government forces amid ongoing military operations there.

July

*July 2 - 225 Islamic State loyalist were killed during military operations launched nearly a week ago, local officials said. *July 9 - A U.S. drone strike in Nangarhar province targeting ISIL-K members killed Umar Khalifa, the leader of the Tariq Gidar Group and four other enemy combatants. *July 13 - Three counterterrorism strikes were conducted Achin district, Nangarhar province. *July 14 - A U.S. drone destroyed ISIS a radio station in Nangarhar province. *July 23 - a twin bombing occurred in the vicinity of Deh Mazang square in

, capital of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, when the #Enlightenment_Movement protesters, mostly from the Hazara ethnic, were marching against a decision to bypass their region in the development of the TUTAP mega power project. At least 97 people were killed and 260 injured. The terrorist group

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...

has claimed responsibility, however, the same group later on refused it. Following the Kabul bombing, Afghan and U.S. forces began operations to clear IS militants out of eastern Afghanistan. *July 24 - A U.S. special operations soldier was wounded in southern Nangarhar province. *July 25 - Four U.S. special operations troops were wounded in southern Nangarhar province. *July 26 - A U.S. drone strike in Achin district, Nangarhar province, killed ISIS-K top leader in Afghanistan: Hafiz Sayed Khan, the airstrike was part of a month-long operation against ISIS carried out by U.S. and Afghan special operations forces in southern Nangarhar province.

August

*August 1 - Kabul attack kills one and injures four. *August 4 - Taliban militants attacked a convoy of foreign tourists in Chishti Sharif District,

Herat Province Herat (Persian: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north-western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city and ...

, wounding several of them. *August 7 - Three U.S. soldiers were minorly wounded in a vehicle suicide bombing

Surkh-Rōd District Surkh-Rōd.(Pashto language, Pashto/ fa, سرخ‌رود/ سره رود), also spelled as ''Surkh-Rūd'' or ''Sorkh-Rūd'', also called ''Sra-rod'' or ''Sra- road'', is a Districts of Afghanistan, district in the north of Nangarhar Province, ...

near Jalalabad. Also that day, an American and Australian professor working at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, were kidnapped. *August 12 - A U.S. Soldier 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division died from a noncombat-related injury in Kandahar. Also that day, Taliban fighters launched a coordinated attack on Dahana-e-Ghori,

Baghlan Province Baghlan (Dari: ''Baġlān'') is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. As of 2020, the province has a population of about 1,014,634. Its capital is Puli Khumri, but its name comes from the other majo ...

. *August 15 - Two people were wounded in a bombing outside the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Also that day, Taliban fighters took control of Dahana i Ghuri District after dozens of Afghan forces made "a tactical retreat". *August 20 - Afghan government forces were briefly pushed out of the nearby Khanabad district, Helmand Province. *August 21 - After days of heavy fighting, the Taliban took control of Khanabad District, Kunduz Province, Afghan forces later retook the district. *August 22 - U.S. attack helicopters assisted Afghan forces fighting in

Ali Abad District The Ali abad District () is situated in the southern part of Kunduz Province, Afghanistan. It borders the Baghlan Province to the south, Chahar dara District to the west, Kunduz and Khan Abad districts to the north and Takhar Province to the eas ...

. *August 23 - A US soldier from A Company, 3rd battalion, 1st SFG, was killed by an IED whilst another was wounded along with 6 Afghans during a foot patrol near Lashkar Gah. *August 24 - Suspected members of the Taliban or ISIS carried out the

American University of Afghanistan attack On 24 August 2016, attackers who are suspected members of the Taliban stormed the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan, using a car bomb and automatic weapons. Thirteen people were killed, including seven university students ...

killing over a dozen and injuring more than 50.

September

*September 5/6 - The Kabul attacks kill over 40 and injure over 100 people. *September 8 - The Taliban pushed into Tarinkot, but within hours the Afghan Ministry of Defence said the Taliban had been repelled from the city. *mid-September - According to an al-Qaeda announcement, US forces “in a ground raid based on information provided by Pakistani military" killed Usama Ibrahim in Zabul province. Ibrahim (also known as Amjad Bhai) was a Pakistani jihadist who was a member of AQIS’ top leadership body, the “head of Al Sahab Media,” al Qaeda's official media production arm. *September 18 - A misdirected American airstrike killed at least seven Afghan police officers in Urozgan Province. *September 28 - A suspected U.S. drone strike in Nangarhar province killed 18 people (15 militants and three civilians).

October

*October 2/3 - Taliban insurgents launched a coordinated assault from four directions on the city of Kunduz on the evening of October 2, entering deep into the city. U.S. special operations forces arrived on October 2 to support Afghan forces, whilst the Afghan air force conducted multiple airstrikes in support of Afghan ground forces. Brigadier General Dawlat Waziri, a spokesman for the Afghan Defence Ministry said that “Defence and security forces with the support of air forces have responded to their attacks and right now the situation is totally under their control." *October 4 - A US soldier from B Company, 2nd Battalion, 10th SFG was killed by a roadside bomb blast in Achin, Nangarhar province, he was on a patrol with Afghan forces during an operation against ISIL-K militants. This marked the first time a U.S. serviceman was killed in combat against IS militants in the country. *October 8 - Two US serviceman were wounded in Chapahar district, Nangarhar province, when their vehicle they were traveling triggered an IED, they were conducting a routine security patrol in the vicinity of Jalalabad Airfield. *October 9 - An Afghan army helicopter crashed in Dand Ghori district, Baghlan province killing eight Afghan Army soldiers. The helicopter crashed due to a technical problem whilst supplying a military base. *October 10 - A suicide car bombing killed 14 people, including 10 Afghan police officers in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province. Also that day, Afghan security forces continued to battle the Taliban to push them from the city of Kunduz and insurgents surrounded outposts manned by Afghan forces in

Farah province Farah (Dari: , ''Farā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southwestern part of the country next to Iran. It is a spacious and sparsely populated province, divided into eleven districts and contains hundreds of villages ...

