Fall of Kabul (2021)

For other sieges of the city, see List of sieges of Kabul.

Fall of Kabul
Part of the 2021 Taliban offensive of the War in Afghanistan
Taliban control of Afghanistan prior to the fall of Kabul
Date 15 August 2021 Location Kabul, Afghanistan Status Taliban victory Taliban captures Kabul Effective collapse of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Government officials flee Afghanistan and go into exile; President Ashraf Ghani to Tajikistan and others to India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan Intended re-establishment of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan NATO maintain control of Hamid Karzai International Airport for evacuation (Operation Allies Refuge, Operation Pitting) Anti-Taliban forces relocate to Panjshir
Belligerents
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan	Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Non-military support: United States United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Hibatullah Akhundzada Abdul Ghani Baradar Suhail Shaheen	Ashraf Ghani (in exile) Hebatullah Alizai Joe Biden Mark Milley Boris Johnson Nick Carter
Units involved
Taliban	Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) Afghan National Army 201st Corps 111th Division

The Fall of Kabul was the capture of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, by Taliban forces on 15 August 2021. At around 11:00 pm local time, then-President Ashraf Ghani posted on Facebook that he had fled in an attempt to avoid a bloody battle and that "the Taliban have won with the judgement of their swords and guns". It was the culmination of a military offensive that began in May 2021 against the Afghan government. The capture took place hours after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Most of the provincial capitals of Afghanistan had fallen in succession in the midst of a U.S. troop withdrawal that started on 29 February 2020 and is projected to be completed by 31 August 2021.

Negotiations are ongoing between a Taliban delegation and Afghan officials, although it appears unlikely that they will end in anything less than an unconditional surrender by the government. A peaceful transfer of power has been requested by the Taliban, and the government has declared its willingness to abide by this, preferring a transfer of power to a transitional government, while the Taliban seeks a direct assumption by them of the power of government. Some NATO forces remain, providing security for the evacuation of their countries' nationals.

Background

Main article: 2021 Taliban offensive

Taliban militants during the 2021 offensive

The Taliban and allied militant groups began a widespread offensive on 1 May 2021, concurrent with the withdrawal of most U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Following its rapid defeat across the country, the Afghan National Army was left in chaos, and only two units remained operational by mid-August: The 201st Corps and 111th Division, both based in Kabul. The capital city itself was left encircled after Taliban forces had captured Mihtarlam, Sharana, Gardez, Asadabad, and other cities as well as districts in the east. In the days preceding the fall, the projection for the situation of Kabul rapidly worsened. U.S. officials forecasted in early August that Kabul could hold out for several months, but the week of the fall brought more grim forecasting; five days before the Taliban reached Kabul, expectations degraded and analysis suggested the capital would last "30 to 90 days", and within two days, officials were suggesting the city would fall within the week.

Evacuations, fighting, and negotiations

Collapse of the Ghani government

On 15 August, the Taliban command instructed its forces to halt their advance at the gates of Kabul, declaring that they would not seize the city by force, though their forces entered its outskirts. Locals reported that Taliban fighters were advancing into the urban areas regardless of their leaders' official declarations. After some clashes, the insurgents captured the Pul-e-Charkhi prison, and released all inmates, reportedly including captured ISIS and Al-Qaeda militants. Taliban fighters raised their flag in several areas of the city, and pressured some police to hand over all their weaponry. Bagram Airfield and the Parwan Detention Facility, which held 5,000 prisoners, also fell to the Taliban.

The Afghan Interior Ministry in a statement said that President Ashraf Ghani had decided to relinquish power and an interim government led by the Taliban will be formed. Afterward, fighting died down, although many civilians remained fearful and holed up in their homes. By 11:17 CET, Taliban negotiators were reported to have arrived at the presidential palace to begin a transfer of power. Although negotiations were tense, the government declared its willingness to peacefully surrender Kabul to the rebels, and urged civilians to remain calm. Al Arabiya reported that a transitional government would be formed under the leadership of former minister Ali Jalali, but this was later denied by the Taliban.

Later the same day, Afghan and Indian news reports claimed that Ghani had left Afghanistan alongside Vice President Amrullah Saleh; both reportedly flew to Tajikistan. Kabul's presidential palace, the Arg, was evacuated by helicopters. Meanwhile, Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar arrived at Kabul Airport to prepare the takeover of the government.

