Jani Khel offensive
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The Janikhel offensive was launched by 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 ...
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 ...
in early August 2016 to conquer the Janikhel District within the contested
Paktia Province Paktia (Pashto/Dari: – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 6 ...
from government forces. Due to the district's geographic location, it is of great strategic and tactical value to any force that controls it. After being besieged by insurgents for weeks and not receiving any outside help, the local government forces retreated from the district on 27 August. Even though the district was retaken by the government on 5 September, the fact that the district had been captured by the Taliban in the first place was widely considered a heavy blow for the government, which faced increasing insecurity and loss of territory since the
ISAF ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...
retreat in 2014.


Background

The Janikhel district, inhabited by c.120,000 people, is strategically significant due to its location and the
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 in ...
-
Gardez , settlement_type =City , image_skyline =gardez_paktya.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption =The Bala Hesar fortress in the center of Gardez City , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_sea ...
highway that runs through it. The highway is of vital importance for the supply and stability of the region, and its capture by rebel forces could result in the collapse of several local districts, while allowing insurgents to use it to move weapons, money, supplies, and forces from the Pakistani tribal areas into Afghanistan. Furthermore, the Janikhel district is historically important for the Haqqani Network, which suffered one of its largest defeats there during the
Battle for Hill 3234 The battle for Hill 3234 (Russian: Бой у высоты 3234) was a successful defensive battle fought by the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment, Soviet Airborne Troops, in Afghanistan against a force of some 250 Mujahideen rebels wh ...
of the
Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...
. It has been concluded that "the destabilization and fall of Janikhel
ould be Ould is an English surname and an Arabic name ( ar, ولد). In some Arabic dialects, particularly Hassaniya Arabic, ولد‎ (the patronymic, meaning "son of") is transliterated as Ould. Most Mauritanians have patronymic surnames. Notable pe ...
the first possible stage in Haqqani establishing a secure foothold in eastern Afghanistan — the prospect of which could make
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 ...
a far bloodier scene."


The offensive

On 10 August, hundreds of Taliban and Haqqani network fighters began their offensive, reportedly supported by the Pakistani
ISI ISI or Isi may refer to: Organizations * Intercollegiate Studies Institute, a classical conservative organization focusing on college students * Ice Skating Institute, a trade association for ice rinks * Indian Standards Institute, former name of ...
, quickly closing in on the district center. At this point, the local governor Abdul Rahman Zurmati already said that his forces needed reinforcements or Janikhel would fall. TOLONews regarded the district "on the verge of collapse". No external aid came, however, causing a local pro-government militia to lay down arms in protest and reducing the defenders' strength to around 90–150 soldiers and policemen, while the number of attackers had reportedly increased to 1,200 fighters by end of the month. Vastly outnumbered, government forces attempted to halt the Taliban advances in the mountainous terrain, though by 22 August they were completely besieged in the district center. In an attempt to secure reinforcements or other support, Governor Zurmati complained to the provincial police chief, and even called 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 ...
's public phone line to no avail. On 27 August, the defenders' ammunition ran out, finally forcing them to retreat from the district. 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 ...
'' considered the defense of Janikhel "chaotic .. mustered by troops scrambling until the last minute, then forced to retreat after their requests for reinforcements are delayed or denied because government forces are stretched thin on several fronts." Overall, the district's fall was considered a heavy blow to the government. The government forces claimed that around 200 Taliban had been killed in course the district's fall, among them the notorious Pakistani commander Hafiz Rashid. After taking control of the whole district, the Taliban went on to destroy the district governor's office building and the houses of government employees and local policemen. Meanwhile, the Paktia provincial government finally assembled reinforcements and launched a counter-attack, supported by U.S. airstrikes. An airstrike on 31 August reportedly killed 120 militants, including four commanders of the Haqqani network, though the Taliban spokesman denied the report as baseless, saying the air strikes had killed only eight people. Government forces eventually succeeded in retaking Janikhel on 5 September.


References

{{Military operations in the war in Afghanistan 2016 in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Battles involving Pakistan History of Paktia Province Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) involving the United States August 2016 events in Afghanistan September 2016 events in Afghanistan