. *October 11 - A gunman killed 14 people and wounded dozens more at a shrine in Kabul, Afghan police killed the gunman. *October 12 - A bomb explosion among crowds of Shiite Muslims gathered to mark

Ashura Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the ...

in Mazar-e Sharif, kills at least 12 people and wounds 28 others. *October 14 - The Resolute Support mission announced that it was sending Western advisers to Farah province, roughly a week after Taliban fighters began making concerted efforts to seize Farah city. *October 17 -

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

agents, supported by a US Army Green Beret A-team and Afghan counternarcotic units conducted a warranted search in a remote village in Farah province. After a brief gunfight with insurgents near the compound outside the remote village, they discovered a "superlab" belonging to the Hadimama drug trafficking network that was led by two suspected Taliban commander and facilitators. The team seized 20 tons of drugs (12.5 tons of morphine base, 6.4 tons of heroin base, 134 kilograms of opium, 129 kilograms of crystal heroin and 12 kilograms of hashish), they also seized nine motorcycles and five AK-47 rifles. It was reported that the superlab was apparently a first of its kind seen by DEA agents in Afghanistan; officials said it was the "largest known seizure of heroin in Afghanistan, if not the world." *October 19 - A U.S. soldier from Support Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division and an Army civilian employee were killed at a military base in Kabul by a gunman in Afghan army uniform. Two civilians and a service member were also wounded in the attack. *October 23 - 2 Al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan (Farouq al-Qahtani, Al-Qaeda's emir for northeastern Afghanistan and his deputy Bilal al-Utabi) were killed in a US drone strike in Kunar province. They were hiding in two different compounds in Hilgal, Ghazi Abad district; the provincial spokesman said that at least 15 insurgents were killed (including two Arabs and a number of Pakistani Taliban fighters). *October 25–30 People were kidnapped in the mountains north of Firoz Koh,

Ghor province Ghōr (Dari: ), also spelled Ghowr or Ghur, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in the western Hindu Kush in central Afghanistan, towards the northwest. The province contains eleven districts, encompassing hundreds ...

by IS militants, Afghan security forces tried to free the civilians, killing an IS commander in the process, however the militants killed all 30 civilians. *October 26 - At least 33 Islamic State militants have been killed in Pachir Aw Agam District, Nangarhar Province, an official said. Five hideouts and a machinegun were also destroyed by security forces. *October 29 - At least 19

Lashkar-e-Taiba Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT; ur, ; literally ''Army of the Good'', translated as ''Army of the Righteous'', or ''Army of the Pure'' and alternatively spelled as ''Lashkar-e-Tayyiba'', ''Lashkar-e-Toiba'', ''Lashkar-i-Taiba'', ''Lashkar-i-Tayyeba'') ...

militants were killed and eight others wounded in the airstrikes in Dangam District, Kunar Province. Officials further added that over 100 LeT militants were deployed in Nuristan province in an attempt to set up training camps in

Kamdesh District Kamdesh District (Kamdeish District, ps, کامدېش ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی کامدیش) is a district of Nuristan Province in eastern Afghanistan,

. Also on the same day, thirty Taliban rebels including a notorious commander have been killed as a result of air and ground operation in central Uruzgan province. Hajji Mohammad a.k.a. Haji Lala, Taliban shadow district chief for Chinarto District, was among the dead.

November

*November 3 - In the early hours, a joint raid with Afghan and NATO troops that targeted top Taliban commanders took place in Kunduz Province. After they were surrounded and came under enemy fire, the Afghans requested foreign airstrikes - despite Afghan forces providing initial air support, U.S. aircraft carried out the airstrikes. Two US soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 10th SFG were killed and four others wounded and 4 Afghan special forces troops were also killed and seven were wounded. A Kunduz provincial police spokesman said that as of Friday morning (November 4), there were 24 civilian fatalities, including women and children, as many as 10 others were injured during the operation, which occurred in the village of Buze Kandahari, a Taliban-dominated area. A Kunduz police chief said the two senior Taliban commanders who were the target of the raid were killed in the fighting along with 63 other insurgents. *November 10 - A Taliban suicide bomber using a car packed with explosives, exploded at the German consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, killing at least four civilians and wounded 128 others, following this, heavily armed Taliban attacked the consulate. *November 12 - A suicide bomber killed two (a third died from wounds on December 3) US Soldiers from HHC, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at the Bagram airbase, two American contractors were also killed in the blast and 16 other U.S. service members and a Polish service member were wounded. The bomber was a former Taliban militant. *November 21 - IS militants carried out a suicide attack on Baqir ul-Uloom mosque in Kabul, that was crowded with Shias - more than 30 people were killed and dozens wounded.

December

*December 18 - At least 14 people were killed after a bus collided with a fuel tanker on a motorway in Farah province. *December 21/22 - 3 Taliban gunmen attacked the home of the MP for Helmand Province, Mir Wali. Eight people were killed and six others were wounded, Security forces killed the gunmen and freed 18 hostages after a 10-hour siege. * December 31 - United States troops withdraw from Afghanistan, leaving behind 8,400 troops stationed at four garrisons (Kabul, Kandahar, Bagram, and Jalalabad).

Public holidays

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2016 In Afghanistan

Years of the 21st century in Afghanistan 2010s in Afghanistan