At 8:55 pm local time, the Taliban claimed that they had taken over the Arg, which had been vacated by President Ghani earlier that day. Allegedly, all other palace employees were ordered to leave after Ghani left. Reporters from Al Jazeera were later allowed into the Arg and interviewed Taliban militiamen.

At approximately 9:12 pm local time, it was reported that the Taliban would soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the Arg, returning to the official symbolism of the Taliban government of 1996 to 2001. At around 11:00 pm local time, Ghani posted on Facebook that he had fled in an attempt to avoid a bloody battle and that "the Taliban have won with the judgement of their swords and guns".

Resistance

Main article: Panjshir resistance

With the fall of Kabul, former Northern Alliance members and other anti-Taliban forces based in Panjshir, led by Ahmad Massoud and former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, became the primary organized resistance to the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Kabul Airport evacuation

Further information: Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Pitting

U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris holding a video conference with the U.S. National Security team to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban had seized all border crossings, the Kabul Airport remained the only secure route out of Afghanistan. After the fall of Herat on 12 August, the U.S. and United Kingdom announced the deployment of 3,000 and 600 of their troops respectively to Kabul Airport in order to secure the airlifting of their nationals, embassy staff, and Afghan citizens who worked with coalition forces, out of the country. American officials said that their first deployment would transpire in the next 24 to 48 hours and that all of their forces are still expected to leave Afghanistan by the end of August 2021. A memorandum was sent to all embassy staff on 13 August to reduce "items with embassy or agency logos, American flags or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts." Small plumes of smoke could be seen near the embassy roof as diplomats were reported to be rapidly destroying classified documents and other sensitive materials.

At least 22 Afghan Air Force planes and 24 helicopters carrying 585 Afghan military personnel have fled to Uzbekistan. One Afghan Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano crashed after crossing the border, with Uzbek authorities issued conflicting reports on the cause. Two Afghan military planes carrying over 100 soldiers also landed in the Tajikistan city of Bokhtar.

As the Taliban surrounded and began entering Kabul, U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Black Hawk and State Department Air Wing CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters were seen landing at the American embassy to carry out evacuations. A convoy of armored sport utility vehicles (SUVs) departed embassy grounds and an attack helicopter was reportedly seen deploying flares in the area to defend against potential shoot-downs. Along with the embassy personnel, 5,000 U.S. troops and some NATO troops remained in the city. The U.S. government later authorized the deployment of 1,000 additional troops from the 82nd Airborne to the airport, bolstering troop presence in Kabul to 6,000 to facilitate the evacuations.

Panic spread among the civilian population as the Taliban began seizing the capital, with many citizens rushing to their homes or to the airport, which remained under NATO control after the Afghan government dissolved. A chaotic situation developed as thousands of fleeing Afghan civilians rushed Kabul airport, with hundreds crowding the tarmac in an attempt to catch flights out of the city; some had climbed over boundary walls to enter the airstrip. U.S. soldiers hovered helicopters low overhead as crowd control, deployed smoke grenades, and occasionally fired warning shots into the air to disperse people attempting to forcefully board aircraft. Video footage emerged showing hundreds of people running alongside a moving U.S. military C-17A transport plane taxiing on the runway; some people could be seen clinging onto the aircraft, just below the wing. Others were running alongside "waving and shouting". At least two people, in an apparent attempt to stowaway, were reportedly shown to "fall from the undercarriage immediately after takeoff". Another body was later found in the landing gear of the C-17. Three bodies, including that of a woman, were also found on the ground outside near the passenger terminal building, but their cause of death was unclear, though some observers speculated they may have died during a stampede. Seven people were eventually confirmed to have died during the airport evacuation—including two armed men shot after approaching U.S. Marines, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. The Marines were not injured and the men were not identified.

