Since January 2001, multiple

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, Pakist ...

s have been conducted by the

United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

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 ...

. These strikes began during the administration of the

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

. During the presidency of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

, it was estimated that drone strikes had multiplied at a pace of four to five times compared with previous presidency of

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

. In 2016, Obama ordered the CIA to publish civilian drone strike deaths outside of active warzones, an order which was revoked by Trump in 2019. By 2021, there had been a total of at least 13,074 airstrikes conducted by the US government, killing at least 4,138 people, including 310 civilians and 73 children. Besides the US government, the Afghan Air Force (AAF) also carried out air strikes in Afghanistan. Since 1 June 2016, the AAF has conducted at least 41 strike capable operations.

Timeline

2001–2010

2011–2014

2015

* 1 January 2015: One unknown killed in a US drone strike

Spera District Spera District is situated in the most southwestern part of Khost Province, Afghanistan. It borders with Paktia Province to the south and west, Shamal District to the north. The district is within the heartland of the Zadran tribe of Pashtuns. To ...

Khost Province Khost ( Pashto/ Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southeastern part of the country. Khost consists of thirteen districts and the city of Khost serves as the capital of the province. To the east, Khost Province is ...

. * 3 January 2015: Twenty-five were killed in two separate drone strikes, one at Gayan District

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 Sharan ...

killing eighteen and the other at

killing seven. * 7 January 2015: Three reported killed in the eastern part of

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 ...

. * 8 January 2015: Six reported killed and three injured in a US air strike at Chikanawr area, Lal Pura District, Nangarhar Province. * 11 January 2015: Eight killed and three injured at Chikanawr area, Lal Pura District, Nangarhar Province. * 16 January 2015: Three killed at Nazyan District, Nangarhar Province. * 17 January 2015: One unknown killed or injured at Lal Pura District, Nangarhar Province. * 19 January 2015: One unknown killed or injured at

Khogyani District Khogyani ( ps, خوږياڼي ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی خوگیانی) is a district in the south of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, bordering on Pakistan. Its population is entirely Pashtun, and was estimated at 146,852 in 2002. Th ...

, Nangarhar Province. * 29 January 2015: Four killed at Nazyan District, Nangarhar Province.

2016

* 2 January 2016: Five former

Pakistani Taliban The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bor ...

(TTP) fighters who pledged alliance to

ISIL An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

, including the former TTP commander in Bajaur tribal agency in Pakistan, Abu Bakr, were killed by a US drone strike, further injuring two militants in the Shaltan Darra area, located in the Shegal district, located in the

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 ...

. * 5 January 2016: A US Special Forces soldier, Army Staff Sgt. Matthew McClintock, was killed during an hours-long gun battle by Taliban militants, also injuring two other soldiers, in the

Marjah district Marjah (also spelled Marjeh; Pashto/ fa, ) is an agricultural town in southern Afghanistan. It has been reported to have a population between 80,000 and 125,000, but some sources argue that its population is much smaller and is spread across 80 t ...

, located in the

Helmand province Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...

, marking him the first US casualty of 2016. * 6 January 2016: Twelve US air or drone strikes killed an unknown number of people in the Majah district, located in the

. * 8 January 2016: AAF strikes hit and killed 23 ISIL militants in the Achin and

Kot district Kot is the surname of a Polish szlachta (nobility) family. The surname derives from the nickname with the literal meaning "cat".Kazimierz Rymut, Nazwiska Polaków. Słownik historyczno-etymologiczny, Wydawnictwo Naukowe DWN, Kraków 2001 The f ...

s, located in the Nangarhar province. * 8 January 2016: A US air or drone strike killed 17–20 ISIL militants, including four senior commanders, who were executing seven men (six Taliban militants and one Afghan National Army soldier) at the time, with a large number of civilians forced to watch in the Maktab village, located in the Pekha area, located in Achin District, located in the Nangarhar province. Two civilians were injured and there were possible civilian deaths. * 8 January 2016: A US air or drone strike killed an unknown number of people "to eliminate threats to the force" in the Kharkhez district, located in the

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, Uruzga ...

