Lashkar Gah

August 13, 2021 | Bill Roggio, Andrew Tobin

After lengthy siege, Lashkar Gah is taken by the Taliban

Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, fell to the Taliban after a lengthy seige. With Helmand and Kandahar provinces in the hands of the Taliban, the rest of the south will go under Taliban control...

August 12, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban overrun Herat City, Qala-i-Naw

The Taliban continues its blitzkrieg assault across Afghanistan, overrunning two additional provincial capitals today, including Herat City, one of the largest in Afghansitan. The Taliban took full control...

August 12, 2021 | Bill Roggio, Andrew Tobin

Kandahar City falls to the Taliban

The Taliban continues to wrack up a string of major victories today. Kandahar City, the country’s second largest city, collapsed after Taliban forces besieged it for more than two months. It is the third...

August 10, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Farah City, Pul-i-Khumri fall to the Taliban

The Taliban’s all-out assault in northern and western Afghanistan resulted Tuesday in control of two additional provincial capitals in Farah and Baghdad provinces. That marks eight provincial capitals...

August 9, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Fifth northern Afghan capital falls to the Taliban

The Taliban took control of another capital in the strategic Afghan north today as Afghan security forces and government officials fled Aybak in Samangan province. Aybak is the fifth northern capital to...

August 8, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban takes control of Afghan provincial capitals of Kunduz, Sar-i-Pul and Taloqan

The Taliban took control of the provincial capitals of Taloqan and Kunduz and Sar-i-Pul cities, the third, fourth, and fifth capitals to fall to the Taliban over the past three days. The Taliban continues...

August 7, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban takes second provincial capital

The Taliban took control of its second provincial capital today. Shibirghan, the capital of the northern province of Jawzjan and the home of warlord Marshall Abdul Rashid Dostum, fell to the Taliban. Dostum...

August 6, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban takes full control of Nimruz province, seizes capital

The Taliban took control of Zaranj, the capital of Nimruz province, without a fight. The western locale is the first provincial capital to fall under Taliban control since it launched its offensive across...

August 2, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban, Afghan forces battle for control of Helmand’s capital

After days of heavy fighting with Afghan security forces, the Taliban has entered Laskhar Gah, the capital of Helmand province. The city is in danger of falling to the Taliban. The Taliban is now battling...

July 12, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban advances as U.S. completes withdrawal

The Taliban has made dramatic gains since President Joe Biden announced the U.S. would leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. The time lapse map, which is dated from April 13 to today and was created by FDD’s...

July 5, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Afghanistan at risk of collapse as Taliban storms the north

Afghanistan is at risk of complete collapse after the Taliban has made dramatic gains in recent days, striking at the heart of the Afghan government’s base of power in the north while seizing control...

May 27, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Afghan military targets Al Qaeda’s network in Helmand

The Afghan military has launched multiple attacks against Al Qaeda’s network in the southern province of Helmand over the past week. Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, Al Qaeda’s regional branch that...

May 25, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Analysis: Predicting the coming Taliban offensive

As the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan after two decades, the Taliban is doubling down on its efforts to retake the country by force of arms to restore its Islamic Emirate. The question isn’t whether...

May 19, 2021 | Bill Roggio, Caleb Weiss

Taliban has ‘surrounded’ five Afghan provincial capitals

The Taliban has “surrounded” five provincial capitals in Afghanistan as of Feb. 2021, according to the Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. FDD’s Long War Journal has assessed...

May 14, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban control in Afghanistan expands significantly since 2018

The number of Afghan districts controlled and contested by the Taliban has nearly doubled since early 2018, according to an ongoing study of the security situation by FDD’s Long War Journal. The expansion...

March 10, 2020 | Bill Roggio |

Since agreement with U.S., Taliban has attacked Afghan forces in 27 of 34 provinces

The Taliban has launched attacks in against Afghan security forces in 27 of the country’s 34 provinces since it signed an agreement with the U.S. that facilitates the withdrawal of American troops. Many...

February 22, 2016 | Bill Roggio The Long War Journal

Afghan military abandon district in Helmand

The Afghan military withdrew its remaining combat forces from the district of Musa Qala in Helmand province today after battling the Taliban there for nearly a year. The district is now firmly un...

August 24, 2012 | Bill Roggio The Long War Journal

Green-on-Blue Attacks in Afghanistan: The Data

Data last updated on Oct. 16, 2012 I. Introduction II. Data Summary...

March 26, 2012 | Bill Roggio The Long War Journal

Afghan Security Forces Kill 3 ISAF Troops in South, East

An Afghan soldier killed two British soldiers on a military base in southern Afghanistan today, while a policeman killed an ISAF soldier in the east. The Afghan soldier was killed by ISAF troops,...

July 27, 2010 | |

What the WikiLeaks Documents Say About Iran-al Qaeda

One of the more interesting aspects of the WikiLeaks document dump is the persistence of intelligence reports indicating collusion between al Qaeda, al Qaeda-affiliated parties, and Iran. By itse...