General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. (center), commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and the Middle East, greets soldiers at Kabul Airport on 17 August 2021

At approximately 8:30 PM local time, reports emerged that the U.S. embassy was taking fire. The embassy issued a declaration instructing U.S. citizens in the area to shelter in place. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the embassy would be relocated to the airport as the U.S. military had taken over security and air traffic control there. By now, various other nations had announced plans to evacuate their embassies, including Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. The German government announced that it was sending A400M Atlas aircraft with a contingent of paratroopers for evacuations, adding it would not seek the required parliamentary approval for the operation until after the mission was complete. The Italian government was reported to have transferred its embassy staff as well as the families of 30 Afghan employees to Kabul airport under Carabinieri guard to prepare for evacuation. India was reported to have had C-17 transport planes prepared to evacuate Indian diplomatic staff, but had anticipated that it would take longer for the Taliban to capture Kabul. Albania said it had accepted a U.S. request to serve as a transit hub for evacuees.

A flight by Emirates Airlines to Kabul was diverted, and later returned to Dubai and United Arab Emirates airline Flydubai announced that it would suspend flights to Kabul on 16 August. By 16 August, most other airlines had also announced suspension of flights to Kabul. The Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority announced that it had released Kabul airspace to the military and warned that "any transit through Kabul airspace will be uncontrolled."

The Pentagon confirmed on 16 August that the head of U.S. Central Command, General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., met Taliban leaders in Qatar to secure a deal. The Taliban reportedly agreed to allow American evacuation flights at Kabul Airport to proceed uninhibited. International airlifts of evacuees had resumed by 17 August following a temporary halt to clear the runway of civilians as the Pentagon confirmed the airport was open for all military flights and limited commercial flights. Pentagon officials added that evacuation efforts were expected to speed up and were scheduled to continue until 31 August.

A photograph of 640 refugees packed into an American Boeing C-17 Globemaster III taking off from Kabul was widely shared on social media. French newspaper Le Monde stated that the photo had become "a symbol of the escape from the Taliban."

Impact on civilians

Some locals, especially women, were fearful for the restoration of Taliban rule and some reported feeling betrayed and abandoned by the Ghani government and NATO allies. It was reported that the streets of Kabul were gridlocked with residents rushing towards the airport, with some abandoning their cars to make their way on foot through the traffic. Long queues were reported outside of the airport and foreign embassies, with residents waiting in the heat in the hopes of being able to secure visas or flights out of the country. Residents who had worked with the government and international organisations reported destroying their IDs to avoid being targeted by the Taliban and many of those fleeing for the airport took no possessions with them. A minority of residents celebrated the Taliban advance. The day before the fall, Afghanistan Policy Lab director Timor Sharan told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that "shopping in the city today, I felt people were gripped by a sense of being stuck; stuck in an uncertain future and never able to dream, aspire, think, and believe anymore." Zarifa Ghafari, the former mayor of Maidan Shar and who was working with the defence ministry in Kabul, told media that "There is no one to help me or my family. I’m just sitting with them and my husband. And they will come for people like me and kill me. I can’t leave my family. And anyway, where would I go?"

Chadaree are sold in Afghanistan.

It was reported that sales of burqas (known as chadaree in Afghanistan) jumped in the days leading to the Taliban's arrival, with the price of one increasing from ؋200 to as much as ؋3,000 (approximately US$2.50 to $37.25), in fear that the Taliban would re-impose it as mandatory on women and would target women who refused. One Kabul woman told The Guardian that female students had been evacuated from their university dormitories before the Taliban could reach them and that university-educated women across the city were hiding their diplomas. Shops in the city were noted to have begun painting over and removing advertisements featuring women.

Residents reported a large increase in food prices. It was reported that a significant number of vendors in Kabul were attempting to liquidate their stocks in hopes of raising enough money to escape the country. Concerns have also been raised about the thousands of refugees who had fled Taliban advances elsewhere in the country and now found themselves stuck in Kabul.

On the evening of the day of the fall, the National Museum of Afghanistan posted a statement on Facebook stating "huge concern about safety of Museum’s Artifacts and goods for Museum Employees."

On 16 August, most of the city's streets were reported to be deserted, save for those leading to the airport, with businesses shuttered and ANA security checkpoints unmanned. Taliban fighters, however, were sighted parading their flag and weapons and taking selfies by Kabul landmarks.

Reactions

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai pressed publicly for a peaceful transition of power, promising he would remain in Kabul with his young daughters.

