The Battle of Farah began on 14 May 2018, when

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 ...

fighters launched an assault on the city of Farah, located in western

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 ...

Background

In the months prior to the assault on the city itself, the Taliban had captured much of Afghanistan's Farah province, with fighting intensifying as a result of the group's Al Khandaq spring offensive, named after the

Battle of the Trench The Battle of the Trench ( ar, غزوة الخندق, Ghazwat al-Khandaq), also known as the Battle of Khandaq ( ar, معركة الخندق, Ma’rakah al-Khandaq) and the Battle of the Confederates ( ar, غزوة الاحزاب, Ghazwat al- ...

in which the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God in Islam, God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. So ...

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

led a decisive Muslim victory against

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

tribes.

Battle

The Taliban began its assault on the city on 14 May 2018, using captured Humvees and Afghan police trucks to attack and overrun checkpoints and government buildings in Farah. Spokesman

Zabiullah Mujahid Zabihullah Mujahid ( ps, ; ''Ẕabīḥullāh Mujāhid'' ; also spelled Dhabih Allah Mujahid) is an Afghan official Central spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 25 October 2021 and Deputy Ministry of Information and Culture si ...

released photos of Taliban fighters in the city's central square, indicating Taliban control of Farah. Reports surfaced of the Taliban freeing hundreds of prisoners from Farah Prison. The Afghan government swiftly responded by sending reinforcements to the city. Afghan Airforce helicopters and American A-10 Warthog attack aircraft launched airstrikes on Taliban positions in Farah. On 16 May, government security forces backed by U.S. air support reasserted control over Farah after driving the Taliban out of the city center. The security forces then conducted a clearing operation. Abdul Basir Salangi, governor of Farah province, said that the clashes left at least 25 members of the government security forces and five civilians dead, and at least 300 Taliban fighters were also killed.Taliban abandons effort to capture Farah city
''al Jazeera''. Retrieved 17 May 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farah, Battle of 2018 in Afghanistan Battles involving Afghanistan Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Battles in 2018 May 2018 events in Afghanistan