. * 8 January 2016: A US air or drone strike killed an unknown number of people "to eliminate threats to the force" in the Bermal district, located in the

. * 9 January 2016: 20 ISIL militants were killed by a US drone strike in Achin District, located in the Nangarhar province. * 9 January 2016: 15 ISIL militants were killed by a US air or drone strike in the Janjal Gondai area, located in the

, located in the Nangarhar province, further injuring three people, including a woman. * 9 January 2016: Ten militants from Pakistan were killed by a US air or drone strike in the Shegal district, located in the

. The victims included Zishan, Haqyar and Sajid Mohammed (aka Attique or Atiqullah), aged 13 to 14, who was the son of Maulvi Faqir Mohammad a former deputy leader of the TTP, who served under the command of Baitullah and Hakimullah Mehsud.

2017

2018

* 1 January 2018: At least 61 ISIL militants were killed, including one civilian, in the Nangarhar province by a possible US strike. A further 30 ISIL militants were injured, including 14 civilians. * 1 January 2018: Twenty-six people, including foreigners and prominent ISIL commanders, were killed by a possible US strike in the village of Saradara and Alkhani in the Darzab district. Some victims included famous militant commander Qari Zia aka Shuja, and two other prominent militants, Yaqub and Shaikh, a judge. There were also possible civilian casualties. * 1 January 2018: A possible US strike killed seven Taliban fighters in the Bati Kot district. A second strike killed two members of

's Afghan branch in Achin District. * 5 January 2018: A possible US strike killed 10 ISIL militants in a training camp in Nangarhar's Haska Mena district while they were in training. Two compounds belonging to ISIL were also destroyed, leaving five militants dead. Another strike killed six militants during ground operations. * 5 January 2018: A possible US strike killed 14 ISIL militants, including two commanders, in the Nad-e Ali district in the

Laghman province Laghman (Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It has a population of about 502,148, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. Laghman hosts a large number of historical landmarks, m ...

. * 6 January 2018: An unnamed key Taliban leader responsible for "financial deals and providing logistics" for militants was killed in the

by a possible US strike. * 10 January 2018: Twenty-one militants, including seven foreigners from Pakistan, were killed by a possible US strike in the Khak e Safid district, located in the

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. ...

. * 1 April 2018: Mullah Lal Mohammad, a local Taliban leader in the Kandarhar province, was killed by a AAF strike in the Nish district, injuring 11 other members of his group Also the same day, a US strike killed an unknown number of Taliban fighters in the

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).Dasht-e-Archi. * 3 April 2018: US drone strike killed four ISIL militants in Nangarhar. * 5 April 2018: A high-ranking ISIL commander named Qari Hikmatullah (also Hekmat) and his bodyguard were killed in a US drone strike in the northern province of Jowzjan * 6 April 2018: An AAF strike killed eight militants in Farghamerawi locality of Wardoj district.

2019

* 18 September 2019: A U.S. drone strike intended to hit an Islamic State hideout killed 30 pine-nut farmers in the Nangarhar province. * 1 December 2019: A U.S. drone strike on a car carrying a woman who had just given birth near

Khost Khōst ( ps, خوست) is the capital of Khost Province in Afghanistan. It is the largest city in the southeastern part of the country, and also the largest in the region of Loya Paktia. To the south and east of Khost lie Waziristan and Kurram ...

left five people dead.

2020

* 8 January 2020: More than 60 civilians were killed or wounded in a U.S. drone attack targeting Mullah Nangyalay, a top Taliban splinter-group commander in

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 a ...

. * 9 January 2020: Two civilians were killed in a U.S. air or drone strike in

Kapisa Province Kapisa (Pashto/Dari: ) is the smallest of Afghanistan's thirty-four provinces and is located in the north-east of the country. It has an estimated population of 496,840 people and an area of , making it the most densely populated province apar ...

during Operation Freedom's Sentinel. *4 March 2020: No deaths or injuries were reported after a U.S. drone strike targeting members of the Taliban was carried out in the Nahr-e Saraj district of southern

Helmand Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...

province. This attack was the first since the signing of the Doha Agreement, occurring just six days before the intra-Afghan peace negotiations were scheduled to begin, and was retaliation for a wave of attacks that killed four civilians and 11 Afghan soldiers the day before.

2021

* 27 August: The United States launched an airstrike against what US military said was a vehicle carrying three ISIL-KP members in Nangarhar Province. Two were killed, who were described by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby as "high-profile ISIS targets" and "planners and facilitators"; the third occupant of the vehicle was injured. The airstrike was carried out a day after an attack at Kabul Airport, which had resulted in the death of more than 180 people. One of those killed was identified by CENTCOM on 23 September as Kabir Aidi, an alleged ISIL-K facilitator. The other was identified as a collaborator with the group, though his identity could not be confirmed. *

29 August Events Pre-1600 * 708 – Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708). * 870 – The city of Melite surrenders to an Aghlabid army following a siege, putting an end to Byzantin ...

: A U.S. airstrike targeted a vehicle in Kabul a few kilometres from the airport, which U.S. officials claimed was carrying ISIL-KP bombers but was actually driven by an aid worker, who worked for the U.S.-based

Nutrition and Education International Nutrition and Education International (NEI) is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c) 3 organization based in Pasadena, California. NEI was formed in 2003 by Dr. Steven Kwon to fight widespread malnutrition among women and children who live in high-mo ...

.In US Drone Strike, Evidence Suggests No ISIS Bomb
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.Schmitt, Eric; Cooper, Helene.
Pentagon acknowledges Aug. 29 drone strike in Afghanistan was a tragic mistake that killed 10 civilians
, ''

''. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021. The aid worker had loaded containers of water into his trunk for his family and his neighbors, which a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' investigation suggested had been mistakenly identified by the U.S. military as explosives, prompting the fatal airstrike. Water deliveries had stopped in his neighborhood following the collapse of the government. US officials initially claimed the vehicle had visited an alleged ISIS safe house and that secondary explosions had occurred after the airstrike, but no evidence of a secondary explosion was found at the site, and the location that the drone had tracked the driver to, where he and three others had loaded water into his trunk, was the office of Nutrition and Education International, and not an ISIS-K safe house as the U.S. had alleged. A total of ten family members were killed in the airstrike at their home, including seven children and the driver. Some of those killed had previously worked for international NGOs and held visas allowing them entry to the United States. The United States military later acknowledged that the aid worker and the vehicle he was driving posed no threat, and there was no connection between him and ISIL-KP. The US government pledged to financially compensate the families of the deceased.

2022

* 31 July:

Ayman al-Zawahri Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (June 19, 1951 – July 31, 2022) was an Egyptian-born Islamic terrorism, terrorist and physician who served as the second emir of al-Qaeda from June 16, 2011, until his death. Al-Zawahiri graduated from Cair ...

was killed in a drone strike conducted by the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

in Kabul. The Taliban said that the strike was conducted on a residential house in the Sherpur area of Kabul. ''The New York Times,'' citing an American analyst, reported that the house struck was owned by a top aide to

Sirajuddin Haqqani Sirajuddin Haqqani ( ps, سراج الدين حقاني, Sirāj al-Dīn Ḥaqqānī, ; aliases ''Khalifa'', and, ''Siraj Haqqani''. born December 1979) is an Afghan Islamist militant who is the first deputy leader of Afghanistan and the acti ...

, a senior official in the Taliban government.

Controversies

The civilian casualties faced criticism and many killed being unintended targets.

Amnesty International USA Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) is one of many country sections that make up Amnesty International worldwide. Amnesty International is an organization of more than 7 million supporters, activists and volunteers in over 150 countries, with compl ...

has also questioned the legality of drone attacks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drone strikes in Afghanistan CIA activities in Asia War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Airstrikes during the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Afghan military-related lists