The United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, India, and Sweden have evacuated their embassies. Russia, Pakistan and China do not intend to shut down their embassies. According to North Press, a Rojavan news outlet, the morale of jihadist and extremist groups in regions such as Syria and Iraq, including Tahrir al-Sham, had risen dramatically following the fall of Kabul. Several governments, including Sweden, Germany, and Finland, announced that they would be suspending development aid to Afghanistan.

Admiral Chris Barrie, retired Chief of the Defence Force of Australia, criticised the organisation of the evacuations, stating that "we’ve just left it far too late" and predicting reprisals from the Taliban. Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union who had overseen the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1988, argued that "NATO and the United States should have admitted failure earlier" and that the NATO campaign in Afghanistan was "a failed enterprise from the start" which was founded on "the exaggeration of a threat and poorly defined geopolitical ideas."

Pope Francis released a statement saying that he shared "the unanimous concern for the situation in Afghanistan" and called for prayers for peace. Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, who had survived a Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan assassination attempt in Pakistan in 2012, stated that she was in "complete shock" and was "deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates." Afghan author Khaled Hosseini has also shared his concerns over the future of women's rights in Afghanistan, and expressed his hope that the Taliban would not return to the "violence and cruelty" of the 1990s. Human Rights Watch stated that "standing beside Afghan women in their struggle, and finding tools to pressure the Taliban and the political will to do so, is the least — the very least — the international community could do." Amnesty International stated that the situation was "a tragedy that should have been foreseen and averted" and called for governments to "take every necessary measure to ensure the safe passage out of Afghanistan for all those at risk of being targeted by the Taliban."

Governments

• Australia: The Australian government deployed 250 soldiers and three aircraft to aid in evacuations. However, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that "despite our best efforts, I know that support won’t reach all that it should" and Minister of Defence Peter Dutton stated that "we won’t be landing aircraft into the airport until it’s safe to do so."
• Austria: Austrian foreign minister, Alexander Schallenberg, warned that "conflict and instability in the region will sooner or later spill over to Europe." The Austrian government, however, announced that it would not suspend deportations to Afghanistan, unlike several other EU countries.
• Canada: The Canadian government announced that it would be suspending its embassy operations in Afghanistan.
• France: The French government announced that it would be holding an emergency defence council meeting on 16 August presided by President Emmanuel Macron to address the situation. In a press conference held by Macron after the meeting, he stated that France needed to "anticipate and protect itself from a wave of migrants."
• India: India has evacuated its ambassador and diplomatic staff in its Embassy in Kabul. The Indian government is also making arrangements for bringing back its nationals.
• Indonesia: The Indonesian government stated they are monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and stated readiness to evacuate 15 Indonesians in Afghanistan if needed. The Indonesian Embassy in Kabul would be maintained.
• Iran: President Ebrahim Raisi said "American military defeat and its withdrawal must become an opportunity to restore life, security and durable peace in Afghanistan, Iran backs efforts to restore stability in Afghanistan and, as a neighbouring and brother nation, Iran invites all groups in Afghanistan to reach a national agreement."
• Kazakhstan: The Kazakh ministry of foreign affairs said that the embassy would continue operating in Kabul, noting that a little number of staff work at the embassy. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan would closely follow the development of events in Afghanistan and that measures would take place to ensure the safety of its citizens and diplomats within country.
• Nepal: Nepal started similar measures to repatriate its citizens in Afghanistan.
• New Zealand: Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern said that the government had ramped up the efforts to evacuate nearly 30 New Zealand citizens from Kabul, given that commercial flights are no longer available.
• Pakistan: The Pakistani foreign minister stated "concern over the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan" but said that Pakistan has no intention to close its embassy in Kabul.. Prime Minister Imran Khan termed the events as breaking of "shackles of slavery" by Afghans.
• Philippines: The Philippines also started repatriating its citizens on a mandatory basis in Afghanistan.
• Russia: The Russian embassy in Kabul stated that it would not evacuate or close the embassy, with a Taliban spokesperson guaranteeing the embassy's safety. The Russian government further stated that talks were underway to hold an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss the situation.
• Sweden: Ann Linde Swedish minister for foreign affairs, stated that the collapse of the Afghan government had "gone much faster than anyone had expected". Public broadcaster Sveriges Radio further reported that the Swedish embassy was evacuating its staff.
• United Kingdom: Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he would be recalling parliament to debate the situation. In the afternoon of 15 August, an emergency COBR meeting was held, followed by a public statement from Johnson where he stated that the situation was "extremely difficult" and that "we've known for a long time this was the way things would go." Johnson further stated that the international community should not recognise the Taliban government and that it was necessary to "prevent Afghanistan lapsing back into being a breeding ground for terror".
• United States: U.S. President Joe Biden stated that the continuing presence of American troops in Afghanistan "would not have made a difference" if the Afghan military was unable to maintain control of the country.

