On 21 January 2019, in central Afghanistan, 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 ...
attacked a military compound in
Maidan Shar
Maidan Shar ( ps, میدانښار, Maidānkhār; fa, میدانشار, Maidānshār), also Maidan Shahr or simply Maidan, is the capital of Maidan Wardak province in central Afghanistan. Its population was estimated to be 35,008 in 2003, of whic ...
, killing officers of the Afghan
National Directorate of Security
prs, ریاست عمومی امنیت ملی
, nativename_r =
, seal = National Directorate of Security Logo.png
, seal_width =
, seal_caption = Seal of the National Directorate of Security
, formed =
, precedin ...
.
The Taliban attacked while engaging in the process of negotiating a truce with the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The attack began when an explosives-laden car rammed through a military checkpoint and onto the grounds of the compound, where the vehicle detonated. After the explosion, two gunmen entered the base and opened fire on Afghan soldiers, before the two were shot down. A senior official in the
Afghan defense ministry
ps, د ملي دفاع وزارت
, logo = MOD Afghanistan emblem.png
, logo_width = 200px
, logo_caption = Emblem of the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
, picture =
, picture_width = ...
said that 126 people were killed in the explosion.
The Taliban claimed responsibility and stated that over 190 people were killed in the attack.
The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) reported that 36 military personnel were killed in the attack.
Afghan president,
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 ...
condemned the attack and said that the 'Afghan intelligence agency personnel were target of the attack'.
Attack
The attackers rammed a vehicle filled with explosives through a
military checkpoint
Civilian checkpoints or security checkpoints are distinguishable from border or frontier checkpoints in that they are erected and enforced within contiguous areas under military or paramilitary control. Civilian checkpoints have been employed w ...
and detonated it in the camp of the
National Directorate of Security
prs, ریاست عمومی امنیت ملی
, nativename_r =
, seal = National Directorate of Security Logo.png
, seal_width =
, seal_caption = Seal of the National Directorate of Security
, formed =
, precedin ...
(NDS) forces training center in Maidan Shar, the capital of
Maidan 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 ...
. Following the explosion, two to five Taliban gunmen entered the campus and shot at Afghan soldiers before being fatally shot during the clashes.
According to the Defence ministry officials, the Taliban used a
Humvee
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...
vehicle which they had taken from government forces to house the bomb.
Wardak provincial council member, Abdul Wahid Akbarzai, claimed that the attackers had dressed in Afghan special forces uniform.
The attack took place on the same day when Taliban representatives met
Zalmay Khalilzad
Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad ( ps, ځلمی خلیل زاد, prs, زلمی خلیلزاد; born March 22, 1951) is an Afghan-American diplomat and foreign policy expert. Khalilzad was appointed by President Donald J. Trump to serve as U.S. Specia ...
, the U.S. special envoy for Afghan peace talks, in
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
.
Sharif Hotak, a member of the provincial council in Maidan Wardak, said, "the explosion was very powerful. The whole building has collapsed."
Casualties
Local officials said that no official confirmation regarding the casualty toll of troops and NDS personnel had been made, adding that officials said not to discuss the figure with the media due to the fear of damaging morale.
NDS reports showed 36 killed and 58 injured.
Mohammad Sardar Bakhyari, deputy head of the provincial council stated at least 65 were killed in the military base. Another source in Maidan Wardak Province reported that more than 100 members of NDS were killed in the attack.
Sharif Hotak said "many more were killed" and he saw bodies of 35 Afghan soldiers in the hospital. Hotak asserted that the government was hiding the casualty figures.
Khawanin Sultani, a provincial council member, said the attack left over 70 wounded. Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman of Taliban insurgents, claimed 190 people were killed in the attack.
Reactions
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 ...
's office called the attackers "enemies of the country" and said that "they killed and wounded a number of our beloved and honest sons".
Bahram Ghasemi, a representative of
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
, condemned the attack and expressed sympathy for the victims' families.
The
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...
,
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
, expressed condolences to the families affected by the attack.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...
,
President of Turkey
The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the government of Tu ...
, condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to Ghani.
The
U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan condemned the attack and said "the United States stands with the people of Afghanistan, who seek a peaceful future and an end to the violence".
Public uprising force
Afghan security officials claimed that the base, where the attack took place, was run by Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) to train 'public uprising forces', a pro-government militia. They claimed that the many men who were killed in the attack were members of the militia who they had been training. In the past, Afghan security officials have denied any relation with such militia and claimed that those militia are organic movements of locals who are staging 'uprising' against the Taliban. So for the first time, Afghan security officials acknowledged that they are supporting public uprising forces. Sharifullah Hotak, a member of Wardak provincial council, claimed that the base was used by NDS to train and equip members of public uprising forces.
However, Afghan security officials claims were contradicted by Ghani, who claimed that only National Directorate of Security personnel were the target of the attack.
Aftermath
On January 23, NDS said they killed the attack organiser along with seven militants in an
airstrike
An airstrike, air strike or air raid is an offensive operation carried out by aircraft. Air strikes are delivered from aircraft such as blimps, balloons, fighters, heavy bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters and drones. The offic ...
. The Taliban rejected the NDS statement, describing it as "propaganda". Similarly, residents and local officials in the areas also contradicted Afghan security officials claims. Sharifullah Hotak, member of Wardak provincial council, claim that 6 civilians were killed in the airstrike.
References
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2019 mass shootings in Asia
2019 murders in Afghanistan
21st-century mass murder in Afghanistan
Car and truck bombings in Afghanistan
Improvised explosive device bombings in 2019
January 2019 crimes in Asia
January 2019 events in Afghanistan
Maidan Wardak Province
Mass murder in 2019
Mass shootings in Afghanistan
Massacres in Afghanistan
Massacres committed by the Taliban