International organisations

• EU: The European Union's Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, expressed concerns of a possible migratory crisis.

Analysis

German politician Armin Laschet, the minister-president of North Rhine-Westphalia and CDU/CSU chancellor candidate for the 2021 German federal elections, stated that it was "the biggest debacle that NATO has suffered since its creation and it's a change of era that we are confronted with." British parliamentary Foreign Affairs Select Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat stated that the collapse was "the biggest single policy disaster since Suez". Journalist Nick Turse argued that "without a true reevaluation this time around, the U.S. risks falling into well-worn patterns that may, one day, make the military debacles in Southeast and Southwest Asia look terribly small."

Causes

Several Afghan officials placed the blame for the collapse at the feet of the Ghani government. Afghan National Reconciliation Council chairman Abdullah Abdullah denounced Ghani's fleeing of the country, stating that "The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation. God should hold him accountable." General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, former ANA chief of staff and Interim Minister of Defence, tweeted "They tied our hands from behind and sold the country. Curse Ghani and his gang." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that "ultimately, the Afghan political leadership failed to stand up to the Taliban... This failure of the Afghan leadership led to the tragedy we are witnessing today."

Fall of Saigon comparisons

External images
A widely-shared image shows a helicopter landing in the U.S. Embassy courtyard. The Army CH-47 Chinook evacuated diplomatic staff to Saigon airport as the city fell.
Many comparisons were drawn to a similar photo from the fall of Saigon In it, a Marine CH-46 Sea Knight landed on the embassy roof to evacuate the final Americans in South Vietnam.

The events were compared by several commentators and the public to the Fall of Saigon at the end of Vietnam War in April 1975. A month before the Taliban arrived in Kabul, American president Joe Biden had rejected the comparison, stating that "the Taliban is not the North Vietnamese Army... There's going to be no circumstance for you to see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comparable."

Reporters argued that Biden's comments did not age well, as embassy staff burned documents and "helicopters were pictured hovering above the compound, shuttling diplomats to the airport" less than a month later. Rear Admiral Larry Chambers, who had given the order to push helicopters off the USS Midway during Operation Frequent Wind to make way for more evacuee aircraft from Saigon to land, stated that "what is happening now is worse than what happened in Vietnam", elaborating, "[In Vietnam] we tried to get out as many people who worked with us as we could... In Afghanistan, we are abandoning the folks who supported us while we were there."

On the day the Taliban entered Kabul, American secretary of state Blinken rejected the comparison to Saigon, stating on an ABC's This Week interview that "this is manifestly not Saigon. We went into Afghanistan 20 years ago with one mission in mind, and that was to deal with the people who attacked us on 9/11, and that mission has been successful."

Instead of Saigon, former American Defense Secretary Leon Panetta compared the fall of Kabul to the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba in 1961, saying that "President Kennedy took responsibility for what took place. I strongly recommend to President Biden that he take responsibility ... admit the mistakes that were made." Ibrahim al-Marashi of California State University, San Marcos compared it to the 2014 Northern Iraq offensive, in which Daesh overran large parts of Iraq and proclaimed a caliphate, arguing that the collapses were caused by the imposition of "rigid, hierarchical American military doctrine" on the Afghan and Iraqi militaries, that the Taliban and Daesh were more cohesive armed groups, and that the NATO-backed Afghan and Iraqi governments had "allowed networks of patronage and corruption to take root".

See also

• Battle of Kabul (1992–1996)
• Siege of Kabul (2001)
• Fall of Rhodesia
• Fall of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 1975
• Battle of Sanaa (2014)
• Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan