RUNNING TITLE —1

Afghanistan
Security situation
updateCountry of Origin
Information Report

September 2021

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[Month] 2019

More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu)
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ISBN 978-92-9485-547-3

doi: 10.2847/43523

BZ-09-21-367-EN-N© European Asylum Support Office, 2020
Cover photo, C – 17 carrying passengers out of Afghanistan © US Air Force, Wikimedia Commons, 6785986,
15 August 2021
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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Acknowledgements
EASO would like to acknowledge the following external expert as the co-drafter of this report, together
with EASO:
Ms Elizabeth Williams, Country of Origin Information (COI) expert
The following departments and organisations have reviewed the report:
Belgium, Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, Cedoca(Centre for Documentation and Research)
France, Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless persons (OFPRA), Information,
Documentation and Research Division (DIDR)
It must be noted that the review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts or organisations
contributes to the overall quality of the report but does not necessarily imply their formal
endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of EASO.

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Contents
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 3Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Disclaimer ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Glossary and abbreviations ..................................................................................................................... 5
Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 6
Methodology....................................................................................................................................... 6
Reference period ............................................................................................................................ 6
Sources............................................................................................................................................ 6
Structure and use of the report .......................................................................................................... 9
1

General description of the security situation ............................................................................... 11
1.1
Taliban’s take-over of Afghanistan following withdrawal of US and international forces (until
31 August 2021) ................................................................................................................................ 11
1.1.1

Final advance and the fall of Kabul .................................................................................. 11

1.1.2

Government formation under the Taliban ...................................................................... 11

1.1.3

Reactions by the public and responses by the Taliban .................................................... 13

1.1.4

Reports on acts of retaliation and violence against certain profiles ............................... 14

1.2

Prior peace negotiations and political developments ......................................................... 17

1.3

Actors ................................................................................................................................... 19

1.3.1

US and other international forces ................................................................................... 19

1.3.2

Involvement of new international actors ........................................................................ 21

1.3.3

Taliban.............................................................................................................................. 23

1.3.4

Pro-government armed groups, warlords and their militias ........................................... 24

1.3.5

Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan Province (ISKP) ....................................... 25

1.3.6

Foreign fighters ................................................................................................................ 25

1.4

2

Recent security trends and armed confrontations .............................................................. 27

1.4.1

General ............................................................................................................................ 27

1.4.2

Number of security incidents .......................................................................................... 31

1.4.3

Trends in the nature of the violence and methods ......................................................... 33

1.4.4

Impact of the violence on the civilian population ........................................................... 34

1.4.5

Conflict-induced displacement ........................................................................................ 35

Regional description of the security situation in Afghanistan...................................................... 36
2.1

Kabul City ............................................................................................................................. 364

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.2

Badakhshan .......................................................................................................................... 40

2.3

Badghis ................................................................................................................................. 43

2.4

Baghlan ................................................................................................................................ 45

2.5

Balkh..................................................................................................................................... 48

2.6

Bamyan ................................................................................................................................ 51

2.7

Daykundi .............................................................................................................................. 53

2.8

Farah .................................................................................................................................... 55

2.9

Faryab .................................................................................................................................. 57

2.10

Ghazni .................................................................................................................................. 60

2.11

Ghor ..................................................................................................................................... 63

2.12

Helmand ............................................................................................................................... 66

2.13

Herat .................................................................................................................................... 70

2.14

Jawzjan ................................................................................................................................. 74

2.15

Kabul province ..................................................................................................................... 77

2.16

Kandahar .............................................................................................................................. 79

2.17

Kapisa ................................................................................................................................... 84

2.18

Khost .................................................................................................................................... 86

2.19

Kunar .................................................................................................................................... 89

2.20

Kunduz ................................................................................................................................. 91

2.21

Laghman............................................................................................................................... 95

2.22

Logar .................................................................................................................................... 97

2.23

Nangarhar .......................................................................................................................... 100

2.24

Nimroz................................................................................................................................ 103

2.25

Nuristan.............................................................................................................................. 105

2.26

Paktika ................................................................................................................................ 107

2.27

Paktya................................................................................................................................. 109

2.28

Panjsher ............................................................................................................................. 111

2.29

Parwan ............................................................................................................................... 113

2.30

Samangan........................................................................................................................... 115

2.31

Sar-e Pul ............................................................................................................................. 117

2.32

Takhar ................................................................................................................................ 120

2.33

Uruzgan .............................................................................................................................. 123

2.34

Wardak ............................................................................................................................... 125

2.35

Zabul................................................................................................................................... 127

Annex 1: Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 130
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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Public sources ................................................................................................................................. 130
Annex 2: Terms of Reference .............................................................................................................. 157

Disclaimer
This report was written according to the EASO COI Report Methodology (2019). 1 The report is basedon carefully selected sources of information. All sources used are referenced.
The information contained in this report has been researched, evaluated and analysed with utmost
care. However, this document does not claim to be exhaustive. If a particular event, person ororganisation is not mentioned in the report, this does not mean that the event has not taken place orthat the person or organisation does not exist.
Furthermore, this report is not conclusive as to the determination or merit of any particular application
for international protection. Terminology used should not be regarded as indicative of a particular legal
position.
‘Refugee’, ‘risk’ and similar terminology are used as generic terminology and not in the legal sense as
applied in the EU Asylum Acquis, the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the
Status of Refugees.
Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may bemade of the information contained in this report.
The drafting of this report was finalised on 31 August 2021. Any event taking place after this date is
not included in this report. More information on the reference period for this report can be found in
the Methodology section of the Introduction.

1 The 2019 EASO COI Report Methodology can be downloaded from the EASO COI Portal, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Glossary and abbreviations
AAN

Afghanistan Analysts Network

ACAA

Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority

ACLED

Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project

ANDSF

Afghan National Defense and Security Forces

ANSF

Afghan National Security Forces

AP

Associated Press

AQ

Al Qaida

DW

Deutsche Welle

ETIM

Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement

HCNR

High Council for National Reconciliation

IDPs

Internally Displaced People

IEDs

Improvised explosive devices

IMU

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan

ISKP

Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan Province

KIB

Khatiba Imam al-Bukhari

LWJLong War Journal

NDS

National Directorate of Security

NRF

National Resistance Front

NSOCC-A

NATO’s Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan

RTA

Radio Television Afghanistan

RSF

Reporters Without Borders

SIGAR

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

SIV

Special Immigration Visa

TTP

Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan

UNAMA

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

USIP

US Institute of Peace

WHO

World Health Organization

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide security related information relevant for international
protection status determination. The report contains information on the general security situation in
Afghanistan, as well as information on security related events on regional, provincial, or even districtlevel. The terms of reference can be found in Annex 2.

Methodology
This report was drafted by an external Country of Origin Information (COI) expert, Ms Elizabeth
Williams, as mentioned in the Acknowledgements section. This report is produced in line with the
EASO COI Report Methodology (2019) 2 and the EASO COI Writing and Referencing Style Guide (2019). 3

Reference period
The initial reference period for this report covered 1 March to 13 August 2021. After the drafting of
the report was finalised, the Taliban took de facto control of most parts of Afghanistan. Because of thesignificant nature of the take-over, having an impact on the content of this report, EASO
complemented the report with information on developments taking place until 31 August 2021. As
regards the regional description at province level, covered in chapter 2, the reference period is 1 March
to 13 August 2021, except for the following topics, on which information was included covering theperiod until 31 August: territorial control, information on attacks on healthcare, airport informationand displacement data. Furthermore, it should be noted that the illustrative incidents by province
outlined in chapter 2 in general do not include events after 5 August as few sources provided such an
overview and due to time constraints.
It should be noted that due to the fast developments in Afghanistan, and the limited time available topublish this update, the additional information on events taking place after 13 August 2021 has notbeen reviewed by the departments mentioned in the Acknowledgements section but has undergone
an internal review by EASO.

Sources
For data on civilian casualties, the main source used in this report is the United Nations Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). UNAMA uses for their reports on Protection of Civilians in Armed
Conflict in Afghanistan a robust methodology to verify reported incidents by corroborating and crosschecking incidents, conducting on-site investigations, and consulting a broad range of credible andreliable sources. For verification of each incident involving a civilian casualty, UNAMA requires at least
three different and independent sources. Unverified incidents are not included in its reporting. 4
According to analysts, this stringent verification standard also means ‘there may be many morecasualties than UNAMA is able to confirm.’ 5
In addition, to illustrate examples of incidents which caused civilian casualties in some provinces,
information from New York Times’ Afghan War Casualty Report was used, among other media sources.
The Afghan War Casualty Report is a weekly and monthly bulletin compiling ‘all significant security
2 EASO, EASO Country of Origin Information (COI) Report Methodology, June 2019, url

3 EASO, Writing and Referencing Guide for EASO Country of Origin Information (COI) Reports, June 2019, url

4 UNAMA’s full description of their methodology can be found at: UNAMA, Afghanistan Protection of Civilians in Armed

Conflict Annual Report 2018, 24 February 2019, url, pp. i-ii

5 Bjelica, J. and Ruttig, T., UNAMA Mid-Year Report 2017: Number of civilian casualties still at “record level”, 18 July 2017, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

incidents confirmed by New York Times reporters throughout Afghanistan’. The New York Timesclarifies ‘the report includes government claims of insurgent casualty figures, but in most cases thesecannot be independently verified by The Times. Similarly, the reports do not include Taliban claims fortheir attacks on the government unless they can be verified.’ 6
For data on violent incidents, publicly available curated datasets from the Armed Conflict Location andEvent Data Project (ACLED) have been used.
ACLED is a project collecting, analysing and mapping information on ‘the dates, actors, locations,fatalities, and types of all reported political violence and protest events across Africa, the Middle East,
Latin America & the Caribbean, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia & the Caucasus,
Europe, and the United States of America’. 7 Its methodology applied for coding and monitoring of thedata is explained in details in its Codebook and in a specific methodology for Afghanistan. 8 As ACLED
points out, the reader should, however, be aware of some limitations in the data. These limitationsare:‘that most of the data is gathered based on publicly available, secondary reports. This meansthat the data is in part a reflection of the coverage and reporting priorities of media andinternational organisations. One of the effects of this is that it may under-estimate the volume
of events of non-strategic importance (for example, low-level communal conflict, or events invery isolated areas). We work to address this possibility by triangulating data sources toinclude humanitarian and international organisation reports, rather than media alone; and by
conducting ground-truthing exercises in which we present data to local organisations andpartners to assess its validity among people working directly in conflict-affected contexts.’ 9
Therefore, ACLED's figures in this report are to be considered as an estimate and indication of trends
in violence over a given period of time.
For Afghanistan, ACLED covers political violence and protest spanning from January 2017 to thepresent. Each week, ACLED researches and reviews about 60 sources in English and Dari/Farsi on
political violence in Afghanistan and collects the information into a database. 10
ACLED codes security incidents as follows:•••‘Battles’: ‘a violent interaction between two politically organized armed groups at aparticular time and location.’ ‘Battles can occur between armed and organised state, nonstate, and external groups, and in any combination therein.’ Sub-events of battles are ‘armed
clash’, ‘government regains territory’ and ‘non-state actor overtakes territory’. The subevent type ‘Armed clash’ occurs when ‘armed, organized groups engage in a battle, and noreports indicate a change in territorial control’.
‘Violence against civilians’: ‘violent events where an organised armed group deliberately
inflicts violence upon unarmed non-combatants’. ‘Violence against civilians includes
attempts at inflicting harm (e.g., beating, shooting, torture, rape, mutilation, etc.) or forcibly
disappearing (e.g., kidnapping and disappearances) civilian actors.’ The following sub-event
types are associated with the violence against civilians event type: ‘Sexual violence’, ‘Attack’,and ‘Abduction/forced disappearance’.
‘Explosions/remote violence’: ‘one-sided violent events in which the tool for engaging inconflict creates asymmetry by taking away the ability of the target to respond.’ They include:

6 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report, n.d., url
7 ACLED, About Acled, n.d., url

8 ACLED Codebook, n.d., url; ACLED methodology and coding decisions around the conflict in Afghanistan, version 3, March

2020, url
9 ACLED, Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) Guide for Media Users, January 2015, url, pp. 9-10
10 ACLED, Methodology and Coding Decisions around the Conflict in Afghanistan, (Version 3) March 2020, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation•••

Chemical weapon’, ‘Air/drone strike’, ‘Suicide bomb’, ‘Shelling/artillery/missile attack’,‘Remote explosive/landmine/IED’, and ‘Grenade’.
‘Riots’: are a violent demonstration, often involving a spontaneous action by unorganised,unaffiliated members of society. They include ‘violent demonstrations’, ‘mob violence’.
‘Protests’: ‘public demonstration in which the participants do not engage in violence, thoughviolence may be used against them.’ It includes ‘peaceful protests’, ‘protests withintervention’, ‘excessive force against protesters’.
‘Strategic developments’: ‘contextually important information regarding the activities ofviolent groups that is not itself recorded as political violence, yet may trigger future events orcontribute to political dynamics within and across states.’ It includes ‘agreements’, ‘changes
to group/activity’, ‘non-violent transfers of territory’, ‘arrests’. 11

EASO provided analytical graphs on security incidents based on publicly available ACLED data. For the
purpose of this report, only the following types of events were included as violent incidents in theanalysis of the security situation in Afghanistan: battles, explosions/remote violence and violenceagainst civilians. The reference period for the ACLED data is from 1 March to 30 July 2021 and EASO
downloaded the ACLED curated data files on Central Asia and the Caucasus, including Afghanistan, on
5 August 2021 (url). ACLED identified in its 2019 Codebook 12 three codes for the geo-precision of
events:‘If the report notes a particular town, and coordinates are available for that town, the highest
precision level “1” is recorded. If the source material notes that activity took place in a smallpart of a region, and notes a general area, a town with georeferenced coordinates to represent
that area is chosen and the geo-precision code will note “2” for “part of region”. If activity occurs
near a town or a city, this same precision code is employed. If a larger region is mentioned, theclosest natural location noted in reporting (like “border area”, “forest” or “sea”, among others)
is chosen to represent the region – or a provincial capital is used if no other information at all isavailable – and is noted with precision level “3”. No ACLED event is associated with the “country”
as the smallest location unit available.’In the provincial chapters of this report, the EASO analytical graphs holding the breakdown of incidents
per administrative unit level 2 (districts) do not include the incidents with code 3, as ACLED has no
information about the location of these incidents within the province.
On territorial control by the Taliban in Afghanistan, information collected and presented in a map by
the Long War Journal (LWJ) was used in this report, alongside additional sources researched to theextent possible to corroborate the LWJ findings. One of these additional sources is Bilal Sarwary, an
independent Afghan journalist based in Kabul, who was BBC correspondent on Afghanistan for morethan thirteen years. Bilal Sarwary gives regular updates on the shifting frontlines on his Twitter accountwith information gathered from his sources in the field. 13
The LWJ is a project by the non-profit policy institute the Foundation for Defense of Democracies(FDD). 14 The LWJ’s Mapping Taliban Control in Afghanistan is based on open-source information, suchas press reports and information provided by government agencies and the Taliban. The LWJ classifies
the level of control as follows:‘“Unconfirmed” district […] has some level of claim-of-control made by the Taliban, but either
has not yet been—or cannot be— independently verified by LWJ research. A “Contested” district
may mean that the government may be in control of the district center, but little else, and the
11 ACLED, Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) Codebook, October 2017, url, pp. 7-14
12 ACLED, Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) Codebook, 2019, url, p. 29

13 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], n.d., url; Sarwary B., [LinkedIn], n.d., url; Intercept (The), Bilal Sarwary, 8 January

2019, url
14 LWJ, About us, n.d. url

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Taliban controls large areas or all of the areas outside of the district center. A “Controlled”
district may mean the Taliban is openly administering a district, providing services and security,
and also running the local courts.’ 15
On internal displacement, the main source used is the ‘Internal Displacement due to Conflict’ datacollection by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). The UNOCHA datareported in the displacement sections was extracted on the ‘accessed date’ indicated in the
Bibliography.

Structure and use of the report
This report is an update of the EASO COI Report Afghanistan - Security Situation (June 2021). In thefirst part a general description is given on the security situation in Afghanistan which is then explainedin greater detail in the second part, holding a regional description of geographic subdivisions (Kabul
City and 34 provinces). While the report as such is not intended to be read as a whole, the updates on
the situation in the different provinces under the regional description generally only cover the period
until 13 August 2021, with the exception of topics related to territorial control, attacks on healthcare,
airports and displacement data for which more updated information has been added. Therefore, it isindispensable to read the regional descriptions in conjunction with the general description, especiallychapter 1.1.1 and chapter 1.4, for an understanding of the most recent developments until 31 August
2021, that have an impact on the situation in each province also.
Provinces and districts
The provincial chapters in this report are organised alphabetically and cover, where available, thelatest information on the Taliban advance and territorial control and a description of the security
situation in a province, including the armed actors active in the province. The chapters also include
recent trends in the security situation describing the nature of the violence, targets, locations, andcasualties within the timeframe from 1 March – 13 August 2021. However, in most cases the illustrative
incidents by province do not include events after 5 August as few sources provided such an overview
and due to time constraints. It is important to emphasise that recent security incidents described inthese regional chapters should be always read as illustrations of trends in the security situation andnot as an exhaustive list of incidents. Finally, conflict-induced displacements are described in a
separate sub-section.
Both the general and regional sections provide information from various sources on the relevant
elements and indicators. Information on an indicator as such should never be taken as conclusive but
as indicative for protection assessment and is to be read together with all other indicators andinformation on the region (or province, district).

15 More information on the methodology used by LWJ can be found at: LWJ, Mapping Taliban Control in Afghanistan,

Methodology, n.d., url

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Map

Map 1: Afghanistan - administrative divisions, source: UNOCHA 16

16 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - administrative divisions, January 2014, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

1. General description of the security situation
1.1 Taliban’s take-over of Afghanistan following withdrawalof US and international forces (until 31 August 2021)
1.1.1 Final advance and the fall of Kabul
The Taliban initiated its final offensive on 1 May 2021, the same day as the withdrawal of international
forces was initiated. During the summer months the Taliban swept over Afghanistan and took control
over several districts, notably in the northern provinces and districts encircling the provincial capitals. 17
In the first week of August the Taliban advanced, and in less than nine days they took control overmost of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals, including Kabul. 18 During the last days key cities fell as Afghan
National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) surrendered. By 13 August 2021 the Taliban had taken
control over 17 of 34 provincial capitals, including Kandahar and Herat. 19 On 14 August 2021, Mazar-e
Sharif fell, and as Jalalabad fell the following day, Kabul was left as the only major city still under
government control.20 On 15 August, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, police and othergovernment forces gave up their posts, and Taliban fighters entered the capital and took control of its
checkpoints. 21 Taliban leaders entered the presidential palace 22, addressed media on the following
day, and declared the war to be over. 23
The speed of the Taliban’s takeover was surprising to many as US intelligence reports had indicatedthat the Taliban at worst could take control of Afghanistan within three to six months after thewithdrawal of foreign troops. 24 In some cases Afghan forces surrendered without a fight. 25 Several
international observers, analysts and scholars have tried to explain this outcome. Some emphasise
intelligence failures, lack of willpower, and lack of leadership as main causes to the Taliban’s
rampage. 26 Others point out that the initial speed of the Taliban’s advancements in itself might haveaccelerated the takeover, as the Taliban, on one hand, got increased access to weapons and othermilitary equipment, and, on the other hand, had a psychological impact undermining the motivationof the ANDSF to keep their positions. 27

1.1.2 Government formation under the Taliban
In a Twitter post on 19 August 2021, an official Taliban spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, declared thecreation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. 28 The name is also used by the Taliban in publicstatements. 29 However, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not been internationally recognised,
17 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Control in Afghanistan, Mapping Taliban Control in Afghanistan, 2021, url
18 VOA, Taliban’s Afghanistan Takeover – a Timeline, 17 August 2021, url

19 AP, Taliban take Kandahar, Herat in major Afghanistan offensive, 13 August 2021, url
20 VOA, Taliban’s Afghanistan Takeover – a Timeline, 17 August 2021, url
21 Al Jazeera, Kabul the day after the takeover, 16 August 2021, url

22 India Today, Taliban declare ‘war is over’ as president and diplomat flee Kabul, 16 August 2021, url
23 Al Jazeera, Biden defends Afghanistan pullout amid airport chaos, 17 August 2021, url

24 WSJ, Afghan Government Could Collapse Six Months After US Withdrawal, New Intelligence Assessment Says, 23 June

2021, url; Reuters, Taliban could take Afghan capital within 90 days after rapid gains – U.S. intelligence, 12 August 2021, url

25 Washington Post, Afghan forces surrender in Kunduz as Taliban advances, 11 August 2021, url

26 CNBS, ‘Intelligence failure of the highest order’ – How Afghanistan fell to the Taliban so quickly, 16 August 2021, url

27 University of Gothenburg, Five questions about the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, 19 August 2021, url; Atlantic Council,

How the Taliban did it: Inside the ‘operational art’ of its military victory, 15 August 2021, url
28 Zabihullah, [Twitter], posted on 19 August 2021, url
29 Al Jazeera, Transcript of Taliban’s first news conference in Kabul, 17 August 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

and a government has not been declared, although the Taliban stated that they intend to announce a
new government ‘soon’. 30 Some sources reported on appointed acting ministers, however no official
declaration was made by the Taliban during the reference period of this report. 31 There were reports
indicating that a new government would not be announced until the complete withdrawal of US
troops. Consequently, there was uncertainty regarding the form of a new administration under the
Taliban and which policies it would pursue. 32 On 23 August 2021, Foreign Policy published an article
citing sources ‘close to the [Taliban] leadership’, claiming that the group will form a 12-member
council, and that members of the previous government may be offered some ministries. 33 According
to Khaama Press, the Taliban have said that the new government will be ‘inclusive’ but led by religious
scholars and further details on the meaning of ‘inclusive government’ were not provided. 34 On 29
August 2021, Afghan media reported that the Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Haibatullah
Akhundzada, held meetings with other Taliban leaders in Kandahar. 35 According to Khaama Press,
reporting on 30 August 2021, Akhundzada was expected to come to Kabul soon, and the negotiations
over the new government were expected to expedite after his arrival. 36
Members of the Taliban’s political office have met with politicians in Kabul such as former prime
minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 37, former president Hamid Karzai, and Abdullah Abdullah, head of HighCouncil for National Reconciliation (HCNR). 38 According to Khaama Press these are the only politicalfigures that have met frequently with the Taliban and tribal elders. 39 However, on 26 August there
were also reports that Karzai and Abdullah were under house arrest by the Taliban. 40
The importance of forming an ‘inclusive government’ is repeatedly stressed by the Taliban, and bothby politicians supportive and critical of the talks. 41 However, some Afghan political leaders criticise thepolitical process itself of lacking in inclusiveness. 42 Sayed Eshaq Gailani, head of the Nahzat-e
Hambastagi Afghanistan party, said that he ‘don’t see this game as a good one because it looks like agame of individuals, everyone tries to promote himself and does not show respect for the Afghans’.
Atta Mohammad Noor, former governor of Balkh, said that ‘the war has not ended, we have a long
way to go, we will test them, we will emerge again … either to resolve it through an inclusive
government or war’. 43
It is yet to be seen whether the Taliban intend to adhere international obligations signed by
Afghanistan during the last 20 years, including most international conventions on human rights, or if
these agreements will be considered invalid. 44 During their first press conference after the takeover,
the Taliban addressed some human rights, and claimed that they would not be violated. For instance,

30 Tolonews, Taliban Says They Seek to Establish an ‘Inclusive Govt’, 17 August 2021, url

31 Reuters, Taliban appoints former Guantanamo detainee as acting defense minister, Al Jazeera says, 24 August 2021, url;

NDTV, Taliban Appoint Senior Veteran To Key Ministerial Posts In Afghanistan, 25 August 2021, url
32 International Crisis Group, Taliban Rule Begins in Afghanistan, 24 August 2021, url
33 FP, Taliban Ditch Presidency, Opt to Rule by Council in Afghanistan, 23 August 2021, url
34 Khaama Press, Religious scholars to lead upcoming government in Afghanistan: Taliban, 23 August 2021, url
35 Khaama Press, Supreme leader of Taliban to come to Kabul, 30 August 2021, url; Ariana News, Taliban’s supreme leader
Akhundazada ‘in meeting in Kandahar’: Sources, 29 August 2021, url
36 Khaama Press, Supreme leader of Taliban to come to Kabul, 30 August 2021, url
37 AA, Former Afghan premier says all ethnic groups to support future government, 23 August 2021, url
38 France 24, Taliban co-founder Baradar in Kabul for talks to set up government, 21 August 2021, url; Tolonews, Taliban
Says They Seek to Establish an ‘Inclusive Govt’, url
39 Khaama Press, Karzai, Abdullah house-arrested by Taliban in Kabul, 26 August 2021, url
40 Khaama Press, Karzai, Abdullah house-arrested by Taliban in Kabul, 26 August 2021, url; CNN, At least 13 US service
members killed in Kabul airport attack, 27 August 2021, url
41 France 24, Taliban co-founder Baradar in Kabul for talks to set up government, 21 August 2021, url; Tolonews, Taliban
Says They Seek to Establish an ‘Inclusive Govt’, 17 August 2021, url
42 Tolonews, Taliban: New Govt to Be Announced Soon, 22 August 2021, url; Tolonews, Afghan Political Leaders Call for
Inclusive Govt, 22 August 2021, url
43 Tolonews, Taliban: New Govt to Be Announced Soon, 22 August 2021, url
44 University of Gothenburg, Five questions about the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, 19 August 2021, url

12

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situationa general amnesty was issued as the Taliban said that they have pardoned ‘all of those who had fought
against us’. 45 Furthermore, they said that women’s rights will be permitted within the limits of Islamic
Sharia, but did not clarify or elaborate on what those limits were. 46 Media was assured that the Taliban
are committed to media ‘within our cultural frameworks’, and that private media should continue towork freely and independently as long as it takes Islamic values into account.47 How these promises
will conform with international human rights standards remain unclear. 48

1.1.3 Reactions by the public and responses by the Taliban
In the first days after the Taliban entered Kabul many people stayed indoors. Especially professional
women and persons fearing retaliation reportedly did not go outside 49 and prices on traditional Islamic
clothing such as hijabs increased due to a sudden demand. 50 Most private shops and governmental
offices closed 51 and some have remained closed since.52 The closure of institutions normally offering
fundamental services, such as the passport department and the banks, created major problems for
Afghans in need of such services.53 People could not access their savings, and at the same time foodprices increased, as well as prices on other necessities. 54 Some experts reportedly believe that an
economic downturn is to be expected due to the halt in economic activity. 55 The banks started toreopen again on 25 August 2021, 56 but the cash crisis has continued. 57
Demonstrations
There have been reports of a few demonstrations in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s take-over. A groupof women demonstrated on 17 August 2021, demanding proper rights. 58 There are no reports of the
Taliban interfering during this protest action, although Taliban members were physically present. 59 On
the Afghan National Independence Day, 19 August 2021, demonstrations were held in Kabul and other
cities where protesters carried the Afghan national flag. 60 According to Al Jazeera, at least two persons
were killed in Asadabad in Kunar Province. Witnesses said that Taliban opened fire at a crowd after amember of the crowd had stabbed a Taliban fighter. Al Jazeera also reported that shots were fired at
protesters in Jalalabad carrying the Afghan national flag, injuring two persons. 61 Reuters, on the other
hand, reported that three persons were killed in Jalalabad and a dozen injured after Taliban opened
fire. However, it remains unclear whether the deaths were caused by shooting or a stampede. 62

45 Al Jazeera, Transcript of Taliban’s first news conference in Kabul, 17 August 2021, url

46 New York Times (The), What is Shariah Law, And What Does it Mean for Afghan Women, 19 August 2021, url; WSJ, Sharia

Law, Women’s Rights in Afghanistan and the Taliban: What to Know, 23 August 2021, url
47 Al Jazeera, Transcript of Taliban’s first news conference in Kabul, 17 August 2021, url
48 New York Times (The), What is Shariah Law, And What Does it Mean for Afghan Women, 19 August 2021, url; WSJ, Sharia
Law, Women’s Rights in Afghanistan and the Taliban: What to Know, 23 August 2021, url
49 Financial Times, Deaths reported as Taliban faces growing dissent in Afghan cities, 19 August 2021, url
50 Pajhwok News, Hijab, turban prices soar in Kabul with Taliban’s return, 22 August 2021, url
51 Tolonews, Afghans Urge Taliban to Open Govt Offices, Let Daily Resume, 17 August 2021, url
52 Pajhwok News, Mazar residents urge early formation of all-inclusive govt, 22 August 2021, url
53 Tolonews, EU Has Not Recognized Taliban: Reuters, 22 August 2021, url; Ariana News, Closure of government offices andministries hampers service delivery, 23 August 2021, url
54 Pajhwok News, Mazar residents urge early formation of all-inclusive govt, 22 August 2021, url
55 Pajhwok News, Closure of banks to create economic recession: Experts, 23 August 2021, url
56 Al Jazeera, Banks in Kabul reopen, drawing crowds of cash-starved Afghans, 25 August 2021, url
57 Independent (The), Protests outside bank in Afghanistan as cash crisis deepens after Taliban seize control, 29 August
2021, url
58 Independent (The), Women take to the streets of Kabul to protest against the Taliban, 17 August 2021, url
59 India Today, Taliban fighters watching, Afghan women protest for their rights on Kabul streets, 18 August 2021, url
60 New York Times (The), Demonstrations Against the Taliban Spread Throughout Kabul, 19 August 2021, url
61 Al Jazeera, Afghans display national flag as they mark independence day, 19 August 2021, url
62 Reuters, Three dead after anti-Taliban protests in Jalalabad-witnesses, 18 August 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Turmoil at Kabul International Airport
After the Taliban moved into Kabul, tens of thousands Afghans entered or assembled outside theairfield of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul trying to leave the country. 63 Footage has shown
hundreds of people running alongside and clinging to the side of airplanes on the runway, and scenesof persons falling from planes after take-off. 64 The turmoil caused several deaths. 65 The Taliban kept
control of the airport’s exterior and set up checkpoints along the roads to the airport. Allegedly Taliban
members attacked people at these checkpoints.66 Taliban representatives said that they kept presence
to safeguard the civilians’ safety. 67 Moreover, the Taliban said it was poised to take control of the
airport as soon as US forces departed on 31 August 2021. 68
The evacuation efforts involved several states, and according to Reuters, reporting on 30 August, morethan 114 000 persons had been evacuated since 14 August. Many states evacuated their citizens,
persons with residence permits or similar links to their country, as well as persons that had assisted
diplomatic missions or military forces, such as embassy staff and interpreters. Some countries also
evacuated persons that they considered to be at ‘risk’ under the new circumstances. 69
On 26 August 2021, the airport was attacked killing both civilians and US military personnel in twobomb blasts. On 28 August 2021, CNN cited an official from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health
who said that more than 170 persons had been killed. 70 The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant–Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for the attack. 71

1.1.4 Reports on acts of retaliation and violence against certain
profilesJournalists and media workers
Afghan journalism is currently facing challenges, and as journalists and media workers evacuate thepossibility to cover the situation in Afghanistan is reducing. 72 International media get less reporters on
the ground, forcing some to rely on journalists in nearby countries and coverages from abroad. 73
Reports on Taliban interactions with the Afghan population is therefore limited, and in many cases
tend to be ‘anecdotal’. Especially reporting on events taking place outside of Kabul is sparse. 74
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) claims that around 100 media outlets have stopped operating, while
hundreds of Afghan journalists have either gone into hiding or fled the country. Furthermore, still
operating media outlets allegedly work in accordance with new conditions set by the Taliban. RSF
states that Taliban promises of press freedom ‘can only be regarded with the utmost scepticism’. 75

63 BBC, Afghanistan: People at Kabul airport flee Taliban with just a suitcase, 23 August 2021, url

64 The Guardian, Kabul airport: footage appears to show Afghans falling from plane after takeoff, 16 August 2021, url
65 BBC, Afghanistan: People at Kabul airport flee Taliban with just a suitcase, 23 August 2021, url
66 BBC, Afghanistan: Danger lies on Kabul’s airport road to freedom, 19 August 2021, url

67 Reuters, Taliban guards continue to provide security outside Kabul airport-Taliban official, 26 August 2021, url

68 Reuters, U.S. winding down Afghanistan evacuation as Taliban set take charge of airport: officials, 29 August 2021, url

69 Reuters, Factbox: Evacuations from Afghanistan by country, 30 August 2021, url
70 CCN, The latest on the Kabul airport attack, 30 August 2021, url
71 Al Jazeera, US warns of ‘credible’ threats of more Kabul attacks, 27 August 2021, url
72 RSF, RSF seeks UN Security Council meeting on plight of journalists in Afghanistan, 18 August 2021, url; CNN, The media
spotlight in Afghanistan is about to dim as journalists evacuate, 20 August 2021, url
73 CNN, The media spotlight in Afghanistan is about to dim as journalists evacuate, 20 August 2021, url
74 International Crisis Group, Taliban Rule Begins in Afghanistan, 24 August 2021, url
75 RSF, RSF seeks UN Security Council meeting on plight of journalists in Afghanistan, 18 August 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Other sources also report on journalists fleeing Afghanistan and dozens of TV and radio outlets
stopping their broadcasting or being seized by the Taliban. 76
Since the Taliban takeover state television has been interrupted and currently airs Quranic recitations,
Islamic shows, and Taliban announcements. Private channels reportedly have reduced content thatpose a risk of provoking the Taliban, such as pop music shows or foreign soap operas, while increasingly
airing appearances of the Taliban and praise for them. 77 According to Ahmed Mengli, Chief Executive
Officer of Chinar Media, journalists on the ground are trying to figure out what is possible and notunder the new circumstances. 78
During the first days after the Taliban’s take-over, women quickly disappeared from broadcasting
media. However, some female news anchors and reporters soon resumed work and appeared onscreen. 79 On 17 August 2021, a female news anchor, Beheshta Arghand, interviewed a Taliban
spokesperson on air80, and a female journalist, Hasiba Atakpal, reported from the streets of Kabul. 81
However, both left Afghanistan soon after. 82 There have been reports on the Taliban hindering female
journalists from resuming work. On 19 August 2021, two journalists at Radio Television Afghanistan(RTA) claimed that the Taliban were barring them from returning to work by not letting them into theiroffice, while male colleagues were allowed to enter the building. 83 According to Pajhwok News, theTaliban in Ghazni have banned female presenters and music from broadcasting media. 84 The Afghan
Analyst Network (AAN) says that the continuation of women’s appearances in media was just an initial
trend and that women once again have disappeared off air. 85
Since the take-over there have been some reports on media workers being beaten by the Taliban. 86
On 18 August 2021, a journalist and a photographer were allegedly beaten by Taliban members while
covering a demonstration in the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province. On the same day a journalist
was reportedly beaten when trying to interview a Taliban member in front of the airport in Kabul. 87
On 19 August 2021, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported that a family member of one of the media outlet’s
journalists was shot by the Taliban during a house-to-house search. 88 On 20 August 2021, a TV station
director was allegedly subjected to an intrusion of armed men into his home, a vehicle and otherequipment were stolen, and the director says his life was threatened. According to Tolonews, theTaliban claimed that they are investigating this report. 89 On 22 August 2021, the Taliban announced
that they had formed a committee that will prevent and probe acts of violence against journalists.
According to Tolonews, the committee was formed due to serious concerns about the safety ofjournalists and media workers following the reports of violence against journalists in Kabul andNangarhar provinces. 90 Further information on actions of this committee could not be found.
76 France 24, Afghanistan’s media enters the unknown under Taliban rule, 24 August 2021, url; VOA, As Taliban Advanceand Fighting Intensifies, Afghan Media Outlets Close, 12 August 2021, url
77 BBC, Afghanistan crisis: ‘Hey world, do you care what happens here?’, 22 August 2021, url; Gandhara, Fewer women, No
Entertainment: Kabul’s Media Scene Transforms After Taliban Takeover, 18 August 2021, url
78 Al Jazeera, Afghan journalists begin uncertain chapter under Taliban rule, 26 August 2021, url
79 BBC, Afghanistan crisis: ‘Hey world, do you care what happens here?’, 22 August 2021, url; AAN, UN Human Rights
Council to talk about Afghanistan: Why so little appetite for action, 23 August 2021, url.
80Tolonews, [YouTube], ‫ د کﺎبﻞ ﭘﺮ وﺿﻌ�ﺖ ﻣﺮﮐﻪ‬:‫ﻧ�ﻤﻪ ورځ‬, [informal translation ‘half-day: discussion on the situation in Kabul’]
August 17 August 2021,, url
81 Tolonews [Twitter], Video – Tolonews’ Hasiba Atakpal reports on the situation in Kabul, 17 August 2021, url
82 CNN, Female journalist flees Afghanistan following groundbreaking TV interview with Taliban spokesman, 30 August
2021, url; Hasiba Atakpal [Twitter], posted on 1 September 2021, url
83 AFP [Twitter], 20 August 2021, url; Tolonews, Afghan Female Journalist Ask Taliban for Right to Work, 19 August 2021,url
84 Pajhwok News, Music, female employees in radios banned in Ghazni, 21 August 2021, url
85 AAN, UN Human Rights Council to talk about Afghanistan: Why so little appetite for action, 23 August 2021, url
86 Tolonews, TOLOnews Reporter, Cameraman Beaten by Taliban, 26 August 2021, url
87 Ariana News, Three journalists allegedly beaten by Taliban, 18 August 2021, url
88 DW, Relative of DW journalist killed by the Taliban, 19 August 2021, url
89 Tolonews, Taliban Commission to Probe Violence Against Media, 22 August 2021, url
90 Tolonews, Taliban Commission to Probe Violence Against Media, 22 August 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

On 24 August 2021, RSF published a press release in which private TV channels are said to be subjected
to frequent threats, and in which a producer says that the Taliban have beaten five of the channel’s
staff in the past week and labelled them as ‘takfiri’ (unbelievers). The producer also accused Taliban
members of ‘systematically’ trying to influence reporters in the field. 91 On 25 August 2021, a journalist
and a camera operator were allegedly beaten by Taliban members. 92
Persons with links to the previous administration and foreign forces
Reuters claims to have seen an intelligence report by RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses
that contains information on the Taliban rounding up Afghans on a blacklist and hunting down people
with suspected links to the previous administration or US-led forces, noting that those ‘particularly atrisk are individuals in central positions in military, police and investigative units.’ However, the original
document is not publicly accessible. 93 Christian Nellemann who heads the group behind the report
told BBC that ‘there are a high number of individuals that are currently being targeted by the Taliban
and the threat is crystal clear’. 94 France 24 Observers refers to local sources that also claim that the
Taliban conducts house-to-house visits to find blacklisted individuals, and that such searches havetaken place in at least four provincial cities. The Taliban is also said to visit local mosques and police
offices to receive information on certain individuals. 95
Thousands of interpreters and former interpreters who worked for international and US forces haveapplied for Special Immigration Visas (SIV). Before the Taliban’s takeover there were reports on
interpreters or former interpreters being subjected to death threats and violent attacks. 96 There havebeen few reports on such attacks after the take-over. On 23 August, CNN reported that they hadreceived letters written by the Taliban in which a death sentence for a translator’s relative was issued.
The sentenced man’s brother served as an interpreter for US troops. In the letters, the man is accusedof ‘helping the Americans’ and of providing security to his interpreting brother. 97 According to sources
consulted by journalist Bilal Sarwary, Taliban have beaten a brother in-law to the former deputy headof intelligence for military affairs in Takhar. 98 Sources consulted by Sarwary also reported that the
Taliban had executed 14 surrenderers. Among the executed was Mosa Amiri, former deputy police
chief for Khidir district in Daykundi. 99 In a speech to the Human Rights Council on 24 August, UN humanrights chief Michelle Bachelet said that her office had received credible reports of serious violations ofinternational law, inter alia, summary executions by the Taliban against civilians and Afghan soldiers.
Bachelet did not provide details on the reported violations and did not indicate when they had takenplace except for being received ‘in recent weeks’. 100
Human rights activists
There are few reports on the current situation of human rights activists. France 24 Observers reportsthat human rights activists have gone into hiding due to the difficulties of leaving Afghanistan following
the take-over. 101

91 RSF, New (unofficial) oppressive rules imposed on journalists in Afghanistan, 24 August 2021, url
92 Tolonews, TOLOnews Reporter, Cameraman Beaten by Taliban, 26 August 2021, url

93 Reuters, Taliban are rounding up Afghans on blacklist – private intel report, 19 August 2021, url
94 BBC, Afghanistan: Taliban carrying out door-to-door manhunt, report says, 20 August 2021, url

95 France 24 Observers, ‘Lay low and stay home’: The only option for Afghans targeted by Taliban, 23 August 2021, url;France 24 Observers, ‘I knew they’d come for us’ Afghan journalists, activists report Taliban reprisals, 20 August 2021, url
96 CNN, Afghan interpreter for US Army was beheaded by Taliban. Other fear they will be hunted down too, 23 July 2021,
url; Global News, ‘Living in a hell’: Afghan interpreters call for clarity, support amid Taliban threat, 28 July 2021, url
97 CNN, Taliban issue death sentence for brother of Afghan translator who helped US troops, according to letters obtainedby CNN, 23 August 2021, url
98 Bilal Sarwary [Twitter], posted on 29 August 2021, url
99 Bilal Sarwary [Twitter], posted on 30 August 2021, url
100 OHCHR, 31st Special Session of the Human Rights Council, 24 August 2021, url
101 France 24 Observers, ‘Lay low and stay home’: The only option for Afghans targeted by Taliban, 23 August 2021, url;France 24 Observers, ‘I knew they’d come for us’, Afghan journalists, activists report Taliban reprisals, 20 August 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

In an interview Rina Amiri, senior fellow at the New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, claims
to be in ‘intense contact’ with several women in Afghanistan, and that she gets reports of the Taliban
intimidating journalists and activists at their offices and in their houses. According to Amiri, prominent
women’s organisations and human rights organisations have experienced such raids, and the Taliban
have gone looking through their work material and phones. 102 Human Rights Watch also state that the
Taliban have raided homes of activists. 103 In a recent interview with Thomson Reuters Foundation,
former parliamentarian and women’s rights defender Fawzia Koofia mentioned that women still
appeared in media describing the changes taking place in their communities. Koofia also mentionedthat the current situation is getting increasingly difficult for women’s rights defenders. 104

1.2 Prior peace negotiations and political developments
Looking back at political developments in 2021 prior to the Taliban take-over, negotiations between
the Afghan government and Taliban to decide the political future of Afghanistan took place in Doha in
January and February 2021, and at a conference in Moscow in March 2021. 105 High levels of violencein Afghanistan contributed to the slow progress of peace talks, with the Afghan government and public
reported to be ‘highly suspicious of the Taliban’s willingness to negotiate meaningfully.’ 106 On 13 April
2021, Turkey, Qatar and the UN announced that they would co-convene a high-level and inclusive
conference between the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban in Istanbul from 24 April to 4 May
2021, with the aim of accelerating and complementing negotiations in Doha for a ‘just and durable
political settlement’. However, the Taliban Political Commission stated that they would not participate
in a conference that made decisions about Afghanistan until the withdrawal of all foreign troops. 107
Following the announcements on 14 April 2021 of the withdrawal of the remaining US military forcesfrom Afghanistan by 11 September 2021, and the withdrawal of NATO allies by the same date, the coconveners of the Istanbul conference announced its postponement ‘to a date when conditions formeaningful progress would be more favourable’. 108
According to the UN’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, the Taliban had shown nosigns of reducing the level of violence to facilitate peace negotiations and its messaging remained‘uncompromising’. 109 Sources reported that the stated aim of the Taliban remained the full withdrawalof foreign troops, the release of an additional 7 000 Taliban fighters, the removal of UN sanctions andrecognition by the international community as the legitimate Government of Afghanistan. 110 According
to the UN source, the Taliban’s intent appeared to be to continue strengthening its military position‘as leverage’, and the Taliban appeared to believe that it could ‘achieve almost all its objectives by

102 New Yorker (The), The Terror Facing Human-Rights Activists in Kabul, 17 August 2021, url
103 HRW, UN Rights Body Needs to Investigate Abuses in Afghanistan, 23 August 2021, url

104 Thomson Reuters Foundation News, Floggings to forced marriages – women’s freedoms under threat from Taliban, 16

August 2021, url
105 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 April 2021, url, p. 57
106 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 15
107 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 10
108 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, paras. 12-13
109 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, p. 3
110 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 17; Tolonews, Taliban Leader Urges Post-US'Afghan-Inclusive Islamic System', 9 May 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

negotiation or, if necessary, by force.’ 111 US Department of Defense (USDOD) reported that a Taliban
spokesman claimed the Taliban to be as politically and militarily strong as they had ever been and thatparticipation in the peace talks ‘should never be read as weakness’. 112 On 9 May 2021, the Taliban
leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, was reported to have called for the implementation of the
Doha agreement, saying that ‘the world must bear witness and hold America accountable for all theconsequences’ if the US ‘fails once again to live up to its commitments’. He said that the Taliban ‘areready to protect the independence and sovereignty of Afghanistan at any cost.’ 113 However, in his Eidmessage he was reported to have emphasised the need for a political solution, saying that the Taliban
would ‘take advantage of any opportunity that would result in the establishment of an Islamic systemand peace and security in the country’. 114 Similarly, one of the Taliban’s top negotiators in Doha said
to a meeting of European and US diplomats that they did not ‘intend to seize power through a military
struggle’. 115
The UN Secretary General stated that peace negotiations in Doha continued ‘at a slow pace’, 116 and on
22 June 2021 the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, said
the peace process between the Afghan government and the Taliban had ‘stalled’ and that trends inrelation to the political, peace, and security situation were all ‘negative or stagnant’. 117 On 22 June
2021, Afghanistan’s foreign minister told the UN Security Council that the Taliban had ‘not engaged
with the Afghan government’s plan for a ceasefire, power-sharing arrangements, and early elections’for nearly 10 months. 118 Instead, they had reportedly focused on issues such as the treatment ofdetainees, roadside abductions and progress in prisoner releases and sanctions relief, which they said
needed to be addressed adequately for peace negotiations to move forward.119 Conversely the Taliban
leader accused the Afghan government of ‘wasting time in the peace talks’. 120 On 16 July 2021, an‘authoritative’ delegation of high ranking Afghan government officials was reported to have met with
the Taliban for talks in Doha for two days, after which they released a joint statement agreeing to
expedite the peace efforts and continue high level talks. 121 Analysts from the US Institute of Peace(USIP) described the broader prospects for meaningful negotiations as ‘dim’ and claimed that the
Taliban were never serious about negotiations but only joined the talks to fulfil minimum conditions
set out in the Doha agreement for a US troop withdrawal, while consolidating their fighting strength.
In light of the Taliban’s successful fighting campaign and US troops withdrawing, they had ‘even lessincentive to talk’.122 In an interview in July 2021, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated in
response to a question about their sincerity in the peace talks given the capture of 114 districts in theprevious two months that ‘this progress has not been by force or through war’ and that ‘negotiations
process was moving forward slowly […] therefore, we could not sit with the other side’. 123

111 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, p. 3
112 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url p. 13
113 Tolonews, Taliban Leader Urges Post-US 'Afghan-Inclusive Islamic System', 9 May 2021, url
114 Tolonews, Taliban Leader Says Group Wants 'Political Solution', 18 July 2021, url
115 Tolonews, Taliban Leader Urges Post-US 'Afghan-Inclusive Islamic System', 9 May 2021, url
116 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international
peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 7
117 UNAMA, SRSG Briefing to the United Nations Security Council, 22 June 2021, url, pp. 1-2
118 UN, Swift Withdrawal of International Troops Sparks Widespread Fear in Afghanistan, Experts Tell Security Council,
Sounding Alarm over Taliban Military Gains, 22 June 2021, url
119 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 84
120 Tolonews, Taliban Leader Says Group Wants 'Political Solution', 18 July 2021, url
121 Tolonews, Afghan Politicians Leave Kabul for Talks with Taliban in Doha, 16 July 2021, url; High Council for
Reconciliation, Talking Points Of H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman Of The High Council For National Reconciliation, 17
July 2021, url; Tolonews, Republic, Taliban Delegations Agree to Expedite Peace Efforts, 18 July 2021, url
122 USIP, 11 Things to Know: Afghanistan on the Eve of Withdrawal, 17 June 2021, url
123 Tolonews, Interview with Taliban’s Zabihullah Mujahid: Full Transcript, 12 July 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

In a briefing to the Security Council on 6 August 2021, the Secretary General’s Special Representative
for Afghanistan said that the international community, including the Security Council and UNAMA, had‘dealt with the Taliban as a potential partner for peace’. The expected reduction in violence, following
the US-Taliban deal in February 2020, when talks between the Afghan Republic and the Taliban began
in September 2020, and when international forces started leaving the country, did not happen.
Instead, Lyons noted that there had been a ‘fifty percent increase in civilian casualties with thecertainty of many more as the cities are attacked’, and that there was ‘a striking contrast between theactivity on the battlefield and the quiet stalemate at the negotiation table in Doha’. 124
On 11 August 2021, the Afghan delegation to the latest talks in Doha, led by the head of thegovernment’s reconciliation council, demanded that the Taliban ‘immediately end attacks on cities andbegin a dialogue to find a political solution’. On the previous day the US State Department
spokesperson reportedly expressed regret at the ‘painfully slow’ pace of the talks and commented that
all indications suggested that the Taliban were pursuing a battlefield victory. Envoys from the US,
China, Russia, and Pakistan (the Extended Troika) are reported to have met with Taliban and Afghan
government negotiators on 12 August 2021 in a ‘last-gasp bid to find a negotiated solution to theraging conflict’. 125 In a joint statement following the talks they said that they would not recognise any
government ‘imposed through the use of military force’, and that ‘reconstruction assistance would becontingent on a political settlement’. 126

1.3 Actors
1.3.1 US and other international forces
An agreement was made between the US and Taliban in February 2020, according to which US troops
would withdraw on 1 May 2021.127 Although the Taliban had not attacked US and coalition forces sincesigning the agreement, they threatened to resume hostilities if the withdrawal was not completed by
May 2021. 128 The Biden administration decided to stick to the agreement, but did not withdraw within
the set timeframe, with President Biden announcing in April 2021 that US troops would begin theirwithdrawal from Afghanistan on 1 May 2021 and would aim to complete the process by 11 September
2021. 129 On 30 July 2021, the US government’s oversight authority on Afghanistan reconstruction
project and activities, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), reported thatthe formal withdrawal of US Forces would be completed by the end of August 2021. 130
On 1 May 2021, US Central Command began its military ‘draw-down’, including redeployment of US
troops, turning facilities over to the ANDSF, moving equipment away from the frontline, andtransferring equipment to the Afghan forces or returning it to the US Defence Logistics Agency. 131 Morethan half this process was completed by 14 June 2021, and 90% by 5 July 2021.132 At the end of the
124 UNAMA, Briefing to the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for

Afghanistan, 6 August 2021, url

125 RFE/RL, Radio Azadi, Taliban Seizes 10th Afghan Provincial Capital As Ghazni Falls, 12 August 2021, url

126 RFE/RL, Radio Azadi, Taliban Captures Herat, Two Other Cities As Afghan Forces Collapse, 13 August 2021, url; Tolonews,

Doha Meeting Agrees on Need to Accelerate Afghan Peace Process, 13 August 2021, url
127 Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by theUnited States as a state and is known as the Taliban and the United States of America, 20 February 2020, url
128 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 2; Bloomberg, Taliban Says It WillFight U.S. Forces Again If They Miss Exit Deadline, 26 March 2021, url
129 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 2; White House, transcript,“Remarks by President Biden on the Way Forward in Afghanistan”, 14 April 2021, url
130 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 49
131 US Central Command, Update on withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan May 11, 2021, 11 May 2021, url
132 US Central Command, Update on withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan June 14, 2021, 15 June 2021, url; US
Central Command, Update on withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan July 5, 2021, 6 July 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

drawdown, it was estimated that 650 US troops would remain to assist with security at the US Embassyin Kabul, down from 2 500 troops.133 In early May 2021, a senior official of the US Secretary of Defence
expressed the intention to establish a new defence relationship with Afghan forces consisting offunding key capabilities, paying salaries for security forces, and delivering certain military supplies.
However, in mid-June 2021 the relationship was described as not requiring efforts larger thannecessary to protect US diplomats. 134
According to SIGAR, reporting in July 2021, the US Forces Afghanistan Forward had been establishedin Kabul, to be supported remotely from Qatar by the new Defence Security Cooperation Management
Office-Afghanistan, to provide security assistance to the Afghan forces, including aircraft-maintenancesupport to sustain combat operations against the Taliban. On 12 July 2021, the Combined Security
Transition Command-Afghanistan mission providing training, advice and assistance to the Afghan
forces officially ended, and responsibility was transferred to the Defence Security Cooperation
Management Office-Afghanistan. In the few months before its dissolution, the primary focus was thesafe withdrawal of US personnel. 135
NATO Resolute Support informed SIGAR that Coalition forces had also ‘reduced their footprint’ inAfghanistan during the first quarter of 2021. In July 2021, NATO’s Special Operations Component
Command-Afghanistan (NSOCC-A) were also reported to have ‘retrograded’ and closed their bases,
repositioning some forces to provide remote support, ‘in anticipation of orders to monitor and disrupt
al-Qaeda and Islamic State-Khorasan operations originating from Afghanistan.’ 136 Germany and Italy
ended their Afghanistan missions at the end of June 2021 137; the United Kingdom announced the endof their mission on 8 July 2021 138; Australia announced on 11 July 2021 that their last personnel had
left Afghanistan in recent weeks 139; and at least 16 smaller contingents reportedly withdrew earlier in
May or June 2021. 140 On 9 July 2021, the Turkish President announced that Turkey and the US had
agreed on security arrangements for Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, an essential transportfacility for diplomatic missions, after the withdrawal of US forces, though the Taliban reportedly said
they would view foreign forces present at the airport ‘in the name of security’ as ‘invaders’. 141 Despite
the rapid military gains of the Taliban between May and August 2021, the US announced that it wasstanding by its timeline for troops to withdraw from Afghanistan. 142 However, on 13 August 2021
media sources reported that as the security situation worsened in the country and the Taliban
advanced on Kabul, the US would send an additional 3 000 troops to Afghanistan to assist with
evacuation of Embassy staff and US citizens. 143 AP also reported on the same day that both Britain andCanada would send troops to Afghanistan on a short-term basis to help their nationals leave thecountry. 144 According to Reuters there were about 5 200 US troops as of 27 August 2021 to provide
security during the evacuations. 145 Despite the developments in late August, the Biden administration

133 USDOD, Statement by Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller on Force Levels in Afghanistan, 15 January 2021, url
134 Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Appropriations Committee Holds Hearing on Fiscal 2022 Budget Request

for the Defense Department, 17 June 2021, url
135 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 50
136 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 50, 75
137 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 50
138 The Independent, The short goodbye: British troops leave Afghanistan amid warnings ‘very bad things’ could happen tocountry, 8 July 2021, url
139 VOA, Australia Says Last Troops Withdrawn From Afghanistan, 11 July 2021, url
140 AP, Most European troops exit Afghanistan quietly after 20 years, 30 June 2021, url
141 VOA, Taliban Tells Turkey Continued Troop Presence in Afghanistan Is ‘Unacceptable’, 18 June 2021, url
142 Al Jazeera, Afghan leader rallies forces in Taliban-besieged northern city, 11 August 2021, url
143 AP, US rushes in troops to speed up evacuations in Afghanistan, 13 August 2021, url; Tolonews, US Sending 3,000 Troops
to Afghanistan to Begin Evacuations, 13 August 2001, url
144 AP, US rushes in troops to speed up evacuations in Afghanistan, 13 August 2021, url; AP, Canada sending forces to close
Afghan embassy, 13 August 2021, url; AP, UK to send 600 troops to Kabul to help nationals leave, 12 August 2021, url
145 Reuters, Pentagon bracing for more attacks after troops killed at Kabul airport, 27 August 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

expressed that the 31 August deadline would be kept. 146 However, Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national
security adviser, said that safe passage will be ensured after 31 August for American citizens, legal
permanent residents and for ‘Afghans who helped us to continue coming out after the 31st of August’,
without providing details on how safe passage will be ensured. 147
On 30 August 2021, right before midnight, the last US forces left Afghanistan as the final evacuationflights departed from Kabul’s international airport. 148

1.3.2 Involvement of new international actors
Between March and July 2021 various foreign states, including the ‘Extended Troika’ (Russia, China,
the US and Pakistan), Iran and Central Asia countries, met with representatives of the negotiatingteams of the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan to review the status of the peace process andto accelerate negotiations. 149 Delegations from the Taliban’s political office visited the capitals of
Russia, Iran and Turkmenistan, where they were reportedly urged to engage in serious negotiations
with the Afghan government and warned against a military takeover. 150 According to USIP analysts,
neighbouring states oppose a resurgence of the ‘Islamic Emirate’ due to concerns about domestic
threats from Islamists and the risk of an intensifying civil war that could create a humanitarian crisisand drive refugees across their borders. While their formal policy was to support a negotiated politicalsettlement, Afghanistan’s neighbours were reportedly ‘preparing for the worst’. USIP sources statethat ‘formal policy is only part of the equation’ and that an intensification of the conflict in Afghanistan
may tempt regional states to directly assist ‘Afghan factions they perceive to be allies who can protect
their equities’, leading to a risk of broader regional conflict.’ 151
In July 2021, USIP suggested that frontline Central Asian states were preparing for a new reality where
the Taliban control most or all of Afghanistan, as Taliban fighters had rapidly taken control of the ruralparts of northern Afghanistan, and nearly all the 1 500-mile border with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
and Tajikistan. Along with the capture of key border posts with Iran and Pakistan, the rapid advance of
the Taliban in the northern region represented ‘a major shift in the geostrategic context for Central
Asia’. According to USIP, the Taliban had not threatened Central Asian forces on the border and had
engaged in diplomatic efforts to reassure neighbouring countries ‘of their respect for their territorial
integrity with a commitment to keep the war within the borders of Afghanistan’. Furthermore, USIP
suggest that the response among Central Asian states to the current situation has been to shore up
border security, limit the exposure to refugee flows crossing their borders, and ‘keep the lines ofcommunication with the Taliban open’. Provided that the Taliban are willing and able to eliminate orcontain transnational violent extremist groups such as ISKP, al-Qaida (AQ), and the remnants of theIslamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), USIP analyst say that Central Asian states are ‘likely to adjust
to working with them again’. 152
According to journalist Bobby Ghosh, the prospect of Taliban success in Afghanistan ‘poses a grave
danger’ to Iran, having Iran’s strained relationship to the previous Taliban rule in mind. Although Iran
has stepped up its diplomatic outreach to the Taliban, and they may not represent a direct threat tothe Iranian regime, there are serious Iranian concerns about the prospect of refugees, as well as
146 CNN, Biden keeps August 31 deadline to withdraw Afghanistan: ‘The sooner we finish the better’, 24 August 2021, url
147 CBS News, Transcript: National security adviser Jake Sullivan on “Face the Nation”, 29 August 2021, url

148 New York Times (The), U.S. War in Afghanistan Ends as Final Evacuation Flights Departed, 30 August 2021, url

149 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international

peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 14; SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States
Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 84; Aljazeera, Afghan gov’t delegation meets Taliban in Iran, 8 July 2021, url
150 USIP, Central Asia Prepares for Taliban Takeover, 20 July 2021, url; USIP, India, Pakistan Watch Warily as Taliban Move to
Takeover, 2 August 2021, url
151 USIP, India, Pakistan Watch Warily as Taliban Move to Takeover, 2 August 2021, url
152 USIP, Central Asia Prepares for Taliban Takeover, 20 July 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

increased drug and human trafficking, and terrorist activity in its eastern region. In the context ofongoing sanctions, Iran’s trade interests are also reportedly threatened, including ‘an ambitious
railway project that would channel Afghan exports to Iranian ports, and thence to the wider world’. 153
According to International Crisis Group, Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate the Taliban’s return to Kabul
through power-sharing arrangements have been undermined by the fast pace of the withdrawal offoreign troops in the context of ‘stalled peace talks and rising insurgent violence in Afghanistan’.
Instability in Afghanistan, as well as Taliban presence near the tribal areas along the AfghanistanPakistan border, present security risks to Pakistan. In border areas, there is risk of destabilisation andof Pakistani militants aligning with the Taliban in Afghanistan, and a high influx of refugees. According
to International Crisis Group, a Taliban military takeover in Kabul means that Pakistan would ‘face thedilemma of dealing with its ally heading a regime that would enjoy scant outside backing and – crucially– very little financial aid.’ 154 However, other analyses point out the competing interests within
Pakistan’s government. 155 Overall statements by Pakistani officials are interpreted as cheering the
Taliban take-over. 156 However, some officials have carefully expressed that they support a peacefulresolution in Afghanistan, and they have communicated a stance of non-interference in Afghan
affairs. 157 Others have been more explicit, like Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, who said that
the Taliban had broken ‘the shackles of slavery’. 158
Russia’s main concern in relation to Afghanistan is reported to be the longstanding fear of instability
on its southern borders and the ability of the Central Asian nations to defend their borders and prevent
destabilisation of their own societies by militancy. 159 In July 2021 it was reported that Russia had‘reasserted its hard military commitment to protect its CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization]
treaty allies in Central Asia from any military threat coming from Afghanistan’ and had also publicly
engaged with the Taliban, ‘seeking and receiving assurance that they will not allow Afghanistan to
become a security problem for Russia and Central Asia’. 160
China’s policy towards Afghanistan is ‘almost entirely about managing threats’, according to an analyst
from the European Council for Foreign Relations. The dominant threat is perceived to be from Islamic
militancy in the region. The Chinese government had reportedly ‘long sought to reach agreements with
the Taliban’, largely focused on the question of their ties with Uyghur groups.161 In July 2021, it wasreported that the Taliban had offered reassurance to China that they would ‘ignore the suppression ofMuslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang in exchange for China’s support in rebuilding Afghanistan’. 162 Although it
has minimal economic interests in Afghanistan itself (investment in a copper mine and an energy
project), China was reported to be concerned about the threat to its significant commercial andeconomic interests in the wider region, through increased militancy inspired by the Taliban’s success,especially in Pakistan. 163

153 Bloomberg Opinion, No Joy for Iran Over the Taliban Romp Next Door, 12 July 2021, url

154 ICG, Pakistan: Shoring Up Afghanistan’s Peace Process, Briefing No.169/Asia, 30 June 2021, url

155 Council on Foreign Relations, Why did Pakistani Officials cheer the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan?, 25 August 2021, url
156 The Diplomat, The Taliban’s Careful Cheerleaders: Pakistan’s Statements on the Fall of Kabul, 17 August 2021, url;

Council on Foreign Relations, Why did Pakistani Officials cheer the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan?, 25 August 2021, url
157 The Diplomat, The Taliban’s Careful Cheerleaders: Pakistan’s Statements on the Fall of Kabul, 17 August 2021, url
158 Independent (The), Taliban have broken ‘the shackles of slavery’, says Pakistanian PM Imran Khan, 17 August 2021, url
159 RFE/RL, Beneath The Gloating, Taliban Takeover Brings Unwelcome New Uncertainty For Moscow, 17 August 2021, url
160 USIP, Central Asia Prepares for Taliban Takeover, 20 July 2021, url
161 European Council on Foreign Relations, After the withdrawal: China’s interests in Afghanistan, 5 August 2021, url
162 USIP, Central Asia Prepares for Taliban Takeover, 20 July 2021, url
163 European Council on Foreign Relations, After the withdrawal: China’s interests in Afghanistan, 5 August 2021, url

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1.3.3 Taliban
The Taliban, with an estimated 58 000 to 100 000 full-time fighters 164, ‘is stronger now than at any
point in the last twenty years’, according to the Council for Foreign Relations. 165 Taliban seized de facto
control of Afghanistan after entering Kabul on 15 August. 166 As of 31 August 2021, LWJ considered 388
districts to be under Taliban control, 10 under the control of resistance forces, and 9 contested. 167
The Defence Intelligence Agency cited by USDOD reported that the Taliban’s military strategy in thefirst quarter of 2021 was focused on ‘preparation for large-scale offensives against provincial centres,
complex attacks against the ANDSF’s installations, and degrading ANDSF capabilities’. By February
2021 the Taliban had surrounded the provincial capitals of Baghlan, Helmand, Kandahar, Kunduz, andUruzgan provinces, and conducted attacks against military and intelligence targets. Taliban fighters
focused on controlling highways to limit the ability of Afghan government forces to resupply outposts
and checkpoints. 168
When US and Coalition forces officially began to withdraw their troops in May 2021, the Taliban
launched their offensive, overrunning numerous ANDSF checkpoints, bases, and district centres. 169 The
Taliban reportedly took over and displayed on social media US supplied equipment, including
Humvees, abandoned by Afghan forces following truces mediated by local elders. 170 SIGAR noted ‘thespeed and ease with which the Taliban seemingly wrested control of districts in Afghanistan’s northern
provinces, once a bastion of anti-Taliban sentiment’. 171 AAN stated that controlling border crossings
appears to have been a focus for the Taliban, allowing them to collect vast customs tax on traders(estimated at $4 million per day in the first five months of 2021) and thereby weakening thegovernment. 172 Similarly, as of mid-July the Taliban had gained control of major road routes, allowing
them to tax and extort travellers as well as affecting the Afghan National Security Force’s (ANSF)
freedom of movement. 173
By 15 July 2021 FDD’s LWJ estimated that the Taliban was in control of 54 percent of Afghan districts,
where months earlier it controlled only 20 percent. 174 AAN explained that after the ‘unexpected andhighly successful sweep of rural districts in many parts of Afghanistan’, the Taliban started to attack
major cities such as the Taliban’s Kandahar, Herat, Ghazni and Lashkargah. Furthermore, ‘The
resistance they encountered there might have been why their military leaders changed the size of theirtargets. Although hardly relenting their push against other cities, they focused on easier objectives
such as the relatively undefended lesser provincial capitals’. 175
After a rapid fall of all but one provincial capital the Taliban could seize power. 176 According to analysis
from AAN the subsequent ‘mass dissolution of the Afghan security forces and surrender of provincial
and military leadership’ was at least in part due to a ‘sustained outreach campaign’ by the Taliban,
164 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 26
165 CFR, The Taliban in Afghanistan, 3 August 2021, url
166 AP, Taliban take over Afghanistan: What we know and what’s next, 17 August 2021, url
167 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url
168 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, pp. 11-12
169 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 51
170 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 51; WSJ, Afghan Government Could Collapse
Six Months After U.S. Withdrawal, New Intelligence Assessment Says, 23 June 2021, url
171 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 51
172 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url; WSJ,
Taliban Find New Revenues as They Seize Afghanistan’s U.S.-Built Border Gateway, 5 July 2021, url
173 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
174 LWJ, Half of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals under threat from Taliban, 15 July 2021, url
175 AAN, The Fall of Nimruz: A symbolic or economic game-changer? 9 August 2021, url
176 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

involving deals made in advance at the local level and ‘probably also at a very high level’, with officials
knowing ‘who to call’ at the point when they decided to surrender control.177 A strategy of ‘coercion
and persuasion’ was reportedly adopted and repeated across the country, as the Taliban ‘cut multiple
surrender deals that handed them bases and ultimately entire provincial command centers’. 178

1.3.4 Pro-government armed groups, warlords and their militias
Before the announcement of the withdrawal of US troops, the CIA Director William Burns reportedly
told the Senate Intelligence Committee that a departure would pose a ‘significant risk’ of resurgent
terrorism and ‘diminish’ the US government’s ability to ‘collect and act on threats emanating fromAfghanistan’. In June 2021, USIP raised concerns about Western national security agencies looking at
options to counter AQ and other terror networks operating from Afghanistan and ‘considering hiring
Afghan warlords as proxies to provide intelligence on these groups’. According to USIP, some militia
groups under consideration had previous ties to transnational terror groups and bear responsibility for‘atrocities’ in the 1990s, as well as corruption, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, land grabbing andillegal checkpoints. USIP suggested that such a strategy may undermine the objective of preventing
terrorist attacks by further alienating the Afghan population and ‘narrow the anti-Taliban base’. 179
On 4 June 2021 the ANN reported that ‘for the first time in 20 years, powerbrokers are speaking
publicly about mobilising armed men outside ANSF and government structures’. Although thepresence of militias has reportedly been a ‘local fact of life’, public pronouncements about needs tomobilise or to establish autonomous spheres of influence have ‘never been expressed so brazenly’. 180
In July 2021, UNAMA reported on the resurgence of pro-government armed groups and indications
that the government was supporting and issuing weapons to civilian self-defence groups operating‘outside a well-defined chain of command’. This development reportedly compounded protection risks
faced by the civilian population, including of human rights abuses. 181 At the end of June 2021 ACLED,
citing media reports, stated that the ‘ongoing increase in violence had led to the formation of local
militias with the tacit support of Afghan state forces’. 182
Taliban gains in the north, including control of significant transportation routes, led the Afghan
government to launch what it called ‘National Mobilization, arming local volunteers’. 183 In August
2021, the Afghan Interior Minister stated that the government was arming local groups ‘as part of awider three-phase plan to fight back against the Taliban’s advances’. The Minister detailed that the
government was supporting local volunteer militias known as ‘uprising movements’ and delegating
power to local leaders to recruit and arm within their community to fight the Taliban. He said they had‘announced their full support to the president and government’, would ‘fight the Taliban along withthe government forces’, and ‘eventually merge into the Afghan Security Forces’. 184 Associated Press(AP) reported that the move potentially would resurrect militias ‘loyal to local commanders or
powerful Kabul-allied warlords, who wrecked the Afghan capital during the inter-factional fighting of
the 1990s and killed thousands of civilians’. 185 This development concerned the international
community, with observers fearing the policy could lead to civil war. 186

177 AAN, Afghanistan Has a New Government: The country wonders what the new normal will look like, 17 August 2021, url
178 New York Times (The), Collapse and Conquest: The Taliban Strategy That Seized Afghanistan, 18 August 2021, url
179 USIP, After Afghanistan Withdrawal: A Return to ‘Warlordism?’, 25 June 2021, url

180 AAN, Changing political dynamics in the wake of the US troop withdrawal announcement, 4 June 2021, url, Conclusion
181 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 12
182 ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan, 19-25 June 2021, 30 June 2021, url
183 AP, Taliban gains drive Afghan government to recruit militias, 25 June 2021, url

184 Al Jazeera, Afghanistan’s interior minister reveals plan to push back Taliban, 11 August 2021, url
185 AP, Taliban gains drive Afghan government to recruit militias, 25 June 2021, url

186 Al Jazeera, Taliban gains drive Afghanistan gov’t to arm local volunteers, 25 June 2021, url; SIGAR, Quarterly report to

the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 64

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Defections of local Public Uprising Forces in Badakhshan were reported in early July 2021 187 and inearly August 2021 the defection of a former member of Parliament and ‘prominent militia commander’to the Taliban along with hundreds of fighters was reported to contribute to the collapse of Aybak, theprovincial capital of Samangan. 188
On 11 August 2021, President Ghani was reported to have held talks with ‘long-time local strongman’Atta Mohammad Noor and ‘infamous warlord’ Abdul Rashid Dostum about the defence of the‘besieged’ northern city of Mazar-e Sharif city, as Taliban fighters had taken more than a quarter ofthe country’s provincial capitals in less than a week, and were approaching the outskirts of the city. 189
However, the militias could not resist the Taliban forces and soon dissolved or joined the Taliban. 190
Noor and Dostum have reportedly fled to Uzbekistan. 191 Ismail Khan has reportedly fled to Iran. 192
For more information on the anti-Taliban resistance movement in Panjsher, see chapter 1.4.1.

1.3.5 Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan Province (ISKP)
Sources reported that ISKP regained strength in the first quarter of 2021, including throughrecruitment of disaffected Taliban members, continues to pose a threat in Afghanistan and the region
at large, and retains the ability to carry out terrorist attacks in Kabul and other major cities. 193 The coregroup in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces reportedly retains around 1 500 to 2 200 fighters, mainly
Afghan and Pakistani nationals, while smaller autonomous groups located in Badakhshan, Kunduz andSar-e Pol are predominantly local ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks. Sources reported to the UN Analytical
Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team that a 450-strong cell of ISKP was disrupted around Mazar-e
Sharif in Balkh Province, suggesting that the group may be stronger in northern Afghanistan thanpreviously assessed. 194 The UN Secretary General reported an increase in attacks between 12 Februaryand 15 May 2021 claimed by or attributed to ISKP – 88 compared with 16 during the same period in
2020, including targeted attacks on civilians in urban areas. 195 Between 1 January and 30 June 2021,
UNAMA recorded 439 casualties (124 killed and 315 injured) in ISKP claimed or attributed attacks,
which was 9% of the total casualties for that period. 196
ISKP have claimed responsibility for the attack against Kabul’s international airport, see Chapter 1.1.3.

1.3.6 Foreign fighters
According to the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, fighters from a variety ofcountries and militant groups continued to operate in Afghanistan and are reported to be ‘at minimum
187 RFE/RL, Fighting The Taliban Was ‘Suicide’: Hundreds Of Afghan Soldiers Escape To Tajikistan, 9 July 2021, url

188 New York Times (The), The Taliban take a sixth provincial capital as government forces reel, 9 August 2021, url
189 Al Jazeera, Afghan leader rallies forces in besieged Mazar-i-Sharif, 11 August 2021, url

190 The World, Former warlord Ismail Khan led a militia against the Taliban. He spoke to the World days before Afghans lostthe fight, 16 August 2021, url

191 Khaama Press, Marshal Dostum, Atta Muhammad Noor cross border into Uzbekistan, 15 August 2021, url

192 The World, Former warlord Ismail Khan led a militia against the Taliban. He spoke to the World days before Afghans lostthe fight, 16 August 2021, url

193 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 22; UN Security Council, Twelfth

report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2557 (2020) concerning
the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to the peace stability and security ofAfghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 61
194 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 62
195 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 21
196 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, pp. 2-3

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

tolerated or protected by the Taliban’. 197 USDOD cited reports from security officials that foreign
nationals were among the 600 individuals killed in clashes with the Afghan forces during the first twomonths of 2021. 198 The number of foreign terrorist fighters is estimated to be between 8 000 and
10 000, mainly from Central Asia, the north Caucasus region of the Russian Federation, Pakistan and
the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of China. The Monitoring Team reported that most are
affiliated with the Taliban, many support AQ and others are allied or sympathise with IS. 199 This is
despite the Taliban order to its fighters, issued in February 2021 following the Doha agreement with
the US, not to include foreign militants in their ranks and pledge to dismiss and disband those members
and cells that refuse to follow the order. 200 The publication of the Taliban order on social media
reportedly led to the perception that the instruction was produced ‘for external consumption’ to givethe impression that the Taliban was complying with the Doha agreement. 201
Sources reported in mid-2021 that ‘the Taliban and AQ remain closely aligned and show no indicationof breaking ties’, despite expectations created by the Doha agreement. 202
The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team reported that AQ was resident in at least 15
Afghan provinces, primarily in remote locations in the east, southern and south-eastern regions, where
its members have been relocated to more remote areas by the Taliban to avoid potential exposureand targeting. 203 AQ, including AQ in the Indian Subcontinent, reportedly ‘numbers in the range ofseveral dozen to 500 persons’, with most of its core’s members coming from North Africa and the
Middle East. AQ in the Indian Subcontinent, reportedly operating ‘under the Taliban umbrella’ from
Kandahar, Helmand and Nimruz Provinces, consists mainly of Afghan and Pakistani nationals, but also
individuals from Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. Sources reported to the Monitoring Team that thegroup is an essential part of the insurgency, difficult to separate it from the Taliban. AQ’s own weekly
newsletter reported on AQ operations inside Afghanistan, listing attacks since 2020 in 18 provinces. 204
AQ’s strategy ‘in the near term’ is reportedly to maintain a safe haven for its leadership in Afghanistan,and the Monitoring Team reported that a significant part of the leadership is based in the border regionof Afghanistan and Pakistan where it is ‘joined by and works closely with AQ in the Indian
Subcontinent’. 205 Assessments that AQ’s longer term strategy is ‘strategic patience’ before regrouping
to plan attacks against international targets were reported to be ‘untested against stated Taliban

197 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 72
198 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 15
199 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 72
200 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 15
201 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 75
202 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, paras. 40-42; USDOD, Lead Inspector General for
Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 15
203 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42
204 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, paras. 47
205 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, paras. 42-47

26

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situationcommitments in the Doha agreement to prohibit such activities.’ 206 According to the Analytical Support
and Sanctions Monitoring Team, the following terrorist groups have a presence in Afghanistan:
•

•

•

•

Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), located in the eastern districts of Nangarhar Province near theborder with Pakistan, with 2 500 to 6 000 armed fighters; a reunification with an anti-Pakistan
agenda, supported the Taliban militarily against Afghan Forces ‘despite growing distrust’;
Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) or Turkistan Islamic Party, located in Badakhshan andneighbouring provinces with hundreds of members; reportedly maintains relationships with AQ,
ISKP, Jamaat Ansarullah and Jama’at al-Tawhid Wa’al-Jihad; seeks to establish a Uighur state in
Xinjiang, China, but remains active in Afghanistan;
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), located in Faryab, Sar-e Pol and Jowzjan provinces, up to
700 people including family members of fighters, assessed to be dependent upon local Taliban formoney and weapons and ‘closely aligned with Taliban command and control’;
Other groups with Central Asian backgrounds including Khatiba Imam al-Bukhari (KIB) withapproximately 25 to 150 fighters, mostly in Badghis Province, and Islamic Jihad Group withapproximately 100 fighters in the northern provinces of Faryab and Kunduz, under Taliban shelterand control; both groups are reportedly forbidden from launching independent operations. 207

On 6 August 2021, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the UN reported to the Security Council that over
10 000 foreign fighters were located in Afghanistan, representing 20 groups including AQ and IS, anddescribed ‘mounting evidence’ that the ETIM and the IMU, ‘which have pledged allegiance to ISIL’,
fought alongside the Taliban in Faryab, Jowzjan, Takhar and Badakhshan provinces. The Ambassador
claimed that the link between the Taliban and these groups were stronger than ever in recent times’. 208

1.4 Recent security trends and armed confrontations
1.4.1 General
The Taliban initiated its final offensive on 1 May 2021 before taking overall control in Afghanistan. 209
Below the advances of the Taliban in the following months are outlined. However, it should be notedthat the exact control of different districts at certain times is hard to determine, not least due todifferent measures and what being ‘in control’ really means. For instance, in some districts the Talibancaused Afghan forces to surrender but did not establish a shadow government or leave fighters tomaintain control over the area. 210
On 22 June 2021, UNAMA noted that more than 50 districts had fallen to the Taliban since thebeginning of May 2021, most of them surrounding provincial capitals which suggested that the Taliban
were positioning themselves to advance towards these capitals once foreign forces withdrew. 211 AAN
also referred to such speculations in mid-July noting that the Taliban focused on taking control of
district centres and not the provincial capitals. 212

206 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 44
207 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, paras. 77-83
208 UN Security Council, Afghanistan at ‘dangerous turning point’, UN envoy warns Security Council, 6 August 2021, url
209 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Control in Afghanistan, Mapping Taliban Control in Afghanistan, 2021, url
210 Vox, How are the Taliban gaining so fast in Afghanistan? 11 August 2021, url
211 UNAMA, SRSG Briefing to the United Nations Security Council, 22 June 2021, url, p. 1-2
212 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

In the first week of July 2021, the Taliban continued to make territorial gains, including 40 districts in
10 provinces, and the strategic Islam Qala and Torghondai crossings in western Herat province, along
the borders with Iran and Turkmenistan, resulting in the suspension of land trade with Iran. 213 On 2
July 2021 AAN claimed that the Taliban had captured 127 district centres, about 25% of the total, in
addition to those they already controlled.214 The Taliban had also captured more than 60 districts innine northern provinces. AAN interpreted the concentration of operations to the northern parts of
Afghanistan as an attempt to prevent emerging resistance, although a former senior official indicatedthat this was undermined by the heavy fighting in 26 of the 34 provinces. 215
On 4 July 2021 the Taliban reportedly controlled around a third of all districts and district centres 216
and over half by 9 July 2021. 217
Between 10 and 16 July, the Taliban captured another 15 districts across nine provinces according to
ACLED, while Afghan forces, supported by pro-government militias, regained control over four districtsin three provinces.218 During this period the Taliban reportedly sought to capture strategic districts
surrounding cities and intensified their attacks on at least 10 cities across the country. With the captureof major border crossings, they gained a key source of revenue through tax collection. 219 AAN
explained that after the ‘unexpected and highly successful sweep of rural districts in many parts of
Afghanistan’, the Taliban started to attack major cities such as Kandahar, Herat, Ghazni and
Lashkargah. However, the resistance they encountered might have been a reason to the Talibanchanging size of targets and focusing on smaller relatively undefended provincial capitals. 220
By 15 and 16 July 2021, LWJ respectively AAN estimated that the Taliban were in control of 54 percent
of Afghan districts. 221 Months earlier the Taliban only controlled 20 percent. 222 AAN reported that the
Taliban had captured and held 223 197 district centres since 1 May 2021, equating to 229 district centres
held when adding those they already occupied. Only four provinces were reported to have district
centres fully in government hands: Kabul, Panjshir, Kunar and Daikundi. 224
During the Islamic holiday, Eid Al Adha, on 20 July 2021, the Taliban and Afghan forces observed an
undeclared ceasefire, resulting in fewer ‘events’ according to ACLED, although the Taliban captured
seven districts across six provinces and Afghan forces regained control of six districts in five provinces
during the week 17-23 July 2021. US forces carried out airstrikes against the Taliban in Kandahar
province and stated their intent to continue to do so even after their full withdrawal at the end of
August 2021; the Taliban claimed this to be in violation of the Doha agreement and warned of‘consequences’. 225 Clashes took place in 30 provinces during the week 24-30 July 2021, as reported by
ACLED, with the Taliban continuing attacks on Herat, Kandahar, and Lashkargah cities, and the US andAfghan forces continuing to target the Taliban with airstrikes. 226 During the last week of July 2021 theTaliban captured Herat, Karrukh and Guzera districts, facilitating the following attack on Herat city. 227
213 ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan, 3-9 July 2021, 14 July 2021, url
214 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 56

215 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
216 Al Jazeera, Taliban seizes key districts in Afghanistan as gov’t forces flee, 4 July 2021, url

217 RFE/RL, Fighting The Taliban Was 'Suicide': Hundreds Of Afghan Soldiers Escape To Tajikistan, 9 July 2021, url
218 ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan, 10-16 July 2021, 21 July 2021, url
219 ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan, 10-16 July 2021, 21 July 2021, url
220 AAN, The Fall of Nimruz: A symbolic or economic game-changer? 9 August 2021, url

221 LWJ, Half of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals under threat from Taliban, 15 July 2021, url; AAN, Menace, Negotiation,

Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
222 LWJ, Half of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals under threat from Taliban, 15 July 2021, url
223 It defines Taliban ‘control’ as control of the district centre, even if there are still ANSF present outside, see AAN, Menace,
Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
224 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
225 ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan, 17-23 July 2021, 28 July 2021, url
226 ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan 24-30 July 2021, 5 August 2021, url
227 ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan 24-30 July 2021, 5 August 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

At the end of July 2021 a month-long night curfew was imposed across the country ‘in a bid to stop
the Taliban from invading cities’. 228
On 30 July, SIGAR reported that Afghan forces had conducted a ‘tactical (fighting) retreat’ in some
districts and in others they had surrendered or fled ‘in disorder’. According to news reports cited by
the same source, around 1 600 personnel from Afghan forces fled to Tajikistan to avoid Taliban
advances in Badakhshan Province. 229 A ‘tactical retreat’ was arguably in accordance with longstanding
Afghan government strategy, urged by the US military, to focus on defensible areas, cede rural areasand protect urban centres and major provinces.230 Further, according to AAN, following the Dohaagreement the Afghan security forces had been forced to adopt an ‘active-defence’ stance in relation
to the Taliban. ‘The ANSF was forced to wait passively for the Taliban to attack them and could only
watch as the Taliban consolidated territory and spoke of the coming victory’. Along with thewithdrawal of US air support, this strategy reportedly both undermined the morale of the ANSF andfurther encouraged the Taliban, as they were ‘given virtually free reign’. 231
By 5 August 2021 UNOCHA reported that conflict between Afghan state forces and the Taliban had‘escalated sharply’, particularly in the provincial capitals of Kandahar City, Kandahar province andLashkargah, Hilmand province. UNOCHA assessed that the security situation in the north-east
remained ‘tense and unpredictable’ as intense conflict continued in Kunduz, Baghlan and Takhar
provinces, resulting in the displacement and migration of hundreds of families to Kabul andneighbouring countries, Iran and Pakistan. The west saw a deterioration in the security situation, witharmed clashes in several districts and in Herat city, causing significant risk for civilians and many to flee
across the region. In the centre the security situation ‘remained unstable and unpredictable’ withsecurity incidents affecting civilians reported in Kabul, Logar, Maidan Wardak, Parwan, Kapisa, Khost,Ghazni, Paktya Paktika and Daykundi provinces. The north was described as remaining ‘unstable andunpredictable’ with sporadic attacks reported around the provincial capitals of Mazar-e Sharif,
Maymana, Shiberghan and Sar-e-Pul. 232
In a briefing to the Security Council on 6 August 2021, the Secretary General’s Special Representative
stated that in previous weeks the war in Afghanistan had ‘entered a new, deadlier, and more
destructive phase’. She said that having captured rural areas during June and July 2021 and achieved‘significant territorial gains’, the Taliban had begun to attack the larger cities, with Kandahar, Herat,and Lashkar Gah under particular pressure. According to the Special Representative, ‘The human tollof this strategy is extremely distressing—and the political message is even more deeply disturbing.’
She stated that it appeared to be a ‘strategic decision’ of the Taliban to attacks urban areas, knowingthat this would ‘inflict enormous harm and cause massive civilian casualties’. 233
UNOCHA’s weekly humanitarian update for 2-8 August 2021 reported on the escalation of fighting
around provincial capitals. In the South, intense fighting was focused on the cities Nimroz, Hilmand
and Kandahar, with increasing civilian casualties. 234 Zaranj was the first provincial capital to fall on 6
August 2021. 235 According to UNOCHA the city fell under the control of the Taliban without resistancefrom Afghan Security Forces, following mediation by ‘local elders’. The North-East also saw anescalation of fighting, culminating in Kunduz city and Taloqan city coming under the control of Taliban
forces, and the displacement of a ‘large influx of people’ towards Kabul. In the East the security
228 BBC, Afghanistan curfew imposed as Taliban militants advance, 25 July 2021, url
229 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 51

230 New York Times (The), How the Taliban conquered Afghanistan, 18 August 2021, url

231 AAN, The Taliban’s rise to power: As the US prepared for peace, the Taliban prepared for war, 21 August 2021, url
232 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (26 July – 1 August), 5 August 2021, url, p. 2

233 UNAMA, Briefing to the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Afghanistan, 6 August 2021, url
234 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (1-8 August), 13 August, url
235 New York Times (The), Taliban Seize Afghan Provincial Capital Just Weeks Before Final U.S. Withdrawal, 6 August 2021,
url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

situation was described as ‘volatile’ and fighting continued for control of key areas, and tens of
thousands of people fled due to the escalation of fighting in Kunar province. Ongoing clashes in theWest reportedly impacted civilians and humanitarian organisations, while security in the Centre‘remained unstable and unpredictable with elevated conflict and violence in Kabul, Logar, Maidan
Wardak, Parwan, Kapisa, Khost, Ghazni, Paktya and Paktika provinces’. In the north UNOCHA describedsecurity situation as having remained ‘volatile’. 236
On 10 August, Al Jazeera reported that the Taliban had captured nine provincial capitals the last days,
including Sar-e Pol, Sheberghan, Aybak, Pul-e Khumri, Farah, Zaranj and Faizabad. 237 By 12 August
2021, this had become 15 provincial capitals, with the addition of Ghazni, Herat, Kandahar, LashkarGah, Feruz Koh and Qala-i Naw. 238 The fall of Herat in Western Afghanistan was reported to be ‘adevastating blow to the government in Kabul’, which by then only controlled ‘a scattered constellationof contested cities and around only one-third of the countryside’. 239
On 13 August, representatives and envoys of international and regional countries and members of the
Expanded Troika meeting for the August 2021 round of talks in Doha raised ‘grave concerns’ about
reports from across Afghanistan of ‘continued violence, large numbers of civilian casualties and extrajudicial killings, widespread and credible allegations of human rights violations’, ‘attacks (ground andair) against provincial capitals and cities, and the destruction of physical infrastructure that perpetuate
conflict and make reconciliation efforts more difficult’. 240
On 14 August 2021, Mazar-e Sharif fell, and as Jalalabad fell the following day, Kabul was left as the
only major city still under government control. 241 On 15 August, the Taliban entered and overtook
control of Kabul. 242 As of 16 August 2021, LWJ considered 305 districts of Afghanistan to be under
Taliban control, 94 to be contested and 8 to be under control of resistance forces. 243 As of 31 August
2021, LWJ considered 388 districts to be under Taliban control, 10 under the control of resistanceforces, and 9 contested. 244
According to analysis from AAN the subsequent ‘mass dissolution of the Afghan security forces andsurrender of provincial and military leadership’ was at least in part due to a ‘sustained outreachcampaign’ by the Taliban, involving deals made in advance at the local level and ‘probably also at avery high level’, with officials knowing ‘who to call’ at the point when they decided to surrender
control. 245 A strategy of ‘coercion and persuasion’ was reportedly adopted and repeated across thecountry, as the Taliban ‘cut multiple surrender deals that handed them bases and ultimately entire
provincial command centers’. 246
As of late August 2021, the general security situation remained volatile and unstable in Afghanistan. 247
However, there were few reports on armed clashes since the Taliban’s final advance and over-takingof Kabul in mid-August 2021. 248 In Panjshir a resistance force has emerged, going under the nameNational Resistance Front (NRF). 249 NRF consists of militia fighters and former government soldiers

236 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (1-8 August), 13 August, url

237 Al Jazeera, Infographic: Taliban captures nine Afghan provincial capitals, 10 August 2021, url

238 Al Jazeera, Infographic: Taliban captures nine Afghan provincial capitals, 12 August 2021, url

239 RFE/RL, Radio Azadi, Taliban Captures Herat, Two Other Cities As Afghan Forces Collapse, 13 August 2021, url
240 Tolonews, Doha Meeting Agrees on Need to Accelerate Afghan Peace Process, 13 August 2021, url
241 VOA, Taliban’s Afghanistan Takeover – a Timeline, 17 August 2021, url
242 Al Jazeera, Kabul the day after the takeover, 16 August 2021, url

243 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 30 August 2021), url
244 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

245 AAN, Afghanistan Has a New Government: The country wonders what the new normal will look like, 17 August 2021, url
246 New York Times (The), Collapse and Conquest: The Taliban Strategy That Seized Afghanistan, 18 August 2021, url
247 Reuters, U.S. on alert for further Kabul attacks in race to complete evacuations, 28 August 2021, url

248 Pajhwok, Afghanistan witnesses major developments last week, 21 August 2021, url; Liveuamap, News Live Afghanistan,information retrieved 27 August 2021, url
249 Al Jazeera, Anti-Taliban fighters din in to defend Panjshir Valley, 24 August 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

loyal to the previous administration and opposed to the Taliban rule. The force is led by Ahmad
Massoud, son of the late Tajik commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. 250 Another prominent leader of theresistance movement is former vice president Amrullah Saleh who proclaimed himself acting presidentof Afghanistan on 17 August 2021. 251 The group has initially kept Panjshir from Taliban control, andhave taken control of four districts in neighbouring provinces. 252 However, by 23 August, the Taliban
had claimed that they had retaken control of three of the districts in Baghlan province. 253 In the lastdays of August, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered one district of Baghlan to be under
the NRF’s control, and three districts, Andarab, Khinjan and Puli Hisar, were considered to becontested. All districts of Panjsher were considered to be under NRF’s control. 254 Although NRF kept
control of Panjsher Valley and reportedly struck back Taliban attacks, the holdout was reportedly
encircled255 and according to Reuters there was a significant force of Taliban fighters in the area. 256
During the last days before 31 August US sources claimed to have repelled several terrorist attacks
against Kabul’s international airport. According to AP, American officials have said that a US drone
strike repelled an attack against the airport on 29 August 2021 by neutralising a vehicle with suicide
bombers. Moreover, in the morning of 30 August 2021, rockets hit a neighbourhood close to the
airport. 257 CCN reported that a local source claimed that the latter incident was caused by five rockets
being neutralised by an air defense system at the airport. 258

1.4.2 Number of security incidents
A report of the UN Secretary General to the Security Council noted the ongoing deterioration of the
security situation in Afghanistan between 12 February and 15 May 2021, with the southern, eastern,
and northern regions recording the highest number of incidents (63.6% of the total) and Helmand,
Kandahar and Nangarhar the most conflict-affected provinces. A total of 6 827 security related
incidents were recorded, an increase of 26.3% compared with the same period in 2020. 259
According to UNAMA the use of non-suicide IEDs in targeted attacks in the first half of 2021 increased
fourfold compared with the same period in 2020 (737 casualties, 178 killed and 559 injured). AntiGovernment Elements targeted civilians, including human rights defenders, media workers, religious
elders, civilian government workers, and humanitarian workers, and members of the Hazara ethnicity
and Shi’a Muslim religious minority in sectarian attacks. 260 USDOD reported at least 40 incidents
targeting, and in most cases killing, ‘prominent Afghan civilians’ in the first quarter of 2021, including
civilian government officials, educators, religious scholars, tribal leaders, medical workers, journalists,
and activists. Most were killed in hit-and-run shooting incidents or by magnetic explosives (‘sticky
bombs’) attached to the target’s vehicle. The Taliban denied involvement in these attacks, though the

250 Al Jazeera, Explainer: Panjshir – Afghanistan’s valley of resistance, 23 August 2021, url

251 News 18, Afghan Vice President Saleh Declares Himself Caretaker President; Reaches Out To Leaders for Support, 17

August 2021, url

252 LWJ, Anti-Taliban resistance makes modest gains outside Panjshir, 20 August 2021, url; Tolonews, Local Forces Retake 3Districts from Taliban in Baghlan, 21 August 2021, url
253 India Today, Taliban claim to have recaptured 3 districts seized by resistance forces in Baghlan, 23 August 2021, url
254 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url
255 FP, Ahmad Massoud: ’Peace Does Not Mean to Surrender’, 30 August 2021, url
256 Reuters, At least seven Taliban reported killed in Panjshir fighting, 31 August 2021, url
257 AP, Rockets fired at Kabul airport but US flights continue, 30 August 2021, url
258 CNN, As many as 5 rockets were fired on Kabul airport, says US official, url

259 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international

peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 17

260 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 5

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Afghan government held them responsible. 261 Targeted attacks on humanitarian workers included deminers working for the Halo Trust on 8 June in north-eastern Baghlan Province, when at least 11 people
were killed and 15 others wounded262 and polio vaccination workers on 15 June. 263 USDOD reported
that the campaign of targeted killings had contributed to ‘an increased feeling of general insecurity
among the population’, especially in Kabul. 264 UNAMA reported a resurgence of ‘deliberate sectarian
motivated attacks against the Shi’a Muslim religious minority’, mostly the Hazara ethnic minority.
Nearly all the 20 incidents during this period were claimed by ISKP and included shootings and nonsuicide IED attacks, some involving buses and other vehicles transporting members of the Hazara
community, resulting in 500 civilian casualties (143 killed and 357 injured). 265
The main cause of civilian casualties was reportedly ground engagements, then non-suicide improvised
explosive devices (IEDs), targeted killings and airstrikes. According to SIGAR, as of 31 May 2021, thetotal known area of the country contaminated by ‘explosive remnants of war’, including landmines
and improvised explosive devices, was 809.4 square kilometres (312.5 square miles) in 4 152 ‘hazard
areas’. 266
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 5 781 security incidents
recorded in Afghanistan, of whom 3 985 were coded as battles, 1408 remote violence and 388
incidents of violence against civilians.

Figure 1. Afghanistan - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against civilians
from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 267

In its War Casualty Report 268, The New York Times recorded that May 2021 saw the highest death tollin a single month since July 2019 with at least 405 pro-government forces and 260 civilians killed. 269 In
June 2021 at least 703 Afghan security forces and 208 civilians were killed, the highest count among
security forces since The New York Times began tracking casualties in September 2018. 270 According
to the same source, at least 335 Afghan security forces and 189 civilians were killed in Afghanistan in

261 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 17

262 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p.6

263 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 6
264 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 19

265 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 5
266 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 80

267 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

268 In its Afghan War Casualty Report New York Times (The) compiles ‘significant security incidents’, as confirmed by theirreporters which it defines as ‘necessarily incomplete’ owing to the refusal of many local officials to confirm casualty
information. The reports include government reported insurgent casualty figures (which in most cases cannot be verified by
the New York Times (The), but not Taliban claims of attacks on the government unless they can be verified and note thatboth sides tend to inflate the numbers of casualties, they inflict on each other).
269 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, url
270 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

the month of July, 271 and in the first five days of August, at least 115 Afghan security forces and 58
civilians were reported to have been killed. 272
At the time of finalisation of this report no ACLED data was available for the month of August 2021.

1.4.3 Trends in the nature of the violence and methods
Sources suggested that the continued assassination of government employees, security officials, andjournalists by the Taliban during the first quarter of 2021 was intended to weaken the morale of the
Afghan forces and undermine public trust in the government. 273 AAN described a ‘winter targetedkilling campaign’ aimed at ANSF members, journalists and also members of the judiciary, women’s
rights activists and other members of civil society noting that Taliban were ‘pre-emptively targeting
independently-minded ‘public intellectuals’ in the hope of eventually capturing the capital’. 274
In the first six months of 2021, UNAMA documented a nearly threefold increase in civilian casualties
from the use of IEDs by Anti-Government Elements, representing the highest number of civilian
casualties from these devices in the first half of a year since systematic documentation began in
2009.275 These devices, including non-suicide vehicle born IEDs and pressure-plate IEDs, were theleading cause of civilian casualties in the first half of 2021. Pressure plate IEDs, mostly used by the
Taliban, are victim activated devices triggered by a person stepping on them or a vehicle driving overthem, affecting civilians indiscriminately. In the reporting period they were mostly placed in publicareas frequented by civilians, such as roads leading into areas controlled by Anti-Government
Elements, and in and around civilian homes in areas from which they had departed. Non-suicide
vehicle-borne IEDs caused a more than tenfold increase in civilian casualties during the first 6 monthsof 2021, most from two attacks - on the Sayed ul-Shuhada School in Kabul, and on a guesthouse during
an Iftar meal in Logar Province on 30 April, killing 4 and injuring 118 other civilians. 276 In the first six
months of 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recorded 30 incidents involving attacks onhealth care in Afghanistan, affecting eight provinces and 18 districts, of which 22 occurred between
March and end June 2021. This marked an increase compared to the same six month period in 2020,
when 19 incidents occurred. 277
There was also a significant increase in the first half of 2021 in civilian casualties from groundengagements (41 %), causing 33 per cent of all civilian casualties and nearly all attributed to the Talibanand ANSF. Most casualties were caused by indirect weapons used in populated areas, mainly mortars
and artillery, disproportionately affecting women and children who were impacted by munitions while
sheltering in their homes. UNAMA documented hundreds of incidents during the first 6 months of2021 in which the civilian casualties from mortars could not be attributed to Anti or Pro-Government
Elements since they were both firing in the same area. UNAMA has infographics depicting civilian
casualties by incident type and party to the conflict for the first six months of 2021. 278
Targeted killings continued to be the third leading cause of civilian casualties documented by UNAMA,
resulting in 741 casualties (403 killed, 338 injured) in the first six months of 2021; 457 of these were
attributed to Anti-Government Elements. Airstrikes by Pro-Government Forces caused increased
271 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, url

272 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

273 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 12; UN Security Council, Twelfth

report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2557 (2020) concerning
the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to the peace stability and security ofAfghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, p. 3
274 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
275 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, pp. 1-2
276 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 1,2,3-7
277 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-June 2021), 12 July 2021, url
278 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 8

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

numbers of civilian casualties (33% rise compared with the first six months of 2020), mainly attributed
to the Afghan Air Force, since international military forces conducted far fewer airstrikes, in a context
of increased fighting between ANSF and the Taliban. There was a continued reduction in the incidencein civilian casualties due to suicide attacks in the first six months of 2012 – 92 casualties compared with
154 in the same period of 2020. 279
In June 2021, the UN Secretary General reported 22 suicide attacks between 12 February and 15 May
compared with 8 during the same period in 2020, 17 involving suicide vehicle-borne improvised
explosive devices primarily targeting ANDSF positions in contested areas, in particular in the south. 280
UNAMA records show that Anti-Government Elements were responsible for nearly 64% of total civilian
casualties and Pro-Government forces were responsible for 25% of casualties, an increase of 63% and
30% respectively, compared with the same period in 2020. 281
On 15 July 2021, Tolonews reported that the Taliban either torched or destroyed 260 governmentbuildings and assets in 116 districts and that 13 million Afghans were deprived of social services. 282 Ina briefing to the Security Council on 6 August 2021, the Secretary General’s Special Representative on
13 August 2021 stated that ‘roads, bridges, schools, clinics and other critical infrastructure are being
destroyed’. 283

1.4.4 Impact of the violence on the civilian population
Civilian casualties have remained on high levels the past years, but the first half of 2021 saw record
levels of civilians deaths and injuries. 284 Since the clashes between the Taliban and the Afghan forces
have ended, civilian casualties have dropped significantly. 285 On 15 August 2021, Pajhwok News
reported that civilian causalities had dropped by 49% compared to the previous week.286 On 21 August
2021, Pajhwok News reported that civilian casualties had dropped eight times compared to theprevious week, from 361 to 47 recorded deaths or injuries. The latter number also include deaths andinjuries caused during rallies and stampedes at Kabul’s international airport. 287 However, thisdownward facing trend was interrupted by the terrorist attack at Kabul’s international airport on 26
August 2021, which has reportedly caused over 170 civilian deaths. 288
UNAMA documented 5 183 civilian casualties (1 659 killed and 3 524 injured) between 1 January and
30 June 2021, an increase of 47 per cent compared with the first six months of 2020, and comparablewith figures in 2014 and 2018. A record number of girls and women were killed and injured during thisperiod, and overall child casualties also reached record levels. Women comprised 14% of all civilian
casualties, an increase of 82% compared with the same period in 2020. Child casualties represented
32% of all civilian casualties between January and June 2021 (1 682, 468 killed and 1 214 injured),including through ground engagement, airstrikes, ‘explosive remnants of war’ and targeted killings. 289
Casualty numbers reported by UNAMA increased in April 2021 as international military forces
withdrew, and as districts and administrative centres were captured by the Taliban. UNAMA recorded
279 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 3-4, 8-9
280 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 18

281 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 4
282 Tolonews, Taliban Destroyed, Damaged Infrastructure in 116 district s: IARCS, 15 July 2021, url
283 UNAMA, Secretary-General’s Press Encounter on Afghanistan, 13 August 2021, url

284 UNAMA, Civilian Casualties set to Hit Unprecedented Highs in 2021 Unless Urgent Action to Stem Violence – UN Report,

26 July 2021, url

285 Pajhwok News, Afghanistan witnesses major developments last week, 21 August 2021, url
286 Pajhwok News, Civilian causalities down 49pc last week, 15 August 2021, url

287 Pajhwok News, Afghanistan witnesses major developments last week, 21 August 2021, url
288 CNN, The latest on the Kabul airport attack, 30 August 2021, url

289 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 80

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2 392 civilian casualties between 1 May and 30 June 2021, nearly as many as casualties in the four
preceding months, and the highest on record for those months since records began in 2009. Most
casualties were attributed to non-suicide IEDs used by Anti-government Elements, and to groundengagements. Control of many districts and administrative centres changed hands during this period,
resulting in significant fighting in civilian populated areas and destruction of civilian property andincreasing incidence of ‘killing, ill-treatment, persecution and discrimination in communities affectedby the fighting’. Conflict and the resulting displacement of civilians during this period occurred in thecontext of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and a government declared drought. UNAMA
documented a continuation of attacks on health and education facilities and workers during the firsthalf of 2021, including direct attacks and fighting causing damage to, schools, hospitals, and theirpersonnel. 290 This included attacks by Anti-Government Elements on the polio vaccination campaign
in Jalalabad in March and June 2021. The International NGO Safety Office recorded 74 safety andsecurity incidents affecting NGOs between March and July 2021, with 16 killed, 32 injured and 18
abducted. 291
UNAMA further reported on ‘concerning developments’ during May and June 2021, including‘intentional destruction of civilian property and infrastructure, and attacks that appeared tointentionally target objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population’. The majority ofthese incidents, were attributed to the Taliban after they took control of a new area. Also reported by
UNAMA was the imposition of restrictions on individual’s rights in respect of personal and social
freedoms in areas newly captured by the Taliban, causing communities to fear for women, some ethnic
and religious minorities, as well as human rights defenders and those who speak out against the
Taliban. 292
In a briefing to the Security Council on 6 August 2021, the Secretary General’s Special Representative
said that in the previous month there had been over 1 000 civilian casualties, as well as ongoing‘destruction of homes, hospitals, shops, bridges and other infrastructure’. She reported that fighting
had been particularly severe in Laskhar Gah, where in the 10 days since 28 July 2021 at least 104
civilians were killed and 403 wounded, mostly by ground engagements and airstrikes. In Kandahar,
between 9 July and 6 August 2021 there had been more than 460 civilian casualties, and to the west
in and around Herat, she cited ‘credible reports’ of over 135 civilian casualties from the onset of the
Taliban offensive. 293 In a further briefing on 13 August 2021 she stated that in the previous monthalone, more than 1 000 people had been ‘killed or injured from indiscriminate attacks against civilians,
notably in Helmand, Kandahar and Herat provinces’. 294

1.4.5 Conflict-induced displacement
According to IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix Baseline Mobility Assessment, as of the end of 2020
there were 4 937 277 internally displaced persons (IDPs) [displaced between 2012 and 2020] in hostcommunities. 295 By comparison, the IDMC recorded 3 547 000 persons displaced as a result of conflictin Afghanistan in 2020. 296 UNOCHA recorded 546 000 people newly displaced in Afghanistan in 2021
as of 22 August 2021 due to fighting. 297

290 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 1, 2, 5, 10, 11

291 INSO, Key Data Dashboard, Total NGO Incident Data (March 2021- June 2021): Afghanistan, accessed 6 August 2021, url
292 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 11-12

293 UNAMA, Briefing to the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for

Afghanistan, 6 August 2021, url

294 UNAMA, Secretary-General’s Press Encounter on Afghanistan, 13 August 2021, url

295 IOM DTM Afghanistan, Baseline Mobility Assessment: Summary Results, Round 11 Jul-Dec 2020, 2 May 2021, url, p. 1
296 IDMC, Global Internal Displacement Dataset, 20 May 2021, url

297 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Snapshot of Population Movements (January – July 2021), 22 August 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

UNAMA described in its mid-year 2021 report that ‘Indiscriminate shelling during groundengagements, the use of IEDs including victim activated pressure-plate IEDs, and airstrikes, all of which
took place in populated areas, contributed not only to a high number of civilian casualties, but also to
an increased fear among the population of the battle coming to their doorstep. Families were displaced
from their homes due to the conflict, whether forcibly due to fighting nearby, or following pre-emptive
decisions to relocate in anticipation of the situation growing worse’. 298
According to UNOCHA, 484 867 individuals were displaced by conflict between 1 March and 9 August2021. 69% of these individuals (or 336 130) were displaced from 1 June 2021 onwards. During thisperiod, people who were displaced originated from 32 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, with only Paktika
and Panjsher provinces spared. 299
In mid-July 2021, noting that an estimated 270 000 Afghans had been internally displaced since 2021
due to insecurity and violence, UNHCR warned of a ‘looming humanitarian crisis’. 300 On 6 August 2021,
IOM estimated that over 300 000 Afghans had been internally displaced by the recent intensificationof the conflict with IDPs facing ‘continued deterioration’ in the country. 301 By the 8 August 2021
UNOCHA reported this figure had increased to 389 645 people displaced by conflict in Afghanistan. 302
UNHCR reported on 13 August 2021 that around 80% of the displaced were women and children. 303

2. Regional description of the security situation in
Afghanistan
As mentioned in the Reference Period section, this chapter covers the security situation on provincial
level between 1 March to 13 August 2021, except for the following topics that include information
until 31 August: territorial control, attacks, healthcare, airport, and displacement data. Furthermore, it
should be noted that the illustrative incidents outlined by province in general do not include events
after 5 August due to the limited availability of information within the consulted sources and time
constraints.

2.1 Kabul City
For a detailed description of Kabul city and security trends observed between 1 April 2020 to 15 May
2021 see: CGRS-CEDOCA – Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons(Belgium), COI unit: Afghanistan: Security Situation in Kabul City, 15 June 2021.
As of 16 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered Kabul to be under Taliban control. 304
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 97 security incidents recorded
in Kabul City, of whom 41 were coded as battles, 31 remote violence and 25 incidents of violenceagainst civilians.

298 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 10
299 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
300 UNHCR, UNHCR warns of imminent humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, 13 July 2021, url
301 IOM, Displaced Afghans face ‘continued deterioration’ in country, 6 August 2021, url

302 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (2 - 8 August), 13 August 2021, url

303 UNHCR, UNHCR warns Afghanistan’s conflict taking the heaviest toll on displaced women and children, 13 August 2021,

url

304 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 2. Kabul district - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against civilians
from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 305

In mid-May 2021, the Taliban captured Nerkh, located less than an hour’s drive west of Kabul city, alocation from where the Taliban has previously used the province as a ‘gateway’ to the capital and tolaunch suicide bombings and hit-and-run attacks from. 306 Non-state armed groups remained capableof carrying out attacks in the city even before the takeover of the city by the Taliban. Whilst suicide
attacks were described as ‘relatively rare’ in the 18 months prior to May 2021, the Taliban reportedly
carried out a wave of unclaimed targeted attacks over winter in Kabul city, including against membersof the ANSF, government employees, judges, lawyers journalists and human rights defenders, although
the numbers fell ahead of the announcement of the US troop withdrawal.307 The USDOD reported thatthe campaign of targeted killings had contributed to ‘an increased feeling of general insecurity among
the population’, especially in Kabul, where fear is described as ‘omnipresent’ and the sense ofimpending danger ‘a state of being’. 308 Targeted assassinations continued to be documented
throughout March to August 2021 in Kabul. 309 Regarding the modus operandi of the Taliban,
explosions and the use of magnetic or ‘sticky bombs’ on cars in Kabul city continued to be reported,with the UN documenting 10 magnetic improvised explosive devices in Kabul between mid-March andmid-June 2021. 310 Sticky bombs are reportedly simple and cheap to make (around $25), consisting of
explosives in a small box with a magnet and mobile attached which denotates remotely, and thus arealso easy to carry. 311 UNOCHA reported that during the second quarter of 2021, Kabul was the district
experiencing the highest number of casualties from IED incidents in Afghanistan, at 281. Kabul was
also one of the urban centres most affected by a spike in robberies and thefts reported by UNOCHA in
the first quarter of 2021, with 36 incidents which decreased to 20 incidents in the second quarter intotal. 312 One report described daytime muggings as ‘commonplace’ in Kabul city, with increasing
numbers of kidnappings for ransom. 313
On 3 March 2021, a religious scholar was shot dead in the 17th police district and on 8 March 2021 a
prosecutor was assassinated in the fifth police district. 314 On 18 March 2021, a bus transporting

305 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
306 Reuters, Taliban capture key district near Afghan capital, 11 May 2021, url

307 AAN, As US troops withdraw, what next for war and peace in Afghanistan? 1 May 2021, url
308 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 19

309 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
310 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 18; The Independent (via AAP), Sticky
bombs latest weapon in Afghanistan's arsenal of war, 26 March 2021, url
311 The Independent (via AP), Sticky bombs latest weapon in Afghanistan's arsenal of war, 26 March 2021, url
312 UNOCHA, HAG Quarterly Report (April to June 2021), 19 July 2021, url, p. 10, 14
313 War on the Rocks, Afghan Cities Become Key Battlegrounds, 9 April 2021, url
314 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url

37

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

government employees exploded in the 17th police district killing four and wounding nine others. 315
On 14 March 2021, two separate explosions in police district 3 and 6 reportedly killed three civilians
and wounded 11 others. 316 April 2021 saw the first suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive deviceof the year in Kabul city, targeted at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) in the 15th police district
which killed one civilian and one NDS member and wounded a further civilian and six security force
members. 317 No group claimed responsibility for the attack. 318 A university lecturer was killed byunknown gunmen on 24 April 2021. 319 The deadliest attack against civilians in Afghanistan in the firsthalf of 2021 was on 8 May 2021, with three non-suicide vehicle-borne IEDs detonated outside of Sayed
ul-Shuhada school, in a neighbourhood mainly inhabited by the Hazara community, in which at least
85 civilians were killed and at least 216 other civilians were injured, most of whom were school girls. 320
As of end of July 2021, no group had claimed responsibility and the results of a NDS investigation had
not been made public. 321 US officials believed that ISKP were the perpetrators.322 On 22 May 2021, aformer pro-government militia commander was shot dead by unknown gunmen in the fifth police
district. 323 On 2 June 2021, sticky bombs targeting a minibus near the residence of a presidential
adviser and another on a passenger vehicle killed 10 people. 324
On 12 June 2021, at least seven people were killed and six more wounded as two bombs exploded in
vehicles in a western Kabul neighbourhood largely populated by the Hazara minority, one of which
was in front of Muhammad Ali Jinnah hospital. 325 The Islamic State claimed responsibility. 326 On 18
June 2021, an army colonel was assassinated in the eighth police district and on 5 July 2021, a National
Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan was killed by unidentified gunmen in the fifth police district. On
13 July 2021, a bomb exploded in the first police district killing four civilians and wounding fiveothers. 327 On 20 July 2021, rockets landed near the presidential palace in Kabul city during Eid prayers,
but there were no immediate reports of injuries. 328 On 27 July 2021, the director of the Logar JusticeDirectorate was gunned in the third police district by unidentified assailants. 329
On 1 August 2021, the head of Paktia’s prison was shot dead in the 12th police district and on 3 August
2021, in the fifth police district, the governor of Wardak’s Sayedabad district was assassinated. 330 In
three days in early August 2021, seven people were killed in criminal incidents. 331 The Taliban claimed
responsibility for a 3 August 2021 attack on the acting Defence Minister’s house which killed eightpeople and wounded 20 others, demonstrating their ability to mount attacks in the city centre.332 Afterthe attack the Taliban reportedly vowed to continue targeted Afghani officials in Kabul. On 6 August

315 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url

316 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (8-14 March 2021), 16 March 2021, url

317 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 18; New York Times (The), Afghan War
Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
318 Reuters, Suicide Bomb Blast Hits Afghan Security Convoy In Kabul, 20 April 2021, url
319 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
320 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, pp. 5-6
321 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 6
322 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 58
323 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
324 Arab News, 10 killed in twin Kabul blasts, power supply disrupted across Afghanistan, 2 June 2021, url
325 Al Jazeera, Seven killed in twin van bomb blasts in Afghanistan’s Kabul, 12 June 2021, url
326 The New Arab, Afghan IS group claims sticky bomb attacks in western Kabul, 13 June 2021, url
327 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
328 Reuters, Rockets land near Afghan presidential palace, Taliban deny responsibility, 20 July 2021, url
329 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
330 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
331 Tolonews, 7 People Killed in Criminal Incidents in Kabul in 3 Days: Report, 4 August 2021, url
332 Al Jazeera, Powerful blasts and gunfire rock Afghanistan capital Kabul, 3 August 2021, url; The National, Afghanistan:
Taliban claim responsibility for attack on defence minister, 3 August 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty
Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url

38

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2021 the Taliban assassinated a senior media official. 333 On 7 August 2021, it was reported that an
Afghan pilot was killed in an explosion targeting his vehicle and another explosion targeting a vehicle
belonging to the Afghan Rail Authority injured three. 334
Kabul International Airport, known as Hamid Karzai Airport, is located 1km from the north east Kabul
City, one of four international airports in Afghanistan, serving international and domestic scheduled
passenger flights. 335 The airport has been under the joint responsibility of NATO and the Afghanistan
Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) since 2015 and was intended to be passed to the ACAA in 2021. 336 The
Turkish authorities offered to secure and run the airport after the departure of NATO, however the
Taliban effectively rejected the proposal. 337 SIGAR noted as of June 2021 eight airlines were operating
flights to and from Kabul. 338 In the two days prior to the takeover of Kabul on 15 August 2021, 21
international commercial flights left Kabul for Georgia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, UAE and
Uzbekistan between 14 and 15 August 2021. On 16 August 2021, the ACAA announced the cancellationof commercial flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport with the last commercial flight from
Kabul taking place that day before the Afghan airspace was closed. 339 The airspace reopened and in
total 272 flights departed between 14 and 23 August 2021, of which 110 had unknown destinations(often military aircraft). 340 As of 29 August 2021, numerous domestic and international flights
continued to be scheduled, including to India, Pakistan, Turkey and Dubai. 341 On 30 August 2021,
Reuters cited the US FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic
services and a functional civil aviation authority in Afghanistan’. 342 During the same period, the New
York Times reported that the reopening of the airport for commercial flights was ‘uncertain’. 343
In March 2021, UNOCHA reported that major highways from Kabul to Jalalabad, Logar and Ghazni
remained ‘insecure’. 344 In June 2021, it was reported that the four major highways were insecure:
Kabul-Kandahar, Kabul-North, Kabul-Gardiz, and Kabul-Jalalabad. 345 Due to the nation-wide Taliban
offensive starting in May 2021, Kabul was more and more isolated. 346 AAN noted that as of mid-July
2021, all of the three major roads connecting Bamyan city and the Hazarajat with Kabul passed throughTaliban-controlled areas. It further detailed that the Taliban had ‘also gained control of new sectionsof the ring road that circles Afghanistan from Mazar-e Sharif in the north to Herat in the west, Kandahar
in the south and Kabul in the centre’ and that Kabul was still linked to the east border with Pakistan
via the Nangarhar and the Torkham crossings, but that the road was ‘not without problems’.347 In
August 2021, Tolonews reported about the destruction of bridges along the Kabul-Jalalabad highway,
reportedly costing USD 200 000. 348

333 LWJ, Taliban assassinates senior Afghan media official, 6 August 2021, url
334 Tolonews, Afghan Pilot Killed in Kabul Blast, 7 August 2021, url

335 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 226; KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28

July 2021), url
336 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 April 2021, url, p. 133
337 Reuters, U.S. says diplomatic presence in Kabul requires 'functioning, secure airport', 11 June 2021, url; ANI, Turkey's offer
to secure Kabul airport could prove to be a very risky business, 12 July 2021, url; SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States
Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 52
338 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 121
339 Reuters, Chaos in Kabul, 18 August 2021, url; CNN, Airlines avoid Afghan airspace as Kabul airport closes to commercial
flights, 16 August 2021, url
340 Guardian, Evacuating Afghanistan: a visual guide to flights in and out of Kabul, 27 August 2021, url
341 Flightradar24, Kabul International Airport Live Air Traffic, n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url
342
Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url
343
New York Times (The), Afghanistan updates: the U.S. occupation is over, ending American’s longest war, 30 August
2021, url
344 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (1-7 March 2021), 10 March 2021, url, p. 2
345 Tolonews, Travel on Afghan Highways Increasingly Dangerous, 22 June 2021, url
346 New York Times (The), The Taliban seek to isolate Kabul, the Pentagon says, 13 August 2021, url
347 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
348 Tolonews, Concerns Grow Over Damage to Infrastructure Amid Fighting, 8 August 2021, url

39

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Displacement
Between 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, UNOCHA collected data on 10 976 persons displaced to Kabul
province, all to Kabul district. 349 UNOCHA reported an influx of people fleeing to Kabul and other large
cities from 1 July 2021 350, 57% of whom arrived in Kabul.348 The IDPs arriving in Kabul district camefrom a range of different provinces, such as Baghlan, Bamyan, Ghazni, Kapisa, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar,
Nuristan, Paktya, Parwan, Samangan, Takhar and Wardak. During the same reporting period, noconflict-induced internal displacement from Kabul district was reported by UNOCHA. 351

2.2 Badakhshan

Map 2: Afghanistan – Badakhshan province, source: UNOCHA 352

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Badakhshan province
to be under Taliban control. 353
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021, there were 168 security incidents
recorded in Badakhshan, of whom 126 were coded as battles, 36 remote violence and 6 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

349 UNOCHA does not differentiate between Kabul City and Kabul district.

350 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (9-15 August 2021), 19 August 2021, url, p. 2
351 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
352 UNOCHA, Afghanistan – Badakhshan Province- District Atlas, April 2014, url

353 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 3. Badakhshan province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 354

The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report covering the period May 2020 and April
2021 noted that the Taliban moved forces into five northern provinces, including Badakhshan, withthe objective to ‘deny Afghan Forces freedom of movement and establish control over roadcommunications and border crossings to facilitate narcotic and mineral trade’. 355 AAN described
Badakhshan in early July 2021 as having been ‘relatively untouched’ by the Taliban, but by mid-July2021 it had largely fallen to the Taliban, with only the provincial capital, Faizabad, and its district andneighbouring Yaftal-e Sufla in government control. 356 Faizabad was captured on 10 August 2021. 357
During the reporting period, airstrikes and Taliban attacks including on security outposts werereported in Badakhshan. 358 In an 20 April 2021 attack, a security outpost in the Sarshakh area of Zibak
district fell, with eight police officers killed and two more wounded. 359 A Taliban attack on 23 May 2021
at a pro-government militia commander’s house in Darayem district killed six militia members. 360 Bilal
Sarwary posted on Twitter on 4 July 2021 that Baharaak district fell to the Taliban with little
resistance. 361 On 5 June 2021, the Afghan forces launched an airstrike in Kohistan district which killed
15 pro-government militia members, and wounded seven more. 362 On 9 July 2021, it was reported that
according to local officials, 26 of the 28 districts in Badakhshan had fallen to the Taliban, and were
given up without a fight, with over 1000 Afghan military personnel crossing the border to Tajikistan
and hundreds more fleeing to the provincial capital of Faizabad. 363 UNOCHA described ‘intensefighting’ in Koran Wa Munjan district. 364 On 15 July 2021, an ANSF airstrike killed at least 12 civilians
and injured a further 20 in Shuhada district. 365 Between 19 and 25 July 2021, in Shohada district centre,
airstrikes reportedly killed eight civilians and injured four more. 366

354 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

355 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url para. 32
356 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
357 Al Jazeera, Afghan leader rallies forces in Taliban-besieged northern city, 11 August 2021, url
358 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),
Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; NYT, Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url; New YorkTimes (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
359 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
360 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
361 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 4 July 2021, url
362 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
363 RFE/RL, Fighting The Taliban Was 'Suicide': Hundreds Of Afghan Soldiers Escape To Tajikistan, 9 July 2021, url; Al Jazeera,
Taliban seizes key districts in Afghanistan as gov’t forces flee, 4 July 2021, url; AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The
Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
364 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 2
365 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
366 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25, 29 July 2021, url

41

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Fayzabad, on 8 June 2021,
a protest over water and electricity led to violence, with three civilians killed and 36 people wounded,
16 of which were security forces. 367 On 2 July 2021, Taliban attacks on security outposts in the eighth
police district killed seven soldiers and 14 pro-government militia, and 25 members of the security
forces were abducted by the Taliban, who captured the police district. 368 In mid-July 2021, AAN
described Fayzabad city as ‘vulnerable’. 369 It was captured by the Taliban on 10 August 2021, following
weeks of assaults. 370
As of April 2021, Badakhshan was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly
present. ISKP was assessed to have retained a small group in Badakhshan, predominantly made up of
local ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks. ETIM was reported to be mainly found in Badakhshan and neighbouringprovinces, reportedly consisting of several hundred fighters. 371 In July 2021, the Taliban had reportedly
put Mahdi Arsalon of Tajik group Jamaat Ansarullah in control of security of Kuf Ab, Khwahan, Maimay,
Nusay, and Shekay districts along the Tajik border. 372
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Badakhshan province in thefirst seven months of 2021. 373
Fayzabad domestic airport is located 12 kilometres west of Fayzabad city. 374 As of end July 2021, Kam
Air offered scheduled passenger services between Fayzabad and Kabul. 375 As of 29 August 2021 nofurther flights were scheduled. 376 On 30 August 2021, Reuters cited the US FAA (Federal Aviation
Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services and a functional civil aviation authority
in Afghanistan’. 377
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data from the period 1 March – 9 August 2021, reporting 14 364 persons displaced
from Badakhshan province. 13 951 were displaced within the province itself with 10 353 IDPs seeking
refuge in Fayzabad district. The remaining IDPs travelled to Kabul (350), Parwan (28) and Panjsher (35)province. During the same period, 9 121 displaced persons sought refuge in Badakhshan province (allin Fayzabad district), originating from the Kunduz province. 378 Ongoing conflict led to waves of IDPs
originating from Argo and Arghanjkhwah districts in April 2021 379 and from Arghanjkhaw district inJune 2021.380

367 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url

368 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

369 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
370 LWJ, Former headquarters of Northern Alliance falls under Taliban control, 10 August 2021, url

371 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42, 62, 80
372 RFE/RL, Exclusive: Taliban Puts Tajik Militants Partially In Charge Of Afghanistan's Northern Border, 27 July 2021, url
373 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
374 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 137
375 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url
376 Flightradar24, Live Air Traffic n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url; Kam Air, n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url
377
Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url
378 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, accessed (29 August 2021), url
379 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (5-11 April 2021), 15 April 2021, url, p. 2
380 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (7-13 June 2021), 17 June 2021, url, p. 2

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.3 Badghis

Map 3: Afghanistan – Badghis province, source: UNOCHA 381

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Badghis province to beunder Taliban control. 382
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021, there were 169 security incidents
recorded in Badghis, of whom 129 were coded as battles, 31 remote violence and 9 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

Figure 4. Badghis province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 383

381 UNOCHA, Afghanistan – Badghis Province- District Atlas, April 2014, url

382 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

383 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

43Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report covering May 2020 to April 2021 notedthat Khatiba Imam al-Bukhari had approximately 25 to 150 fighters mainly in Badghis province. 384
The Taliban attacked security outposts in various districts of Badghis, and mortar fire and roadsidebombs continued to cause casualties during the reporting period. 385 On 24 March 2021, mortar fire hit
a house in Moqor district killing a woman and two children. 386 In April 2021, a Taliban infiltrator attackin Moqor district killed three police officers whilst they were sleeping. 387 On 29 May 2021, a roadsidebomb killed an NDS officer in Moqor district. 388 On 5 June 2021, a roadside bomb hit a van in Ab-Kamari
district killing 11 civilians. 389 On 5 June 2021, a minibus was hit by an IED on the Qala-e Naw – Abkamariroad, killing 11 civilians. 390 On 6 July 2021, around 65 security force members were killed, 14 others
wounded and 43 troops abducted in a Taliban ambush of a convoy of ASNF. 391
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Qala-e Naw, on 11 March
2021, unidentified attackers shot dead two soldiers. 392 On 7 July 2021, the Taliban entered Qala-e Naw
amidst widespread fighting and freed prisoners and threatened to overtake the city 393, however on
the same day that Afghan forces backed by Afghan Special forces took back control of city. 394 On 10
July 2021, a mortar shell hit a house in the provincial capital killing two children and wounding three
more. 395 UNOCHA reported that between 5-11 July 2021, ongoing fighting in Qala-e Naw City had killed
3 and injured a further 71. 396 Qala-e Naw fell on 12 August 2021 after days of fighting. 397
On 15 July 2021, it was reported that following the Taliban securing complete control over all districtsin the province, the governor of Badghis had negotiated a ceasefire with the Taliban, mediated bytribal elders, although this was denied by the Taliban who put their withdrawal down to avoiding
civilian casualties. 398
The WHO recorded one attack against health care provision in Badghis province in the first sevenmonths of 2021; the destruction of a healthcare facility in July 2021. 399
Qala-i Naw airport in Badghis province is located 1.60 km west of Qala-I Naw city centre.400 As of 29
August 2021, no domestic flights were scheduled from the airport. 401 UNOCHA reported in early April

384 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 82
385 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),
Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
386 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
387 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
388 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
389 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
390 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (31 May - 6 June 2021), 8 June 2021, url, p. 2
391 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
392 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
393 New York Times (The), Taliban Attack a Provincial Capital in Afghanistan’s North, Freeing Prisoners, updated 15 July
2021, url
394 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 7 July 2021, url; Swiss Institute for Global Affairs, What Recent Taliban
Advances in Afghanistan Do and Do Not Mean, 8 July 2021, url
395 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
396 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 2
397 LWJ, Taliban overrun Herat City, Qala-i-Naw, 12 August 2021, url; RFE/RL, Radio Azadi, Taliban Captures Herat, Two
Other Cities As Afghan Forces Collapse, 13 August 2021, url
398 Reuters, Provincial Afghan govt, Taliban agree on ceasefire in Western Badghis, 15 July 2021, url
399 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care July 2021, 10 August 2021, url; WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care
(January-June 2021), 12 July 2021, url
400 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 437
401 Flightradar24, Live Air Traffic n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url; Kam Air, n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url

44Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2021 that the road connecting Qala-e-Naw to Jawand district, Badghis province had been blocked since2019, affecting access to markets and medical facilities. 402
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data from the period 1 March – 9 August 2021, reporting that 48 624 persons weredisplaced from Badghis province. IDPs predominantly originated from Qale-e-Naw district (45 679),
including 39 977 displaced from Qale-e-Naw district on 4 July 2021. Of the IDPs fleeing Badghis, 42 087
or 87% remained in the province itself with the remaining 6 537 displaced to other provinces (of them,
6 389 to Herat). No displacement was reported to Badghis from other provinces during this period. 403

2.4 Baghlan

Map 4: Afghanistan – Baghlan province, source: UNOCHA 404

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all district of Baghlan to be under
Taliban control except for Dushi that was considered to be under the NRF’s control, and the districts
Andarab, Khinjan and Puli Hisar that were considered to be contested. 405
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 219 security incidents
recorded in Baghlan, of whom 166 were coded as battles, 41 remote violence and 12 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

402 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (29 March -4 April 2021), 7 April 2021, url
403 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
404 UNOCHA, Afghanistan – Baghlan Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

405 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

45Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 5. Baghlan province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 406

The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report covering the period May 2020 and April
2021 noted that the Taliban moved forces into five northern provinces including Baghlan, with theobjective to deny the ANSF freedom of movement and to control road communications and bordercrossings to facilitate narcotic and mineral trade. Daily taxes collected from Taliban checkpoints suchas those between Pul-e Khumri and Mazar-e Sharif alone were reportedly lucrative. 407
ISKP attacked electricity pylons and fuel tankers in Baghlan in the first half of May 2021. 408 On 8 June
2021, ISKP entered a HALO Trust camp where over 100 humanitarian de-miners were stationed, took
their belongings and fired shots indiscriminately, killing 11 and injuring a further 15.409 According to
HALO Trust, Hazara ethnic group members were specifically targeted. 410
During the reporting period the Taliban attacked security outposts and security forces in various
districts of Baghlan, with roadside bombs, airstrikes, mortar fire were also documented. 411 On 29 April
2021 the Taliban opened fire on people leaving a mosque, killing seven civilians, the police responded,killing two Taliban fighters and wounding three others. 412 On 31 May 2021 a security forces vehicle
explosion targeted a police headquarters in in Baghlan-e-Markazi district, killing four police officers,
two soldiers and one commando and wounding 12 security forces and 16 civilians. 413 UNOCHA
reported that towards the end of June 2021 airstrikes in Baghlan reportedly killed three civilians. 414
UNOCHA noted that three citizens had been reportedly killed and two further civilians injured bymortar fire. 415 On 27 July 2021 a Taliban attack on the convoy of Sayed Dawood Naderi, head of Ismaili
Council, killed five and wounded two others. 416 On 4 August 2021 the Taliban attacked security
outposts and checkpoints in Khost district, killing eight pro-government militia members and wounding
seven others. 417

406 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

407 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 32, 59
408 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international
peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 21
409 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July, url, p. 6
410 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
411 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),
Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
412 New York Times (The)YT, Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
413 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url;
414 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 1
415 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 2
416 KabulNow, Taliban ambush Naderi’s convoy in Baghlan killing five people, 28 July 2021, url
417 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url

46

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Pul-i-Khumri, on 16 March
2021, a rocket struck a Baghlan University bus carrying about 25 lecturers and students, killing thedriver and a student and injuring six others. 418 on 12 April 2021 the Taliban beheaded two civilians forunknown reasons. 419 On 23 May 2021 an airstrike in the killed three civilians. 420 Battles with the Taliban
were reported on the outskirts of Pul-e-Khumri in Baghlan on 11 July 2021.421 In mid-July 2021 AAN
described Pul-e-Khumri as ‘vulnerable’. 422 Pul-i-Khumri was reported to have been captured by the
Taliban on 10 August 2021, a day after it launched a ‘major attack’. 423
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Baghlan province in the firstseven months of 2021. 424 On 18 May 2021 it was reported that during clashes with the Taliban, the
ANSF bombed a clinic wounding four health workers. 425
Baghlan province is not served by an airport offering scheduled domestic flights. 426 AAN detailed thatat the end of June 2021, sections of the Kabul to Kunduz/Balkh highway had been blocked for two days
due to heavy clashes. 427 It further noted that by mid-July 2021 the Taliban controlled check posts on
the highway on stretches of the road between Doshi and Pul-e Khumri. 428
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 - 9 August 2021, reporting 15 077 persons
displaced from Baghlan, of which 12 872 (some 85%) were displaced within the province within Pul-eKhumri district. The remaining 2 205 persons were displaced to Parwan (231), Panjsher (140), Kabul (1827) and Faryab (7) provinces. During the same period, no displacement was reported to Baghlan fromother provinces. 429 Ongoing fighting led to tens of thousands of displacements in the first six monthsof 2021, particularly towards the end of May 2021. 430
Between 22 and 28 March 2021, 5 705 people in Pul-e-Khumri district in Baghlan province weredisplaced to safer districts due to ongoing fighting. 431 Owing to ongoing fighting, between 3 and 9 May
2021, some 24 500 people were displaced in Baghlan province and between 17 and 23 May 2021, over
21 000 people were displaced in Baghlan province. 432 Between 24 and 30 May 2021, heavy fighting
in the province reportedly displaced more than 21 000 people.433 Between 21 and 27 June 2021, 14000 people were displaced from Nahrin, BaghlanJaded, Tala-wa-Barfak, Doshi, Khinjan, and theoutskirts of Pul-e Khumri to safer locations in Pul-e Khumri city, adding to the 10 500 people that weredisplaced the week before. 434

418 Gandhara, University Students Targeted In Latest Violence In Afghanistan, 16 March 2021, url
419 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
420 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
421 Tolonews, Two district s Fall as Battles Continue Near 10 Cities, 11 July 2021, url

422 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
423 LWJ, Farah City, Pul-i-Khumri fall to the Taliban, 10 August 2021, url

424 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url

425 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021
426 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url

427 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
428 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
429 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

430 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (22-28 March 2021), 31 March 2021, url, p. 2; UNOCHA,

Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June 2021), 1 July 2021, url, p. 2; UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly
Humanitarian Update (24 – 30 May 2021), 2 June 2021, url, p. 2; UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (2127 June 2021), 1 July 2021, url, p. 2
431 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (22-28 March 2021), 31 March 2021, url, p. 2
432 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June 2021), 1 July 2021, url, p. 2
433 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (24 – 30 May 2021), 2 June 2021, url, p. 2
434 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June 2021), 1 July 2021, url, p. 2

47

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.5 Balkh

Map 5: Afghanistan – Balkh province, source: UNOCHA 435

As of 31 August 2021, an LWJ assessment of Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently updated
map and based on open-source information, considered all districts of Balkh Province to be under
Taliban control except Chahar Kint that remained contested. 436
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 271 security incidents
recorded in Balkh, of whom 184 were coded as battles, 83 remote violence and 4 incidents of violenceagainst civilians.

Figure 6. Balkh province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against civilians
from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 437

435 UNOCHA, Afghanistan – Balkh Province- District Atlas, April 2014, url

436 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 13 August 2021), url

437 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

48

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

During the reporting period the Taliban attacked several military bases in Balkh, mortar fire wasreported and targeted attacks and sticky bombs were reported in the provincial capital. 438 A Taliban
infiltrator attack in Chemtal district on 6 March 2021 killed nine soldiers. 439 On 17 April 2021 Taliban
mortars targeting the Balkh bazaar killed two civilians and wounded two more. 440 June 2021 saw the
Taliban attack and capture districts with ANSF soldiers fleeing to Uzbekistan and two exploding
Humvees killed five civilians, 17 security forces, one police officer and wounded 88 civilians. 441 On 20
June 2021 in Dawlatabad district, mortars fired during a ground engagement between the ANSF and
the Taliban killed six civilians, injured a further two and destroyed 50 local shops. 442
As of early July 2021, it was reported that the Taliban had captured eight out of 15 districts in Balkh
and that according to a civil society activist, the ANSF had mostly not put up a resistance, with acounterattack to push back the Taliban from the district centre on 24 June 2021. 443
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Mazar-e Sharif, in April
2021 security officers were shot dead and on 22 April 2021 a civilian was shot dead in his house andtwo others wounded in the 10th police district, both by unknown gunmen. 444 On 11 June 2021 a
magnetic bomb attached to a bicycle killed one civilian and wounded three more. 445 In mid-June 2021
‘fierce fighting’ was reported between the Taliban and ANSF on the outskirts of Mazar-e Sharif. 446 In
mid-July 2021 Mazar-e Sharif was described as ‘relatively calm’. 447 On 17 July 2021 a NDS officer was
gunned down in the fifth police district and on 18 July 2021 three civilians were killed and two further
injured in a roadside bomb explosion in the ninth police district. 448 On 4 August 2021 in the village ofSamar Qandian the Taliban killed a young woman for wearing tight clothing and not being
accompanied by a male relative. 449 On 5 August 2021 a magnetic bomb attacked to a bicycle killed one
civilian and wounded 12 others. 450 On 11 August 2021 President Ghani was reported to have held talks
with ‘long-time local strongman’ Atta Mohammad Noor and ‘infamous warlord’ Abdul Rashid Dostum
about the defence of the ‘besieged’ northern city of Mazar-e Sharif. 451 On 14 August 2021 the Taliban
captured the ‘heavily defended’ Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan fourth largest city and the last northerncity to fall. 452
Mazar was one of the urban centres reported to be most affected by a spike in robberies and thefts
reported by UNOCHA in the first quarter of 2021, with 36 incidents which decreased to 20 incidents inthe second quarter in total. 453
ISKP was assessed in April 2021 to have retained a core group of fighters in Kunar and Nangarhar, withsmaller groups in Badakhshan, Kunduz and Sar-e-Pol. However, the ANSF reported a disruption of a438 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
439 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),
Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
440 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
441 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
442 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 7
443 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
444 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
445 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
446 Al Jazeera, Taliban captures Afghanistan’s main Tajikistan border crossing, 22 June 2021, url
447 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July, url, p. 2
448 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
449 RFE/RL, Radio Azadi, Afghan Police Say Taliban Killed Young Woman For Wearing Tight Clothing, 4 August 2021, url
450 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
451 Al Jazeera, Afghan leader rallies forces in besieged Mazar-i-Sharif, 11 August 2021, url
452 AP, Taliban capture key northern city, approach Afghan capital, 14 August 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghanistan’scommercial hub, Mazar-i-Sharif, falls to the insurgents, 14 August 2021, url
453 UNOCHA, HAG Quarterly Report (April to June 2021), 19 July 2021, url, p. 14

49

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

cell around Mazar-e Sharif of 450 fighters, potentially indicating that the group may have beenstronger in northern Afghanistan than previously thought. 454 It was reported in July 2021 that the ANSF
had taken down ‘large IS-Khorasan cells’ around Mazar-e Sharif. 455
In the first seven months of 2021 the WHO recorded the death of one healthcare professional. 456 On
12 April 2021 a chief military doctors and his driver were killed by the Taliban in the fifth police districtof Mazar-e Sharif in an attack on their vehicle. 457
Mazar-e Sharif International Airport, also known as Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad BalkhīInternational Airport, is located 4.5 nautical miles (8.3km) east of Mazar-e Sharif, one of fourinternational airports in Afghanistan, serving both international and several domestic scheduled
passenger flights, including to Kabul. 458 The airport has been under the joint responsibility of NATOand the ACAA since 2015 and was intended to be passed fully over to the ACAA in 2021. 459 At the endof July 2021 UNOCHA reported that non-state armed groups continued to carry out sporadic attacks
around provincial capitals including Mazar-e Sharif but that the airport remained operational. 460 As of
29 August 2021, domestic flights were scheduled between Kabul and Mazar-e Sharif and aninternational departure to Moscow. 461 On 30 August 2021, Reuters cited the US FAA (Federal Aviation
Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services and a functional civil aviation authority
in Afghanistan’. 462
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 1 316 persons
displaced from Balkh, all within the province itself. 53% (700) fled from Sholgareh, the remaining 47%
fled from Zari (357), Dawlatabad (175) and Balkh (84). These IDPs sought refuge in Nahr-e-Shahi district(86%) or Mazar-e Sharif district (14%) of Balkh province. During the same period, 560 persons weredisplaced to Balkh originating from other provinces, namely Samangan (315), Jawzjan (175) and Faryab(70). All displacement from other provinces into Balkh was recorded on 5 May 2021. 463

454 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 62
455 VOA, Al-Qaida, Islamic State Set to Reconstitute in Afghanistan, Beyond, 11 July 2021, url
456 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
457 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
458 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 382; KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28
July 2021), url
459 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 April 2021, url, p. 133
460 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25, 29 July 2021, url
461 Flightradar24, Mazar-I-Sharif International Airport Live Air Traffic n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url; Kam Air, n.d.
(accessed 29 August 2021), url
462
Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url
463 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

50Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.6 Bamyan

Map 6: Afghanistan – Bamyan province, source: UNOCHA 464

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all the districts of Bamyan province
under Taliban control. 465
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 6 security incidents recordedin Bamyan, of whom all 6 were coded as battles, and no remote violence or incidents of violenceagainst civilian were recorded.

Figure 7. Bamyan province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 466

On 16 June 2021 a Taliban attack on a security outpost in Kahmard district killed five police officers
and wounded one. 467 On 12 July 2021 Reuters noted that Bamyan had been historically ‘comparatively
464 UNOCHA, Afghanistan – Bamyan Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

465 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

466 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
467 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url

51

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

free from conflict or Taliban presence’ but that the Taliban had taken over Kahmard district following
a ANSF retreat. 468 In mid-July 2021 the central provinces were described as having become‘increasingly unstable and unpredictable’, with reports of increased activities and violence against
civilians by non-state armed groups in Bamyan and other central provinces. 469 The following week
UNOCHA described reports of increased non-state armed group activity and that the ANSF reportedly
retook control of several districts in Bamyan, Ghazni and Parwan provinces. 470
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Bamyan province in the firstseven months of 2021. 471
There is a domestic airport in Bamyan located 1.4 km north east of Bamyan town centre. 472 As of end
July 2021, Kam Air offered scheduled passenger services between Bamyan and Kabul. 473 As of 29
August 2021, no domestic flights were scheduled from Bamyan airport. 474 On 30 August 2021, Reuters
cited the US FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services anda functional civil aviation authority in Afghanistan’. 475
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting that 90 790 people
were displaced from Bamyan province, all of whom left Bamyan district to other districts of theprovince (except 385 from Kahmard district who went to Kabul). All 90 790 IDPs were displaced
between 9 and 10 July 2021. During the same period, 694 persons were displaced to Bamyan from
Jalrez district in Wardak province on 2 April 2021. 476 Between 12 and 18 July 2021, tens of thousandsof people in Bamyan province were temporarily displaced within Bamyan and to other provinces, withthe majority (about 60%) of people reportedly returning to their homes a few days later. 477

468 Reuters, Taliban surround central Afghan city of Ghazni – officials, 12 July 2021, url

469 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 2

470 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 2
471 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
472 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 54
473 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url

474 Flightradar24, Bamiyan Airport Live Air Traffic n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url

475

Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url

476 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

477 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 2

52

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.7 Daykundi

Map 7: Afghanistan – Daykundi province, source: UNOCHA 478

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts of Daikundi province tobe under Taliban control. 479
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 29 security incidents recorded
in Daykundi, of whom 24 were coded as battles, 4 remote violence and 1 incident of violence against
civilians.

Figure 8. Daykundi province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 480

478 UNOCHA, Afghanistan Daykundi Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

479 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

480 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

53Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

On 20 March 2021 a roadside IED in the Bazar Mushtarak area in Nawmish district reportedly killed acivilian. 481 On 28 May 2021 a roadside bomb in Pato district killed one child and wounded threeothers. 482 On 23 June 2021 in Pato district a civilian was shot dead working on his farm, no groupclaimed responsibility but local officials blamed the Taliban. 483 On 3 July 2021 a Taliban attack in Pato
district killed one police officer and a pro-government militia member and wounded three others. 484
In mid-July 2021 the central was described as having become ‘increasingly unstable andunpredictable’, with reports of increased activities and violence against civilians by non-state armed
groups in Daykundi. 485 In mid-July 2021 the Taliban was reported to have been attacking the Hazara
majority district of Pato since 10 June 2021 and there were accounts of the Taliban burning crops andhouses in areas that put up a resistance.486 On 14 August 2021 Daykundi was reported to have beensurrendered to the Taliban with ‘only two gunshots heard in capital, Nili’. 487
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Daykundi province in the firstseven months of 2021. 488
Daykundi lacks an operational domestic airport. 489 In 2020, the National Procurement Authority ofAfghanistan issued a tender to construct the airport and relevant infrastructure in Daykundi 490, but nopublicly available update was located as of end July 2021.
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 15 936 persons
displaced from Daykundi, of which all persons apart from 14 were displaced within the province on 15
June 2021, travelling from Gizab/Patoo to Nili (12 646) or Kiti (5 600) districts. During the same period,
no displacement was reported to Daykundi from other provinces. 491 In early July 2021, conflict andthreats from the Taliban were reported to have displaced almost 3 000 families in one week. 492

481 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 12
482 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
483 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url

484 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

485 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 2

486 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url

487 AP, Afghan lawmaker says central province of Daykundi surrendered to Taliban, with only two gunshots heard in capital,

Nili, 14 August 2021, url
488 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
489 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url
490 Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, National Procurement Authority (NPA), Addendum No. 6 to Bidding Documents forConstruction of Daikundi Airport, 27 June 2020, url
491 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
492 MENA FM, Fighting displaces thousands in Daikundi, 5 July 2021, url

54

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.8 Farah

Map 8: Afghanistan – Farah province, source: UNOCHA 493

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Farah province to beunder Taliban control. 494
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 109 security incidents
recorded in Farah, of whom 64 were coded as battles, 32 remote violence and 13 incidents of violenceagainst civilians.

Figure 9. Farah province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 495

On 3 May 2021 a Taliban attack on a military base in Balaboluk district killed 20 soldiers. 496 On 13 June
2021 a Taliban attack on Lash-e Juwayn district killed 10 soldiers, four police officers, three NDS
493 UNOCHA, Afghanistan, Farah Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

494 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 13 August 2021), url

495 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
496 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

officers, abducted four others and they successfully took the district. 497 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitteron 15 June 2021 that the district Centre of Anar Dara was blown up by the Taliban after they captured
it the day before. 498 The Sheikh Abu Nasr Farahi dry port in Shibkoh district of Farah province locatedon the Iran border was reported to have been captured by the Taliban on 8 July 2021. 499
ACLED noted that in mid-July 2021 the Taliban took over Pur Charman district, bringing all of the
districts of Farah under their control apart from Farah city, the provincial capital. 500
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Farah city, on 27 March
2021 unidentified gunmen fired on police officers in the second police district killing one and two
civilians. 501 On 11 April 2021 unidentified gunmen shot dead the father of a judge in the Nawda area. 502
On 13 April 2021 a vehicle-borne IED in Qala-e-Ghulam Seddiq Khan village, reportedly killed two
civilians and injured 18 others. 503 On 3 May 2021 anti-government elements carried out a targeted
attack against a high ranking member of the ANSF forces in a crowded area of the city, injuring 19
civilians in addition to those targeted. 504 On 26 May 2021 the Taliban killed a female prison
employee. 505 On 28 July 2021 unidentified assailants gunned down two police officers in the first police
district. 506 The Taliban overran Farah city on 10 August 2021. 507
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Farah province in the first sevenmonths of 2021. 508 Unknown gunmen were reported to have shot dead a doctor in front of his clinic
in Farah city on 15 June 2021. 509
There is a domestic airport in Farah that is located two nautical miles (3.7km) southeast of Farah
City. 510 As of end July 2021, Kam Air offered several scheduled passenger services from Farah, including
to Kabul. 511 As of 29 August 2021 only flights to Kabul were available. 512 On 30 August 2021, Reuters
cited the US FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services anda functional civil aviation authority in Afghanistan’. 513
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data from the period 1 March – 9 August 2021, reporting 2 352 persons displaced
from Farah province, with 83% (some 1 955) displaced within the province itself (all in Farah, theprovincial capital), 13% displaced into Nimroz and the remaining 3% displaced into Herat. During thesame period, 54 persons were displaced into Farah from other provinces, origination from Faryab (30),
Helmand (13), Herat (6) and Kandahar (5). 514 Between 8 and 14 March 2021, 454 people who weredisplaced from Bala Buluk, Khak-e-Safed, Pushtrod, Gulistan, Pur Chaman, Lash-e-Juwayn and Shibkoh
districts by conflict were assessed in Farah province. 515

497 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
498 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 15 June 2021, url

499 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
500 ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan 10-16 July 2021, 21 July 2021, url

501 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
502 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url

503 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 April 2021), 21 April 2021, url

504 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 8
505 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

506 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
507 LWJ, Farah City, Pul-i-Khumri fall to the Taliban, 10 August 2021, url

508 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url

509 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
510 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 129
511 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url

512 Flightradar24, Farah Airport Live Air Traffic, n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url

513

Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url

514 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

515 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (8-14 March 2021), 16 March 2021, url, p. 2

56

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.9 Faryab

Map 9: Afghanistan – Faryab province, source: UNOCHA 516

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts of Farah to be under
Taliban control. 517
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 181 security incidents
recorded in Faryab, of whom 110 were coded as battles, 55 remote violence and 16 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

516 UNOCHA, Afghanistan Faryab Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

517 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

57

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 10. Faryab province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 518

During the reporting period, Taliban targeted attacks against security force members and attacks on
security outposts were documented, with roadside bombs, mortar fire also documented.519 On 19
March 2021 the Taliban shot two civilians dead in the Sarchakan village of Gorziwan district, owing totheir connection to a local pro-government militia member and on the same day the Taliban shot asolider and his sister and niece in the Jar Qala village of Gorziwan district. 520 On 31 May 2021 an
infiltrator killed a pro-government militia commander at an outpost in Qurghan district.521 During June
2021 several districts were attacked and taken by the Taliban, with reports of civilian, security force
and pro-government militia casualties and unsuccessful attempts to recapture districts leading to morecasualties. On 6 June 2021 a Taliban car bomb explosion followed by at attack against a police
headquarters in Qaisar district killed 19 security force and nine pro-government militia members, theTaliban took the district and abducted 121 security force members. 522 On 16 June 2021 in an operation
to recapture Dawlat Abad district the ANSF were ambushed and 24 commandos and five police officers
were killed, with eight abducted by the Taliban. 523 When Gurziwan was under attack its district
governor stated on 21 June 2021 that they had sought assistance from the government for two weeks
and that they faced a shortage of ammunition but that there had been no response, with the districtfalling three days later. 524 At the end of June 2021 the ANSF attempted to recapture Pashtun Kot,
however the operation was unsuccessful with one police officer and five pro-government militia
members killed, nine others wounded and 27 security force members abducted. 525 Shirin Tagab wasreported to fall to the Taliban in July 2021 after a pro-government militia commander had surrendered
control to spare his own life, however he was later shot dead and a civilian was killed in the crossfire. 526
In August 2021 UNICEF reported that a 12 year old boy from Shirin Tagab district had endured a ‘brutal
flogging’ by a member of an anti-government group. 527
AAN reported that between 1 May and 2 July 2021 the Taliban had captured 12 of Faryab’s 14 districts– Qaisar, Dawlatabad, Shirin Tagab, Khawja Sabposh, Kohistan, Pashtun Kot, Belcheragh, Khan-eChahar Bagh, Andkhoi, Gurziwan, Qurghan and Qaramqul, adding to Almar, which they took over inMarch 2021 and noted that sporadic fighting continued around the provincial capital, Maimana city.
518 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

519 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
520 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
521 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
522 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
523 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
524 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
525 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
526 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
527 UNICEF, Statement by UNICEF Afghanistan Representative Hervé Ludovic De Lys on the brutal flogging of a young boy, 4August 2021, url

58

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

This included the loss of Aqina, a border crossing with Turkmenistan. AAN also described Qaisar as
having been under siege for a year. 528
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Maimana, on 29 April 2021
unidentified gunmen killed a civilian, a former pro-government militia member, in the second police
district. 529 In mid-June 2021 ‘fierce fighting’ was reported between the Taliban and ANSF on theoutskirts of three provincial capitals including Maimana. 530 On 9 July 2021 a Taliban mortar hit a housein the city killing a 3 year old child and wounding six others. 531 In mid-July 2021 AAN described theMaimana as ‘vulnerable’. 532 Also in mid-July 2021 UNOCHA described increased ‘heavy fighting’ in
Maimana. 533 The city was reported to have been under siege for several weeks by mid-July 2021 withheavy fighting reported around Maimana. 534 On 17 July 2021 a Taliban attack on the first police districtof Maimana lasted a few hours and two police officers were killed, but the Taliban were repelled. 535
The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report covering the period May 2020 and April
2021 listed Faryab as one of the 15 provinces where AQ was reported to be resident. 536 Furthermore,
Islamic Jihad Group was reported to have around 100 fighters in Faryab and Kunduz under Taliban
shelter and control as of April 2021. 537
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Faryab province in the firstseven months of 2021. 538
There is a domestic airport in Maimana that is located 0.4 nautical miles (0.74km) north east of
Maimana. 539 As of end July 2021, Kam Air offered scheduled passenger services between Maimana
and Kabul. 540 At the end of July 2021 UNOCHA reported that non-state armed groups continued tocarry out sporadic attacks around provincial capitals including Maymana but that the airport remained
operational. 541 As of 29 August 2021, there were no scheduled flights from the airport. 542 On 30 August
2021, Reuters cited the US FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘airtraffic services and a functional civil aviation authority in Afghanistan’. 543
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data from the period 1 March – 9 August 2021, reporting 17 790 persons displaced
from Faryab province, of which 15 904 remained within the province, seeking refuge exclusively in theMaymana district. The remaining IDPs sought refuge in Balkh (70), Farah (30), Ghor (8), Herat (42),Jawzjan (1 715) and Sar-e-Pul (21). Almost 8 000 were displaced on 23 June 2021 from Pashtunkot
district. During the same period, 63 IDPs were displaced into Faryab province from other provinces, all
528 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
529 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url

530 Al Jazeera, Taliban captures Afghanistan’s main Tajikistan border crossing, 22 June 2021, url
531 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

532 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
533 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 3

534 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 3; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
535 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
536 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, , para. 42
537, UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 82
538 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
539 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 375
540 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url
541 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25, 29 July 2021, url
542 Flightradar24, Maimana Airport Live Air Traffic, n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url
543
Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url

59

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situationof them into the Maymana district. These IDPs were displaced from Badghis, Sar-e-Pul, Ghor, Baghlan,
Helmand, and Herat provinces, and all were displaced on either 13 March 2021 or 1 April 2021. 544

2.10 Ghazni

Map 10: Afghanistan – Ghazni province, source: UNOCHA 545

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts of Ghazni to be under
Taliban control. 546
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 287 security incidents
recorded in Ghazni, of whom 206 were coded as battles, 64 remote violence and 17 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

544 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
545 UNOCHA, Afghanistan Ghazni Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

546 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

60

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 11. Ghazni province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 547

During the reporting period the Taliban attacked security outposts and security forces in Ghazni, withcrossfire and targeted killings also being reported. 548 The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan notedon 11 June 2021 that owing to increased fighting between the government and the Taliban in recent
months in Ghazni province, many schools had been forced to close. 549 In May and June 2021 theTaliban attacked and captured outposts killing security force members including in some instancessoldiers who had surrendered. 550 Malistan was reported to be under siege for two weeks with the
ANSF abandoning the district to the Taliban in early July 2021. 551 This represented the first Taliban
capture of a Hazara district in 20 years with Ezzatullah Mehrdad of the Washington Post highlighting
fears of revenge by the Taliban given sustained local resistance. 552 Amnesty International documented
the Taliban massacre of nine Hazara men between 4 to 6 July in Mundarakht, Malistan district noting‘Six of the men were shot and three were tortured to death, including one man who was strangledwith his own scarf and had his arm muscles sliced off’. 553 On 18 July 2021 a pro-government militia
recaptured Malistan but was repelled the next day, with around 20 Hazara residents killed by the
Taliban. 554 In mid-July 2021 the Taliban was reported to have been attacking two other Hazara majority
districts: Nawur and Jaghori. 555 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitter on 13 July 2021 that Sunny Farty
military base in Andar district in Ghazni province fell to the Taliban. 556 On 14 July 2021 29 civilians were
killed by the Taliban in Malistan district by cross or direct fire and reportedly nine civilians were
beheaded whilst trying to flee. 557 In mid-July 2021 UNOCHA described that the ANSF reportedly retook
control of several districts in Bamyan, Ghazni and Parwan provinces. 558 Investigations by the Afghan
Independent Human Rights Commission confirmed 37 executions by the Taliban in Ghazni province. 559
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Ghazni city, on 11 March
2021 unknown gunmen shot head a police officer and a civilian in the first police district and on 14
March 2021 unidentified gunmen assassinated a provincial court employee in the second police

547 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

548 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
549 Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, Armed clashes force school closures in Ghazni, 11 June 2021, url
550 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan
War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
551 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
552 Mehrdad, E., (@EzzatMehrdad), [Twitter], posted on: 13 July 2021, url
553 AI, Afghanistan: Taliban responsible for brutal massacre of Hazara men – new investigation, 19 August 2021, url
554 New York Times (The), The Propaganda War Intensifies in Afghanistan as the Taliban Gain Ground, 8 August 2021, url
555 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
556 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 13 July 2021, url
557 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
558 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 2
559 National (The), Taliban killing spree pursues soldiers and civilians in captured areas, 9 August 2021, url

61

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

district. 560 On 31 May 2021 a tribal elder was shot dead. 561 On 9 July 2021 a mortar hit a house in the
Hyderabad area, killing a civilian and wounding 10 others. 562 AAN described that the Taliban offensive
was ‘partially losing its stunning speed and effectiveness in the face of government resistance in major
centres such as Herat and Ghazni’. 563 Battles with the Taliban were reported on the outskirts of thecity on 11 July 2021. 564 On 12 August 2021, Ghazni city was the 10th provincial capital to be capturedby the Taliban, described as ‘strategically important’ given that it sits on the road between Kabul andKandahar city. 565 Reportedly the governor’s compound, police quarters, prison were captured quickly
and the governor fled the city after reaching an agreement with the Taliban and was later arrested onroute to Kabul. 566
As of April 2021, Ghazni was listed as one of the 15 provinces where AQ was reported to be resident. 567
The WHO recorded one healthcare facility closed, one destroyed and seven people injured in Ghazni
province in the first seven months of 2021.568 UNOCHA reported that in mid-April 2021 Qarabagh
district Hospital was closed, affecting some 80 000 people. 569
There is a mention of an aerodome in Ghazni but it is not further described in the ACAA Aeronautical
Information Publication. 570 In March 2021 a contract was signed between the ACAA and a privatecompany for the construction of a terminal building in the Jaghori district of Ghazni. 571 As of end July
2021, Kam Air did not offer scheduled flights to Ghazni. 572
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data from the period 1 March – 9 August 2021, reporting 1 512 persons displaced
from Ghazni province. The majority of those displaced (1 085) fled to Kabul, including 770 displaced
from Qarabagh to Kabul on 12 June 2021. The remainder fled to Herat (7) and Paktika (420) provinces.
During the same period, no displacement was reported to Ghazni from other provinces. 573 On 12 April
2021, fighting between ANSF and an NSAG displaced over 650 families (approximately 4 550 people)
in Ghazni province. 574 Between 3 and 9 May 2021, 2 030 people were newly displaced in Kapisa andGhazni provinces due to ongoing fighting and insecurity. 575 Between 12 and 18 July 2021, 1 200 families(about 8 400 people) were displaced from Malistan district to Jaghori in Ghazni Province. 576

560 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
561 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

562 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
563 AAN, The Fall of Nimruz: A symbolic or economic game-changer? 9 August 2021, url
564 Tolonews, Two district s Fall as Battles Continue Near 10 Cities, 11 July 2021, url

565 LWJ, Ghazni City falls to the Taliban, 12 August 2021, url ; RFE/RL, Radio Azadi, Taliban Seizes 10th Afghan Provincial

Capital As Ghazni Falls, 12 August 2021, url
566 LWJ, Ghazni City falls to the Taliban, 12 August 2021, url; Pajhwok, Ministry of Interior: Ghazni governor arrested, 12
August 2021, url
567 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42
568 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
569 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 April 2021), 21 April 2021, url
570 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 6
571 Pajhwok Afghan News, Contract for Jaghori airport terminal signed, 6 March 2021, url
572 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url
573 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
574 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 April 2021), 21 April 2021, url, p. 2
575 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (3-9 May 2021), 12 May 2021, url, p. 2
576 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 2

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.11 Ghor

Map 11: Afghanistan – Ghor province, source: UNOCHA 577

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Ghor province to beunder Taliban control. 578
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 99 security incidents recordedin Ghor, of whom 63 were coded as battles, 22 remote violence and 14 incidents of violence against
civilians.

Figure 12. Ghor province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 579

577 UNOCHA, Afghanistan Ghor Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

578 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

579 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

63Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Targeted assassinations, car bombs, IEDs and Taliban attacks were documented in Ghor during thereporting period. 580 On 10 March 2021 two civilians including an employee of a health department
were killed by unknown gunmen in Du Linah district and on 20 March 2021 the governor of Taywara
Distsrict was killed by a magnetic bomb. 581 In April 2021 ISKP claimed ‘an incident’ in Ghor, the first in
the province since 2017. 582 On 21 April 2021 the Taliban killed two civil servants and two civilians, allof Hazara ethnicity in Dawlatyar district. 583 On 6 June 2021 in Shahrak district nine soldiers were killed
and seven wounded when a Taliban car bomb followed a complex attack. 584 Between 31 May and 6
June 2021, the security situation was reported to deteriorate in Ghor province and on 5 June 2021, amini-bus was struck by an IED along the Qala-e-Naw – Abkamari road killing 11 civilians. 585 On 12 June
2021 the Taliban attacked and took over Tulak district, killing 18 police officers and two progovernment militia members and wounding 15 more. 586 UNOCHA reported that towards the end ofJune 2021, four out of nine districts (excluding the capital) in Ghor province were reportedly under thecontrol of a non-state armed group. 587 The two districts of Taiwara and Pasaband fell to the Taliban on
11 July 2021. 588
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Firoz Koh, on 11 March
2021 the Taliban killed a teacher. 589 On 21 April 2021 the Taliban shot and killed two civil servants andtwo civilians in Dawlatyar district, all of whom were of Hazara ethnicity and on 28 April 2021 a police
officer was killed by the Taliban in front of the provincial hospital. 590 Several roadside bombs killedcivilians in May 2021 and three Hazara were killed by the Taliban on 19 May 2021. 591 On 23 May 2021
crossfire reportedly injured two children. 592 On 14 June 2021 the Taliban killed a judge and his son andnephew whilst travelling. 593 In June and July 2021 in Firoz Koh Taliban attacks on security outposts
killed police officers and pro-government militias with 19 security forces and militia men killed andnine others wounded. 594 On 13 August 2021 the Taliban were reported to have taken control of Firoz
Koh without a fight. 595
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Ghor province in the first sevenmonths of 2021. 596
There is a domestic airport in Chakhcharan that is located 1.64 km north east of Chakhcharan. 597 As of
end July 2021, Kam Air offered several scheduled passenger services from Chakhcharan, including to

580 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
581 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
582 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 21
583 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
584 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
585 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (31 May - 6 June 2021), 8 June 2021, url, p. 2
586 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
587 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June ), 1 July 2021, url, p. 2
588 Tolonews, Two district s Fall as Battles Continue Near 10 Cities, 11 July 2021, url
589 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
590 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
591 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
592 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update ((24 – 30 May 2021), 2 June 2021, url, p. 2
593 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
594 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan
War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
595 Al Jazeera, Taliban seizes Feruz Koh, Qal-e-Naw, 13 August 2021, url
596 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
597 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 95

64

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Kabul. 598 As of 29 August 2021, no flights were scheduled. 599 On 30 August 2021, Reuters cited the US
FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services and a functional
civil aviation authority in Afghanistan’. 600
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March - 9 August 2021, reporting 14 447 IDPs displaced from
Ghor province, including 13 992 within the province (5 495 in Chaghcharan district and 8 497 in Lal Wa
Sarjangal district). Of the remaining IDPs, 448 were displaced into the Injil district in Herat province,and 7 into the Maymana district in Faryab province. During the same period, 151 IDPs were displaced
into the province of Ghor from other provinces. These came from the Badghis, Helmand, Laghman,
Faryab, and Kandahar provinces, with 93 IDPs being displaced in March 2021, and 48 being displacedin June 2021. 601 Between 28 June and 4 July 2021, following clashes in Dawlatyar district in Ghor
province, some 10 500 people were displaced from 25 villages to Lal Wa Sarjangal district. 602 UNOCHA
reported in early July 2021 that as a result of ‘intense clashes’ in Dawlatyar district around 10 500
people were reportedly displaced from 25 villages to Lal Wa Sarjangal district. 603 In mid-July 2021
armed clashes were reported to be causing sporadic displacement towards the provincial capital. 604

598 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url

599 Kam Air, Flight schedule, n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url

600

Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url

601 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

602 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 2
603 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 2
604 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021), 15 July 2021, url, p. 2

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.12 Helmand

Map 12: Afghanistan – Helmand province, source: UNOCHA 605

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Helmand province tobe under Taliban control. 606
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 420 security incidents
recorded in Helmand, of whom 246 were coded as battles, 148 remote violence and 26 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

605 UNOCHA, Afghanistan Helmand Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

606 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

66Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 13. Helmand province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 607

Targeted killings, IEDs, car bombs, Taliban attacks and airstrikes were documented in Helmand during
the reporting period. 608 In mid-March 2021 airstrikes were reported in Nahr-e-Saraj, Nad-e-Ali,
Lashkargh and Naw-e-Barakzaiy districts 609 and fighting was reported to be continuing in NawaeBarakzaiy, Lashkargah, Nahr-e-Saraj and Nad-e-Ali districts. 610 On 27 March 2021 a Taliban insider
attack on a security outpost in Greshk district killed 11 police officers and on 31 March 2021 in Washir
district the Taliban claimed to have shot down a Black Hawk helicopter, reportedly killing four police
officers and wounding two others although officials stated that a technical problem caused thecrash. 611 On 5 April 2021 a car bomb targeted a police outpost in Nawa district which killed eightsoldiers and wounded 12 others and on 25 April 2021 an imam in Greshk district was assassinated byunidentified assailants. 612 In Greshk district, two Hazara were shot dead on 23 May 2021 by unknown
gunmen and on 28 May 2021 a Taliban car bomb targeted a security base killing seven security force
members and wounding 52 others. 613 On 20 May 2021 nine civilians were injured by an IED in the
Basharan area in Nad-e-Ali district. 614 Towards the end of May 2021, fighting in Nahr-e-Saraj district
reportedly injured around 100 civilians. 615 UNOCHA documented in early July 2021 that ‘intense armed
clashes’ were reported in Nad-e-Ali district. 616 It further noted that during mid-July 2021 the province
witnessed a ‘significant spike in conflict’, with the ANSF conducting clearing operations andairstrikes. 617
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Lashkargah, on 3 March
2021 a sticky bomb attached to a police vehicle killed one police officer and wounded a civilian and on
6 March 2021 a car bomb targeting the police headquarters killed a senior NDS official and his
bodyguard and wounded eight civilians. 618 On 5 April 2021 a Taliban attack on a military base near
Lashkar Gah killed 10 soldiers and 12 others were taken prisoner. 619 Battles with the Taliban werereported on the outskirts of Lashkargah on 11 July 2021.620 In May 2021 rockets hit houses in
607 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

608 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
609 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (15-21 March 2021), 24 March 2021, url
610 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (8-14 March 2021), 16 March 2021, url
611 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
612 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
613 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
614 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (17-23 May 2021), 23 May 2021, url, p. 1
615 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (14-20 June 2021), 23 June 2021, url
616 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 1
617 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 1
618 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
619 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
620 Tolonews, Two district s Fall as Battles Continue Near 10 Cities, 11 July 2021, url

67Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Lashkargah causing civilian casualties. 621 By 3 May 2021, around 18 security outposts in the provincial
capital had been captured by the Taliban, with at least 18 security forces killed and forcing the retreatof all forces, with the Taliban blocked by an Afghan and American Air Force air campaign. 622 As of midJuly 2021, the capital Lashkar Gah was reported to be on the ‘verge of collapse’. 623 UNAMA detailedon 3 August 2021 that in the previous three days, at least 10 civilians had been killed and 85 woundedin Lashkargah. 624 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitter on 3 August 2021 that heavy fighting was underwayin Lashkargah city with Bost private university and a factory reportedly hit in air strikes 625 and residents
told to evacuate. 626 By 4 August 2021 the city was reported to be under siege and fighting for controlof the city described ‘raging’, with Taliban seen on the city roads, thousands of residents trapped or
fleeing for their lives and bodies lying in the streets. 627 One resident the BBC spoke to said that the
Taliban told them that if they didn’t leave their house within half an hour they would be counted
among the police and Afghan forces. 628 An Afghan commander leading the Helmand military operation
also told residents to flee. 629 On 4 August 2021 fighting was reported to continue near the police
headquarters, governor's office, prison, and other government buildings in the first police district. 630
During 26 July to 1 August 2021 UNOCHA noted reports of increased civilian casualties, destruction toresidences, shops and hospitals in Kandahar and Lashkargah.631 In a briefing to the Security Council on
6 August 2021, the Secretary General’s Special Representative stated that in Lashkargah, in theprevious 10 days at least 104 civilians were killed and 403 wounded. 632 On 13 August 2021, Lashkargah
fell to the Taliban after a ‘lengthy siege.’ 633
As of April 2021, AQ in the Indian Subcontinent was reported to be operating under the umbrella of
the Taliban from Kandahar, Helmand (notably Baramcha) and Nimroz Provinces. 634
In the first seven months of 2021 the WHO recorded damage to one healthcare facility, the destructionof another and the temporary closure of five more, as well as the injury of three healthcare
professionals, one person killed and four others wounded and three patients injured. 635 At the end of
May 2021 the Bolan Basic Health Clinic closed due to fighting, denying over 13 000 people access tobasic health services. 636 Fighting in Garmser district partially damaged the district hospital in June
2021.637 In August 2021 the Afghan air force bombed a private hospital that the Taliban had used as
shelter, killing a civilian and wounding two more. 638 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitter that a school anda clinic were hit in air strikes in two different locations in Lashkargah city on 7 August 2021 639 with

621 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
622 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

623 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
624 UNAMA, (@UNAMAnews), [Twitter], posted on: 3 August 2021, url
625 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 3 August 2021, url
626 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 3 August 2021, url

627 BBC, Afghanistan war: Bodies on the streets as fighting traps Lashkar Gah residents, 4 August 2021, url; Guardian,Taliban on brink of taking key Afghan city as residents told to flee, 3 August 2021, url
628 BBC, Afghanistan war: Bodies on the streets as fighting traps Lashkar Gah residents, 4 August 2021, url
629 Guardian, Taliban on brink of taking key Afghan city as residents told to flee, 3 August 2021, url
630 Tolonews, After 7 Days, Heavy Clashes Still Ongoing in Helmand’s Capital, 4 August 2021, url
631 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (26 July -1 August 2021), 5 August 2021, url
632 UNAMA, Briefing to the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Afghanistan, 6 August 2021, url
633 LWJ, After lengthy siege, Lashkar Gah is taken by the Taliban, 13 August 2021, url
634 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 46
635 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
636 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update ((24 – 30 May 2021), 2 June 2021, url
637 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (June 2021), 12 July 2021, url
638 New York Times (The), Key Afghan City in Danger of Falling to the Taliban, updated 4 August 2021, url
639 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 8 August 2021, url

68Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

UNOCHA reporting that a school was reportedly used by a party to the conflict and damaged infighting. 640
There is a domestic airport in Bost that is located in the southern boundary of Lashkar Gah city. 641
Humanitarian flights were suspended to Lashkargah in mid-June 2021 due to the security situation. 642
As of end July 2021, Kam Air offered scheduled passenger services from Bost to Kabul. 643 Bastion and
Dwyer airfields are also located near Lashkar Gah. 644 As of 29 August 2021, there were no scheduled
flights to or from Bost. 645 On 30 August 2021, Reuters cited the US FAA (Federal Aviation
Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services and a functional civil aviation authority
in Afghanistan’. 646
According to an Afghan pilot cited in March 2021, the Taliban’s control of checkpoints along majorroads in Helmand has meant that it was impossible to reach many of the Afghanistan National Armybases safely by road. 647 UNOCHA reported that at the end of May 2021, the main roads between
Lashkargah city and districts as well as to Kandahar city remained closed due to IEDs. 648 Furthermore,
it noted that during July 2021 primary and secondary roads to provinces and districts in the south werereportedly being intermittently blocked by a non-state armed group which was affecting civilian
movements and transportation of food as well as other basic items. 649 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitteron 27 July 2021 that a powerful roadside bomb targeting a police check post exploded by a bridge in
Lashkargah city, Helmand province, damaging it. 650
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data from the period 1 March – 9 August 2021, reporting 12 098 persons displaced
from Helmand province. Most (96%) sought refuge within the province in Lashkargah district. The
remaining 4% (511) travelled to Kandahar (355), Herat (119), Faryab (14), Farah (13), and Ghor (10).
99% of displacement occurred during May and June 2021. During the same period, no displacement
was reported to Helmand from other provinces. 651 Between 3 and 9 May 2021 UNOCHA described the
security situation as having deteriorated with 7 000 people displaced by fighting in Lashkargah andNawa-e- Barakzaiy districts. 652 Between 10 and 16 May 2021, internal displacement of civilians
continued in Lashkargah city due to fighting and insecurity. 653 Between 14 and 20 June 2021, fighting
in Nahr-e-Saraj district that began on 17 June resulted in 4 200 people being displaced, mostly within
the district administrative centre to nearby villages with some families reportedly moving towards
Lashkargah as well as Herat, Nimroz and Kandahar. 654

640 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (2 - 8 August 2021), 13 August 2021, url, p. 1
641 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 87

642 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (31 May - 6 June 2021), 8 June 202, url
643 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url

644 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 62 and 105
645 Kam Air, Flight schedule, n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021),url

Flightradar24, Bost Airport Live Air Traffic n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url
646
Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url
647 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 14; Washington Post, With less
U.S. tactical support, Afghanistan’s elite forces are struggling to roll back Taliban advances, 7 March 2021, url
648 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (31 May - 6 June 2021), 8 June 2021, url
649 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 1; UNOCHA,
Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 1
650 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 27 July 2021, url
651 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
652 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (3-9 May 2021), 12 May 2021, url, p. 1
653 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (10-16 May 2021), 19 May 2021, url, p. 1
654 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (14-20 June 2021), 23 June 2021, url, p. 1

69

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.13 Herat

Map 13: Afghanistan – Herat province, source: UNOCHA 655

As of 13 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Herat province to beunder Taliban control. 656
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 389 security incidents
recorded in Helmand, of whom 286 were coded as battles, 67 remote violence and 36 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

Figure 14. Herat province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 657

655 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Hirat Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

656 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

657 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

70Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

In March 2021 clashes between security forces and militias affiliated with local strongman Habibullah
in the area of Ghoryani in Jabriel caused the wounding of 36 people. 658
Roadside bombs, IEDs, targeted killings, Taliban attacks, including on security outposts and clashes
between the Taliban and ANSF in Herat were documented during the reporting period. 659 On 21 March
2021 a roadside bomb hit a security forces vehicle killing seven border soldiers in Kushk-e-Robat Sangi
district. 660 On 20 April 2021 a car bomb in Ghoryan district killed two pro-government militia members
and wounded two others, resulting fighting wounded 15 civilians.661 On 31 May 2021 in Ghoryan
distsrict two civilians were killed and five others wounded during a firefight between the Taliban and
ANSF. 662 On 3 June 2021 the deputy head of the religious scholars council for western Afghanistan was
assassinated by unknown armed men in Injil district. 663 By mid-July 2021 AAN documented that muchof Herat province was reported to be in Taliban hands, including Islam Qala, the main border crossing
into Iran, which generated an estimated $20m in monthly revenue for the government, as well as
Torghondai crossing. 664 On 5 July 2021 the Taliban attacked and overran an outpost in Chesht-e-Sharif
district, killing all 16 soldiers, and later in the week the Taliban took the district. On 29 July 2021 theTaliban attacked a security outpost in Guzara district killing two commandos, two soldiers and two
pro-government militia members and wounding 22 others. 665 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitter on 29
July 2021 that there had been reports of fighting between the Taliban and fighters loyal to Ismail Khanin Guzara district which lies around 20km outside of Herat city. 666 Khan stated that he had 3 000
fighters in Herat. 667 Bilal Sarwary further posted on Twitter on 30 July 2021 that the Taliban retook
control of the strategic Karoakh district, close to the city of Herat 668 as well as having Guzara district
under its control. 669 UNOCHA reported that during the second quarter of 2021, Herat was the provincethat experienced the third highest number of IED incidents in Afghanistan, at 119. 670 On 1 August 2021
three security forces were killed and 27 wounded, with two civilians killed and four wounded in clashes
on the outskirts of Herat city and in Injil district. 671
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Herat city, in early March
2021 gunfire resulted in several casualties including around 25 civilians wounded. 672 On 12 March
2021 a car bomb in police district 14, in the Payen Ab area killed six civilians, wounded 46 more andcaused extensive damage to nearby homes. 673 In May 2021 two police officers were shot dead inseparate incidents by unknown gunmen. 674 On 25 July 2021 a religious scholar was shot dead in theseventh police district. 675 On 30 July 2021 UNAMA reported that its compound had been attacked,
658 Khaama Press, Gunmen murder 7 factory workers in Nangarhar, 4 March 2021, url

659 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
660 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
661 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
662 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
663 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
664 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url; BBC,
Taliban capture key Afghanistan border crossings, 9 July 2021, url; ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan 39 July 2021, 14 July 2021, url
665 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
666 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 29 July 2021, url
667 National (The), Inside the fight for Herat, as the Taliban threaten Afghanistan's third biggest city, 2 August 2021, url
668 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 30 July 2021, url
669 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 30 July 2021, url
670 UNOCHA, HAG Quarterly Report (April to June 2021), 19 July 2021, url, p. 10
671 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
672 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (1-7 March 2021), 10 March 2021, url
673 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (8-14 March 2021), 16 March 2021, url
674 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url;
675 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

71Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

resulting in the death of an Afghan police officer and injuries to others. 676 On the same day, in Guzara
district one civilian was killed and two wounded and four pro-government members killed and 19
wounded in a Taliban attack. 677 On 2 August 2021 three civilians were killed, 31 civilians wounded andthree security forces injured in cross fire in the city. 678 On 4 August 2021 ‘heavy clashes’ between the
Taliban and the ANSF were reported in the villages in the southern part of the city and that two public
resistance force members reportedly killed and 15 others, including three civilians wounded. 679 In abriefing to the Security Council on 6 August 2021, the Secretary General’s Special Representative
stated that in Herat city, UNAMA had credible reports of at least 135 civilian casualties ‘from the onsetof the Taliban offensive’. 680 Herat city was captured by the Taliban on 12 August 2021, having been
under siege for weeks. 681 Ismail Khan, the warlord who once ruled Herat city, fled before it fell. 682 The
fall of Herat city, the fourth largest city in Afghanistan was described as a ‘devastating blow to thegovernment in Kabul’, and the ‘Taliban’s biggest victory’ since it began to take control of provincial
capitals. 683 It was reported that in the two weeks preceding the city’s capture, over 18 civilians were
killed and 260 others wounded in the fighting in Herat. 684
Herat was one of the urban centres most affected by a spike in robberies and thefts reported by
UNOCHA in the first quarter of 2021, with 36 incidents which decreased to 20 incidents in the second
quarter in total. 685
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Herat province in the first six
months of 2021, but one healthcare facility looted and one other closed in July 2021.686 According tonational power utility Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat 35 electricity pylons were damaged or
destroyed in the first six months of 2021 687, including one in Herat’s Kohsan city near the border with
Iran on 1 June 2021, 688 On 6 July 2021 the Taliban destroyed the Rozanak railway station located in
Ghorian district and related facilities. 689
Herat International Airport, known as Khwaja Abdullah Ansari International Airport, is located 10
nautical miles (18.5 km) south of Herat town. It is one of four international airports in Afghanistan,
serving both international and several domestic scheduled passenger flights, including to Kabul. 690 The
airport has been under the joint responsibility of NATO and the ACAA since 2015 and was planned tobe passed fully over to the ACAA in 2021. 691 Herat also hosts Shindand airfield. 692 As of 29 August 2021,
there were scheduled flights between Herat and Kabul. 693 On 30 August 2021, Reuters cited the US

676 UNAMA, United Nations Compound in Herat Attacked, 30 July 2021, url

677 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
678 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
679 Tolonews, Heavy Clashes Still Ongoing in Herat City, 4 August 2021, url

680 UNAMA, Briefing to the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for

Afghanistan, 6 August 2021, url
681 RFE/RL, Radio Azadi, Taliban Captures Herat, Two Other Cities As Afghan Forces Collapse, 13 August 2021, url
682 LWJ, Taliban overrun Herat City, Qala-i-Naw, 12 August 2021, url
683 LWJ, Taliban overrun Herat City, Qala-i-Naw, 12 August 2021, url; RFE/RL, Radio Azadi, Taliban Captures Herat, Two
Other Cities As Afghan Forces Collapse, 13 August 2021, url
684 Tolonews, 18 Civilians Killed in Two Weeks of Fighting in Herat, 13 August 2021, url
685 UNOCHA, HAG Quarterly Report (April to June 2021), 19 July 2021, url, p. 14
686 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-June 2021), 12 July 2021, url; WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on HealthCare July 2021, 10 August 2021, url;
687 Reuters, Violence intensifies across Afghanistan's central and northern provinces, 28 June 2021, url
688 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 140
689 AIHRC, Escalation of Violent Confrontations and a Rise in Violations of Human Rights, 17 July 2021, url
690 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 147
KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url
691 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 April 2021, url, p. 133
692 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 6
693 Flightradar24, Heart International Airport Live Air Traffic n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url

72

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services and a functional
civil aviation authority in Afghanistan’. 694
Fighting was reported in late July 2021 near the airport. 695 Between 2 - 8 August 2021, operations at
the airport were disrupted by mortars and armed clashes along the main road to the airport. 696 The
strategic Shindand air base was taken over on 12 August 2021 when Herat city was overrun. 697
In mid-May 2021 UNOCHA reported that parts of the following roads around Herat were affected byviolence such as armed clashes and IEDs: Herat-Badghis, Herat-Chaghcharan, Herat-Islam Qala and abridge was closed connecting Obe district. 698 As of mid-July 2021 the Kandahar-Herat highway
remained closed ‘due to ongoing conflict, checkpoints and the presence of improvised explosive
devices’ and UNOCHA described the situation on Herat-Islam Qala road as unpredictable. 699
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March - 9 August 2021, reporting 890 IDPs displaced from
Herat province, of which 99% (877) were displaced within the province, all into Injil district. The
remaining 13 IDPs were displaced into Faryab and Farah provinces. During the same period, 7 215 IDPs
were displaced from a number of other provinces, into Herat province, all of these to the Injil district.
6 389 of these IDPs came from Badghis with the remainder coming from Daykundi, Farah, Faryab,
Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Kandahar Kunduz and Wardak provinces. 2 478 IDPs were displaced from
Badghis province into Herat province on 2 July 2021, and an additional 2 149 were displaced from
Badghis into Herat the following day. 700 In early July 2021 armed clashes were reported to be causing
sporadic displacement towards the provincial capital in Herat. 701 By mid-July 2021 according to initialreports from local authorities, around 42 000 people had been displaced to Herat city from Ghor,
Badghis and Farah provinces due to conflict. 702

694

Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url

695 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url; Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary),[Twitter], posted on: 31 July 2021, url; Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 30 July 2021, url; RFE/RL’s Radio
Azadi, Battle Continues On The Outskirts Of Herat Between Taliban And Afghan Forces, 31 July 2021, url
696 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (2 - 8 August 2021), 13 August 2021, url, p. 1; Sarwary, B.,(@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 3 August 2021, url
697 LWJ, Taliban overrun Herat City, Qala-i-Naw, 12 August 2021, url
698 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (17-23 May 2021 ), 23 May 2021, url, p. 2
699 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 1
700 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
701 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (5-11 July 2021), 15 July 2021, url, p. 2
702 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (5-11 July 2021), 15 July 2021, url, p. 2

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.14 Jawzjan

Map 14: Afghanistan – Jawzjan province, source: UNOCHA 703

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Jawzjan province to beunder Taliban control. 704
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 144 security incidents
recorded in Jawzjan, of whom 87 were coded as battles, 45 remote violence and 12 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

703 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Jawzjan Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

704 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

74

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 15. Jawzjan province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 705

On 16 April 2021 a Taliban attack on the centre of Mordian district killed a police officer and two progovernment militia members. On 29 April 2021 a roadside bomb in Qosh Tepa district killed a progovernment militia member. 706 In late May 2021 Aqcha district was described as ‘under siege’ and the
Taliban had put roadside bombs along the highway. 707 In May and in June 2021 the Taliban attacked
several outposts including on 30 May 2021 in Faizabad district which they took over, killing three police
officers, pro-government militia members and a civilian. 708 On the next day a rocket hit a rickshaw
killing six civilians and wounding a child. 709 On 18 June 2021 in Aqcha a rocket killed two civilians andwounded two others. 710
The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report covering the period May 2020 and April
2021 noted that the Taliban moved forces into Jawzjan to deny the ANSF freedom of movement andto control road communications and border crossings to facilitate narcotic and mineral trade. 711 AAN
reported that Jawzjan had seen a ‘collapse’ of government-held district centres with nine out of 11
districts captured by the Taliban between 18 to 23 June 2021. 712
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Shiberghan, targetedkillings, roadside bombs and Taliban attacks on security outposts were reported. 713 On 1 March 2021
a vehicle bomb killed a tribal elder and wounded three civilians in the first police district and on 2
March 2021 a roadside bomb hit a military vehicle in the east, killing a public protection forces member
and wounding six others.714 On 11 April 2021 a Taliban attack on a security outpost in the Mangotai
area killed three police officers and wounded eight more. On 20 April 2021 the Taliban killed two
members of the public protection forces and wounded three more when attacking an outpost in the
Khwaja Gogerdak area. 715 On 20 May 2021 a sticky bomb targeted a military prosecutor. 716 In mid-July2021 UNOCHA described ‘heavy fighting’ in the surroundings of Shiberghan. 717 Battles with the Taliban
705 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
706 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
707 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

708 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan

War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
709 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
710 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
711 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 32
712 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
713 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),
Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
714 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
715 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
716 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
717 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 3

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Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

were reported on the outskirts of the city on 11 July 2021. 718 On 24 July 2021 unidentified assailants
killed a religious scholar in the first police district. 719 On 3 August 2021 the Taliban attacked security
outposts in the city killing three pro-government militia members and wounding three more.720 The
Taliban overran Shiberghan on the 7 August 2021, the second provincial capital since the May 2021
offensive began. 721 Warlord Marshall Abdul Rashid Dostum and his followers abandoned the capital. 722
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Jawzjan province in the first six
months of 2021 but recorded one healthcare facility damaged, one looted and one closed in July
2021.723
There is mention of an aerodrome in Jawzjan in Shiberghan but it does not appear to be operatingscheduled flights and it is not described in the ACAA Aeronautical Information Publication. 724 An airport
is reported to be located in Khwajadukoh, which as of 6 August 2021 was the only district under
government control. 725 The Taliban captured the airport outside of the provincial capital on 11 August
2021, along with Kunduz airport and the Pamir Corp headquarters. 726
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March - 9 August 2021, reporting 2 240 persons displaced
from Jawzjan province. Of these, 92% (2 058) were displaced within the Jawzjan province itself, all to
the Shiberghan district. Of the 182 IDPs displaced to regions outside of Jawzjan province, 175 weredisplaced to Balkh province and 7 to Sar-e-Paul. During the same period, 2 674 were displaced into
Jawzjan province (all to Shiberghan district) from other provinces, including 1 715 (64%) from Faryab
province. Of the 4 732 people displaced to Jawzjan province (both from within and outside theprovince), 55% (2 597) were displaced on one day, 18 June 2021. 727 Between 15 and 21 March 2021,
armed clashes were reported in Jawzjan. 728 Interagency assessment teams identified 1 281 people
affected by conflict to receive humanitarian assistance in the coming days in Balkh, Faryab, Sar-e-Pul,
Samangan and Jawzjan provinces. 729 Between 26 April and 2 May, a further 868 IDPs affected byconflict were identified by interagency assessment teams to receive humanitarian assistance in Faryab,
Jawzjan and Sar-e-Pul provinces. 730

718 Tolonews, Two districts Fall as Battles Continue Near 10 Cities, 11 July 2021, url; UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly

Humanitarian Update (19-25, 29 July 2021, url
719 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
720 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
721 LWJ, Taliban takes second provincial capital, 7 August 2021, url
722 LWJ, Taliban takes second provincial capital, 7 August 2021, url
723 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-June 2021), 12 July 2021, url; WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on HealthCare July 2021, 10 August 2021, url;
724 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 6
725 LWJ, Taliban takes second provincial capital, 7 August 2021, url
726 LWJ, Taliban seizes Afghan Army corps headquarters, 2 northern airports, 11 August 2021, url
727 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
728 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (15-21 March 2021), 24 March 2021, url, p. 2
729 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (15-21 March 2021), 24 March 2021, url, p. 2
730 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (26 April-2 May 2021), 5 May 2021, url, p. 2

76

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.15 Kabul province

Map 15: Afghanistan – Kabul province, source: UNOCHA 731

For information on the situation in Kabul city, see Chapter 2.1.
As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information considered all districts of Kabul Province to beunder Taliban control.732
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 192 security incidents
recorded in Kabul province, of whom 92 were coded as battles, 58 remote violence and 42 incidents
of violence against civilians.

Figure 16. Kabul province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 733

731 UNOCHA, Afghanistan Kabul Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

732 LWJ , Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed August 2021), url

733 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

77Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

ISKP attacked electricity pylons and fuel tankers in Kabul in the first half of May 2021. 734 In May 2021
elders in the Kohdaman region stated that the Taliban and Islamic State were present in their area. 735
During the government and Taliban declared ceasefire for the celebration of Eidul-Fitr, on 14 May 2021
ISKP claimed a detonated IED attack at a Sufi mosque in Shakar dara district during Friday prayers
which killed 10 civilians and injured a further 25. 736 On 23 July 2021 gunmen killed three police officers,
one solider and one civilian, who according to security officials were affiliated to the Islamic State. 737
During the reporting period roadside bombs and targeted attacks against security forces werereported in Kabul province. 738 UNOCHA reported that during the second quarter of 2021, Kabul was
the province experiencing the fifth highest number of IED incidents in Afghanistan, at 75. 739
A roadside bomb killed five civilians in Chahar Asyab district on 21 March 2021. 740 On 7 April 2021 a
civil servant was shot dead and on 22 April 2021 a commando major was assassinated by the Taliban,
both in Paghman district. On 27 April 2021 a Taliban ambush of an NDS vehicle killed an NDS officer
and wounded two more. 741 On 15 May 2021, an IED exploded in a mosque in Shakar Dara district inKabul province.742 On 12 and 17 June 2021 armed men shot dead five police officers and two civilians
in Paghman district. On 19 June 2021 a roadside bomb hit a police vehicle killing two officers inPaghman district. On 25 June 2021 an operation by CIA-backed Afghan forces killed five civilians in Deh
Sabz district. 743 On 13 July 2021 unknown gunmen shot dead three officers working for the
Independent Authority of Prisons in Bagrami district. 744 On 1 August 2021 a religious scholar was
assassinated in Deh Sabz district. 745
As of April 2021, Kabul was listed as one of 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly present. 746
In the first seven months of 2021 the WHO recorded the killing of one healthcare provider and injury
of three others in Kabul province. 747 SIGAR noted that militants attacked Afghanistan’s energy
infrastructure including on 1 June 2021 in northern Kabul where unknown assailants attacked
electricity pylons, cutting off electricity to several parts of the country. 748
See Section 2.1 for information about Kabul International Airport and security on major highways.
Displacement
Between 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, UNOCHA collected data on 10 976 persons displaced to Kabul
province, all to Kabul district. 57% of these IDPs arrived in Kabul from 1 July 2021. During the same
reporting period, no conflict-induced internal displacement from Kabul district was reported by
734 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 21

735 Tolonews, Local Elders Report Militant Presence North of Kabul City, 18 May 2021, url

736 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, pp. 10-11
737 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

738 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
739 UNOCHA, HAG Quarterly Report (April to June 2021), 19 July 2021, url, p. 10
740 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
741 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
742 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (10-16 May 2021), 19 May 2021, url, p. 2
743 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
744 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
745 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
746 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42
747 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
748 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 111; Arab News, 10 killed in twin Kabul
blasts, power supply disrupted across Afghanistan, 2 June 2021, url

78Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

UNOCHA. 749 Between 26 April and 2 May 2021, UNOCHA reported that against a backdrop of ongoing
volatile security situation in Kabul, 2 030 IDPs in Kabul and Paktika provinces underwent needs
assessments. 750 Between 10 and 16 May 2021, 721 IDPs affected by conflict received humanitarianassistance in Ghazni, Panjsher and Kabul provinces. 751 UNHCR reported on 13 August 2021 that since
the beginning of 2021, 120 000 people had fled from rural areas and provincial towns to Kabul
province. 752

2.16 Kandahar

Map 16: Afghanistan – Kandahar province, source: UNOCHA 753

As of 13 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Kandahar province tobe under Taliban control. 754
749 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

750 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (26 April-2 May 2021), 5 May 2021, url, p. 2
751 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (10-16 May 2021), 19 May 2021, url, p. 2

752 UNHCR, UNHCR warns Afghanistan’s conflict taking the heaviest toll on displaced women and children, 13 August 2021,

url

753 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Kandahar Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

754 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

79Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 517 security incidents
recorded in Kandahar, of whom 363 were coded as battles, 125 remote violence and 29 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

Figure 17. Kandahar province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 755

During the reporting period, airstrikes, IEDs, roadside bombs, cross-fire, targeted killings anddetentions by the Taliban and Taliban attacks on security outposts were reported in Kandahar. 756 In
mid-March 2021 US forces carried out airstrikes for two days against the Taliban in several towns in
Kandahar, reportedly highlighting the dependence of the ANSF on American airpower. 757 On 22 March
2021 mortar shells hit a house in Arghandab district , killing two civilians. 758 On 2 April 2021 an airstrikethat targeted a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device damaged houses in Arghandab district. 759
On 11 April 2021 Taliban infiltrators killed eight police officers at a security outposts on Panjwayi
district. 760 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitter on 6 May 2021 that the Taliban took control of the Dahla
dam as well as control all of the irrigation water provided by the Arghandab irrigation network whichfeeds four districts.761 On 13 May 2021, an IED hit a vehicle in Maywand Bazar and Panjwayi districtkilling seven civilians and wounding two more. 762 On 29 June 2021 the Taliban detonated triple carbombs in Khakrez district centre killing two soldiers, taking the district and dozens of security force
members surrendered. 763 On 22 June 2021, a roadside IED hit a bus travelling along the Herat –Kandahar highway in Maywand district killing five civilians and injuring 20 others. 764 UNOCHA
documented in early July 2021 that ‘intense armed clashes’ were reported in Panjwayi, Zheray andArghestan districts, including airstrikes in Panjwayi resulting in the deaths of five civilians and the injury
of six others. 765 By early July 2021 the Taliban had reportedly taken control of Shahwalikot district 766,
Panjwai district 767 and on 14 July 2021 posts and bases around Spin Boldak and Welsh crossing. 768 In
mid-July 2021 both Arghandab and Dand districts fell to the Taliban and in attacks on the districts on
12 July 2021, 49 civilians were wounded, 25 security force members were killed and 11 morewounded. 769 On 16 July 2021 Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was killed in a Taliban ambush in

755 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
756 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
757 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 14

758 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url

759 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (29 March -4 April 2021), 7 April 2021, url
760 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
761 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 6 May 2021, url

762 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (10-16 May 2021), 19 May 2021, url, p. 1
763 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
764 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June ), 1 July 2021, url, p. 1

765 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 1
766 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 1
767 Al Jazeera, Taliban seizes key districts in Afghanistan as gov’t forces flee, 4 July 2021, url

768 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 1
769 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

80Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Spin Boldak, and his body was later mutilated in Taliban custody. 770 The four districts bordering theprovincial capital Kandahar city, Arghandab, Dand, Shah Wali Kot, and Zheray had been taken as of
mid-July 2021. 771 The Taliban were reported to have detained hundreds of residents accused ofassociation with the government and reportedly killed some of the detainees, including security forces
and relatives of provincial government officials. 772 In Spin Boldak, the Taliban conducted house raids,
abducting and killing those with connections to the government or to former Kandahar police chief
Gen. Abdul Raziq. 773 A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior put the figure at 100 civilian deaths in
Spin Boldak. 774 On 19 July 2021 the Taliban shot dead two sons of a provincial council member. 775 In abriefing to the Security Council on 6 August 2021, the Secretary General’s Special Representative
stated that between 9 July and 6 August 2021 in Kandahar there had been more than 460 civilian
casualties. 776 On 9 August 2021 UNICEF recorded that in three days 20 children had been killed and
130 children injured in Kandahar province. 777
UNOCHA reported that during the second quarter of 2021, Kandahar recorded the most IED incidents
of all provinces in Afghanistan (221) and that Arghandab was the district experiencing the fourthhighest number of casualties from IED incidents in Afghanistan (111) with Kandahar district fifth(48). 778
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Kandahar city, targetedkillings and IED explosions continued. 779 On 29 March 2021 unidentified assailants shot dead four
soldiers and one civilian in three incidents in different districts of the city. 780 On 7 April 2021, a rocketthat landed next to the provincial governor’s compound reportedly injured a woman and child. 781 In
April 2021 roadside bombs caused casualties and on 19 April 2021 a magnetic bomb targeted a police
commander’s car, killing him and a passer-by.782 On 6 May 2021 a Finance Ministry employee andformer journalist with Tolonews was shot dead in the 14th police district. 783 Battles with the Taliban
were reported on the outskirts of Kandahar city on 11 July 2021. 784 On the same day mortar strikes hit
houses in the seventh police district, killing two civilians and wounding 20 others. 785 On 13 July 2021
10 civilians were killed and 42 others wounded in cross fire between the ANSF and the Taliban and in
further clashes in the city on 14 July 2021, eight security force members and three civilians were killed
and a further 41 civilians were wounded. 786 On 22 July 2021 it was reported that Kandahar city was‘under siege.’ 787 On 22 July 2021 the US carried out airstrikes to support the ANSF on the outskirts of
Kandahar city. 788 At the end of July 2021 UNOCHA noted that according to Mirwais Hospital, over 700

770 New York Times (The), Body of Reuters Photographer Was Mutilated in Taliban Custody, Officials Say, 31 July 2021, url
771 LWJ, Taliban battles Afghan military for control of Kandahar City, 22 July 2021, url

772 HRW, Afghanistan: Threats of Taliban Atrocities in Kandahar, 23 July 2021, url; Afghanistan Human Rights Commission,

Violations of International Humanitarian Law in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar Province, 31 July 2021, url
773 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
774 Tolonews, Sources Allege 100 Civilians Killed After Fall of Spin Boldak, 22 July 2021, url
775 Tolonews, Sources Allege 100 Civilians Killed After Fall of Spin Boldak, 22 July 2021, url
776 UNAMA, Briefing to the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Afghanistan, 6 August 2021, url
777 UNICEF, UNICEF, At least 27 children killed and 136 injured in past 72 hours as violence escalates in Afghanistan, 9August 2021, url
778 UNOCHA, HAG Quarterly Report (April to June 2021), 19 July 2021, url, p. 10
779 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (22-28 March 2021), 31 March 2021, url
780 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
781 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5-11 April 2021), 15 April 2021, url
782 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
783 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
784 Tolonews, Two district s Fall as Battles Continue Near 10 Cities, 11 July 2021, url
785 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
786 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
787 LWJ, Taliban battles Afghan military for control of Kandahar City, 22 July 2021, url
788 Reuters, U.S. launches air strikes in aid of embattled Afghan forces, 23 July 2021, url

81Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

civilians had been killed and injured in the previous couple of weeks. 789 UNAMA detailed on 3 August2021 that in the previous three days, at least five civilians had been killed and 42 wounded in Kandaharcity. 790 On 5 August 2021, the government advised residents to evacuate following a weekend which
saw almost 100 civilian casualties. 791 Kandahar city, Afghanistan’s second largest city, fell to the Taliban
on 12 August 2021, having been under siege for two months. 792
As of April 2021 AQ in the Indian Subcontinent was reported to be operating under the umbrella of
the Taliban in three provinces including Kandahar. 793
During the first seven months of 2021 the WHO recorded attacks on healthcare in Kandahar province,with the effects including one healthcare facility damaged and three closed, five patients killed andone patient injured, one health provider injured and four health providers detained and released,
three other people killed and one person injured and six others detained. 794 In early March 2021 an
IED in Panjwayi and a rocket in the same district caused damage to two healthcare facilities and on 1
March 2021 an ambulance came under gunfire in Arghandab district.795 Towards the end of April 2021,
in Arghandab district, three of six health facilities remained closed due to the presence of IEDs. 796 In
early May 2021 due to hostilities Maywand Comprehensive Health Clinic could only offer first aid. 797
In May 2021 the Shahkariz Health Facility in Khakrez district closed due to fighting, depriving around
8,000 people of access to healthcare. 798 During 26 July to 1 August 2021 UNOCHA noted reports ofdestruction to residences, shops and hospitals in Kandahar and Lashkargah.799
Kandahar International Airport, known as Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport, is located 9 nautical
miles (16.7) km southeast of Kandahar City, one of four international airports in Afghanistan, serving
both international and domestic scheduled passenger flights to Kabul. 800 The airport was under thejoint responsibility of NATO and the ACAA since 2015 and was passed to the ACAA on 10 January
2021. 801 As of end July 2021 the government was still seeking a contractor to operate the airport. 802 In
the first quarter of 2021, the limited capacity of the ACAA meant that civilian flights were restricted todaylight hours. 803 In early August 2021 Taliban rockets hit the airport damaging the runway andstopping flights. 804 As of 29 August 2021 scheduled flights were operating between KandaharInternational Airport and Kabul. 805 On 30 August 2021, Reuters cited the US FAA (Federal Aviation
Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services and a functional civil aviation authority
in Afghanistan’. 806

789 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25, 29 July 2021, url
790 UNAMA, (@UNAMAnews), [Twitter], posted on: 3 August 2021, url
791 LWJ, Kandahar City falls to the Taliban, 12 August 2021, url

792 LWJ, Kandahar City falls to the Taliban, 12 August 2021, url

793 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 46
794 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
795 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (1-7 March 2021), 10 March 2021, url
796 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25 April 2021), 28 April 2021, url
797 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (3-9 May 2021), 12 May 2021, url
798 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (17-23 May 2021 ), 23 May 2021, url, p. 1
799 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (26 July -1 August 2021), 5 August 2021, url
800 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 323; KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28
July 2021), url
801 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 April 2021, url, p. 133
802 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 120
803 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 April 2021, url, p. 134
804 Al Jazeera, Afghan forces bomb Taliban in bid to halt advance on cities, 1 August 2021, url; Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary),[Twitter], posted on: 1 August 2021, url
805 Flightradar24, Kandahar Airport Live Air Traffic, n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url
806
Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url

82

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

UNOCHA reported between 22 and 28 March 2021 that an IED explosion destroyed a key bridge in the
Sarkari Bagh area in Arghandab district. 807 UNOCHA reported in early July 2021 that primary andsecondary roads to provinces and districts in the south were reportedly being intermittently blocked
by a non-state armed group which was affecting civilian movements and the transportation of foodand other basic items. 808 As of mid-July 2021 the Kandahar-Herat highway remained closed ‘due toongoing conflict, checkpoints and the presence of improvised explosive devices’. 809
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March - 9 August 2021, reporting 14 050 persons displaced
from Kandahar province. 99% (13 996) were displaced within the province itself, mostly to the
Kandahar/Dand district. During this period, there were two peak days of displacement within theprovince both within the Kandahar/Dand district; 6 404 displaced on 9 July 2021 and 3 486 on 20 July
2021. During the same period, 355 were displaced into Kandahar from other provinces, coming
exclusively from Helmand province. 810 Between 26 April and 2 May 2021, 2 842 people were displaced
from Arghestan district of Kandahar province to Spin Boldak and Kandahar city. 811 Between 10 and 16
May 2021, armed clashes were reported in Shah Wali Kot, Arghestan, Panjwayi, Maywand and Zheray
districts across the province, leading to 3 500 people from Maywand district displaced to Kandaharcity. 812 As clashes continued, between 17 and 23 May 2021, 500 people were reportedly displaced
within Khakrez district. 813 Between 28 June and 4 July 2021, armed clashes were reported in Panjwayi,
Zheray and Arghestan districts, resulting in internal displacement of hundreds of civilians. Around 2000 fled conflict in Panjwaiy district to Kandahar city. 814 Between 5 and 11 July 2021, fighting, including
airstrikes, continued in Kandahar city leading to around 11 200 people in contested areas fleeing tosafer parts of Kandahar city. 815 Between 19 and 25 July 2021, it was reported that four out of the fiveprovincial capitals were partially or fully surrounded by a NSAG, resulting in displacement of civilians
to neighbouring areas. 816 Conflict continued to escalate sharply between 26 July and 1 August 2021
leading to displacement to safer areas within the provincial capitals and neighbouring districts. 817
Between 9 and 15 August 2021, UNOCHA reported that that over the ‘previous weeks’ around 35 000
people were displaced by conflict in Kandahar city, districts and neighbouring provinces. 818

807 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (22-28 March 2021), 31 March 2021, url, p. 2
808 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 1
809 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 1

810 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

811 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (26 April-2 May 2021), 5 May 2021, url, p. 1
812 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (10-16 May 2021), 19 May 2021, url, p. 1
813 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (17-23 May 2021), 23 May 2021, url, p. 1

814 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June -4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 1
815 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (5-11 July 2021), 15 July 2021, url, p. 1

816 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25 July 2021), 29 July 2021, url, p. 1

817 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (26 July -1 August 2021), 5 August 2021, url, p. 1
818 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (9-15 August 2021), 19 August 2021, url, p. 2

83

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.17 Kapisa

Map 17: Afghanistan – Kapisa province, source: UNOCHA 819

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Kapisa province to beunder Taliban control. 820
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 105 security incidents
recorded in Kapisa, of whom 65 were coded as battles, 32 remote violence and 8 incidents of violenceagainst civilians.

Figure 18. Kapisa province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 821

819 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Kapisa Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

820 LWJ,Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

821 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

84

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

During the reporting period the Taliban attacked security forces with mortar fire, and Taliban
detentions and targeted killings were also documented. 822 On 29 March 2021 a Taliban attack killed
three soldiers and took another prisoner and on 31 March 2021 in Kohistan district the Taliban
assassinated an NDS official and a civilian. 823 On 21 May 2021 a Taliban attack in Tagab district killed
two pro-government militia members and wounded four others.824 On 14 May 2021 a Taliban ambush
killed a solider and wounded three others in Tagab and on 29 May 2021 a Taliban mortar hit a wedding
party in the same district, killing seven civilians and injuring six more.825 On 8 June 2021 30 outposts
collapsed in Tagab with one solider and one pro-government militia member killed. 826 On 30 June 2021
the Taliban attacked Alasay district, killing one soldier and one police officer, wounding two others andtemporarily detaining 200 security force members. 827 In early July 2021 the central region was
described as having become ‘increasingly unstable and unpredictable’, with reports of increased
activities and violence against civilians by non-state armed groups in Kapisa. 828 On 14 July 2021
unidentified assailants killed a religious scholar in a Kohistan district (not specified) and in Nejrab
district the deputy governor of Kapisa was killed in a Taliban ambush. On 25 July 2021 an ANSF strikekilled three civilians and wounded two others in Nijrab district and on the next day a rocket hit a housein a Kohistan district (not specified) and killed one civilian. 829 Also on 25 July 2021 unknown assailants
stormed the house of a female police officer, dragging her out and shooting her dead. 830 On 30 July
2021 a civilian was killed in a failed attempt to retake Nijrab district and on 2 August 2021 two
commandos were killed in an successful ANSF recapture. 831
At the end of July 2021, a former governor of the province indicated that weak coordination among
public uprising forces along with a large number of Taliban fighters led to the fall of many key districtsin the province. 832
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Mahmod Raqi on 12 March
2021 the Taliban attacked the first police district, killing a police officer and wounding his brother. 833
On 4 May 2021 the Taliban killed a police officer whilst he was visiting his family and on 27 May 2021
a bomb explosion killed three civilians. 834 On 20 June 2021 in the second police district an unidentified
assailant killed a police officer. 835 On 3 August 2021 a police officer was shot dead in the second police
district. 836
As of April 2021, Kapisa was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly
present. 837

822 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
823 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
824 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
825 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
826 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
827 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
828 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July, url, p. 2
829 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
830 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
831 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
832 Tolonews, 'Lack of Coordination' of Public Forces Cited in Kapisa Losses, 26 July 2021, url
833 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
834 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
835 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
836 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
837 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42

85

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Kapisa province in the firstseven months of 2021. 838
Kapisa lacks an operational domestic airport. 839
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March - 9 August 2021, reporting 1 316 persons displaced
from Kapisa province, of whom the majority (1 106) were displaced to Kabul and the remaining 210
within the province itself (finding refuge in Hisa-e-Duwum-e-Kohestan, Mahmud-e-Raqi, Hisa-e-Awale-Kohestan and Nejrab districts). During the same period, no displacement was reported into Kapisa
from other provinces. 840 Between 3 and 9 May 2021, 2 030 people were newly displaced in Kapisa andGhazni provinces due to ongoing fighting and insecurity. 841

2.18 Khost

Map 18: Afghanistan – Khost province, source: UNOCHA 842

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts to be under Taliban
control. 843
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 124 security incidents
recorded in Khost, of whom 75 were coded as battles, 32 remote violence and 17 incidents of violenceagainst civilians.

838 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
839 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url

840 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
841 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (3-9 May 2021), 12 May 2021, url, p. 2
842 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Khost Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

843 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31

August 2021), url

86Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 19. Khost province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 844

On 8 March 2021 the pro-government militia Khost Protection Force (KPF) conducted a military
operation in Spera district in which 15 civilians and 30 Taliban fighters were reportedly killed, with two
KPF members killed and 22 others wounded in a counter attack. On 28 March 2021 the KPF conducteda military operation in Sabari district in which over 17 civilians were killed, with several shops, houses
and one mosque targeted. 845 On 16 May 2021 a rocket landed in Baraki Barak district killing threecivilians and wounding six others. 846 On 18 May 2021 in Jajimaydan district a magnetic bomb exploded
killing one NDS officer. 847 On 19 June 2021 a roadside bomb in Musakhel district killed four civilians. 848
On the same day the Taliban killed six soldiers and abducted dozens more in an attack on an outpost
which they captured before it was taken back.849 On 8 July 2021, three children were killed and one
more wounded by a bomb in Sabari district. 850 In mid-July 2021 the central region was described ashaving become ‘increasingly unstable and unpredictable’, with reports of increased activities andviolence against civilians by non-state armed groups in Khost. 851 At the same time AAN reported that
the Khosts’ district centres were all in government control except Qalandar and Musakhel, and thatgovernment strength in the province was largely on account of the KPF, formerly controlled by theCIA. 852 On 30 July 2021 a Taliban attack on a gathering near a military base killed two civilians andwounded 30 more. 853 UNOCHA reported that during the second quarter of 2021, Khost was theprovince that experienced the fourth highest number of IED incidents in Afghanistan, at 114. 854
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Khost city, on 9 May 2021
an NDS officer was shot dead and on 17 May 2021 unidentified gunmen killed four civilians. 855
The Haqqani Network within the Taliban structure is reported to have a force of between 3 000 to
10 000 traditional armed fighters operating in the “P2K” region of Khost, Paktika and Paktiya
provinces. 856

844 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
845 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
846 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
847 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
848 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
849 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url

850 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

851 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 2

852 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
853 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
854 UNOCHA, HAG Quarterly Report (April to June 2021), 19 July 2021, url, p. 10

855 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

856 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, paras. 27-28

87

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Khost province in the first sevenmonths of 2021. 857
There is a domestic airport in Khost that is located 15km southwest from the city. 858 As of end July
2021, Kam Air offered scheduled passenger services from Khost to Kabul. 859, but as of 29 August 2021
no flights were scheduled. 860 Salerno airfield is also located in Khost. 861 In July 2021 it was reported
that an international airport was set to be opened in the ‘near future’ but that it lacked facilities that
met international standards. 862 On 30 August 2021, Reuters cited the US FAA (Federal Aviation
Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services and a functional civil aviation authority
in Afghanistan’. 863
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 1 050 persons
displaced from within the province. During the same period, no displacement was reported to Khostfrom other provinces. By district, displacement was recorded during the reference period from Sabari,Bak, Qalandar and Musakhel. All IDPs displaced from Sabari, Bak, Qalandar and Musakhel weredisplaced to Matun district.864 Between 17 and 23 May 2021, some 4 900 people were newly displacedin Wardak and Khost provinces due to fighting. 865

857 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
858 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 360
859 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url

860 Flightradar24, Khost Airport Live Air Traffic, n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url

861 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 447

862 Pajhwok Afghan News, Set to open soon, Khost airport lacks global standards, 3 June 2021, url

863

Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url

864 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

865 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (17-23 May 2021), 23 May 2021, url, p. 2

88

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.19 Kunar

Map 19: Afghanistan – Kunar province, source: UNOCHA 866

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all the districts of Kunar province tobe under Taliban control. 867
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 93 security incidents recorded
in Kunar, of whom 65 were coded as battles, 27 remote violence and 1 incident of violence against
civilians.

Figure 20. Kunar province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 868

866 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Kunar Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url

867 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

868 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

89Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

On 7 March 2021 a doctor was killed by a roadside bomb in Sawkay district. 869 On 25 March 2021
shelling killed a civilian and wounded another in Sarkani district. 870 On 3 April 2021 four soldiers were
killed and four taken prisoner when the Taliban attacked two outposts in Chapadara district, taking
control of one. 871 In mid-July 2021 five children were reportedly injured by an unexploded ordnancein the Bachi area in Marawara district. 872 In mid-July 2021 AAN reported that the Taliban was relatively
weak in Kunar compared to the strength of the ANSF and Uprising Forces and that Taliban attacks on
Ghaziabad, Bar Kunar and Marawara districts were successfully defended. 873 Bilal Sarwary posted on
Twitter on 22 July 2021 that the Taliban took control of Ghaziabad district in Kunar province. 874 On 23
July 2021 a Taliban attack killed four soldiers, wounded a dozen more and abducted 23 others in Nari
district which had reportedly been under siege for the previous two months. 875
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Asadabad, on 26 April 2021
a rocket hit the provincial governor’s compound, killing three children and wounding a further 10. 876
ISKP was assessed in April 2021 to have retained a core group of around 1 500 to 2 200 fighters in the
Manogay (Dara-e-Pech) district of Kunar and the Achin district of Nangarhar. 877 As of April 2021 Kapisa
was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly present. 878
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Kunar province in the first six
months of 2021, but one healthcare facility damaged in July 2021. 879 On 23 June 2021, mortar firecaused extensive damage to the Asadabad Provincial Hospital, the Polio Eradication Management
Team building and destroyed vaccines. 880 Between 4 and 5 July 2021 a health facility in Kunar was
closed due to damage caused by fighting. 881
Kunar province lacks an operational domestic airport. 882 At the end of June 2021, the road between
Asadabad and Ghaziabad remained closed. 883
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 23 182 persons
displaced from Kunar, of which 79% (18 407) were displaced within the province and the remainder inNang. 96% (8 793) of displacement within the province took place in June 2021, with most IDPs
travelling to the Asadabad district. IDPs were displaced from across the province, originating from 11
districts, with the majority travelling from Ghaziabad district. During the same period, a further 8 IDPs
sought refuge in Kunar’s Asadabad district, travelling from Nangarhar province. 884 As of 27 July 2021,

869 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url

870 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (22-28 March 2021), 31 March 2021, url
871 NEW YORK TIMES (THE), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url

872 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p.1

873 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
874 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 22 July 2021, url

875 NEW YORK TIMES (THE), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

876 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (26 April-2 May 2021), 5 May 2021, url

877 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 62
878 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42
879 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-June 2021), 12 July 2021, url; WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on HealthCare July 2021, 10 August 2021, url;
880 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June ), 1 July 2021, url, p. 1
881 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 2
882 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url
883 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June ), 1 July 2021, url, p. 1
884 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

90Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

19 950 people were reportedly displaced due to fighting in Kunar province. 885 Of these, 14 217 people
were displaced to Asadabad, Shegal, Barkunar, Narang, Chawkay, Nurgal and Sarkani districts and 5733 people were displaced to Behsud, Jalalabad, Kuzkunar and Kama districts in Nangarhar Province. 886
Towards the end of June 2021, fighting in Ghaziabad displaced 1 050 people. 887 Since 25 July 2021,
tens of thousands of people were displaced by an escalation in conflict in the province with people
fleeing to districts within Kunar and Nangahar provinces. 888

2.20 Kunduz

Map 20: Afghanistan – Kunduz province, source: UNOCHA 889

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Kunduz province to beunder Taliban control. 890
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 240 security incidents
recorded in Kunduz, of whom 186 were coded as battles, 47 remote violence and 7 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

885 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25 July 2021), 29 July 2021, url, p. 2
886 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25 July 2021), 29 July 2021, url, p. 2

887 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (14-20 June 2021), 23 June 2021, url, p. 2
888 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (2 - 8 August 2021), 13 August 2021, url
889 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Kunduz Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url

890 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

91

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 21. Kunduz province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 891

The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report covering the period May 2020 and April
2021 noted that the Taliban moved forces into five northern provinces including Kunduz, with theobjective to deny the ANSF freedom of movement and to control road communications and bordercrossings to facilitate narcotic and mineral trade. 892 By early July 2021 AAN reported that seven out of
10 districts had been recently captured by the Taliban, with two already held. The source explainedthat the ‘even recently-captured districts in Kunduz had all changed hands between ANSF and the
Taliban many times and were vulnerable to Taliban capture. But the collapse of all within days of eachother appears to have been triggered by low morale within the ANSF.’ 893
During the reporting period, rockets, mortar fire, roadside bombs, Taliban attacks on security outposts
and battles were documented in Kunduz. 894 On 6 March 2021 two people were reportedly killed at an
illegal checkpoint in Aliabad district. 895 On 20 April 2021 an Afghan air force rocket hit a house in
Emamsaheb district, killing one child and wounding three civilians. 896 On 11 May 2021 an ANSF mortar
hit a house in Imam Sahib district which killed five civilians and injured a further two and on 18 May
2021 the Taliban attacked the house of a police chief in Emamsaheb district killing two and wounding
nine security force members. 897 In one week towards the end of June 2021, 21 people were reportedly
killed and a further 225 wounded by conflict in the province. 898 In one incident that week in
Emamsaheb district, seven civilians were killed and 67 others wounded and ten security force
members killed and 17 others wounded. 899 At the end of June 2021 the Taliban captured Shir Khan
Bandar, the main border crossing with Tajikistan, described as ‘the most significant gain for the Taliban’since its increase in operations following the US troop withdrawal, forcing 134 Afghan soldiers to flee
to Tajikistan. 900
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Kunduz city, on 6 March
2021 a roadside bomb hit a military vehicle in the fifth police district, killing a pro-governmentcommander and wounded two others. 901 On 6 May 2021 the Taliban attacked a battalion headquarters
891 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

892 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 32
893 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
894 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),
Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
895 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (8-14 March 2021), 16 March 2021, url
896 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
897 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
898 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June ), 1 July 2021, url, p. 1
899 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
900 Al Jazeera, Taliban captures Afghanistan’s main Tajikistan border crossing, 22 June 2021, url; Khaama Press, 134 Afghansoldiers escape the Taliban attack, seeking sanctuary in Tajikistan, 23 June 2021, url
901 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url

92

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situationin the third police district, killing eight soldiers, wounding two others and reportedly 13 Taliban fighters
were also killed. 902 On 13 May 2021, an IED denotated in the Sar-e-Dawa area killed two civilians andwounded 14 others. 903 In mid-June 2021 ‘fierce fighting’ was reported between the Taliban and ANSF
on the outskirts of Kunduz city. 904 By 24 June 2021 the Taliban was reported to be involved in streetto-street battles with the security forces in every neighbourhood of the provincial capital. 905 In one
incident on 23 June 2021 cross fire killed four civilians and wounded 78 more and on 24 June 2021
with two civilians and 42 more wounded in clashes between the Taliban and Afghan security forces.
Also on 24 June 2021 in Eighth police district an airstrike killed two police officers and wounded eight
more and the Taliban captured the district. 906 At the end of June 2021 residents of Bagh-e Sherkat
stated that homes had been burnt and they had been ordered by the Taliban to evacuate with themilitants reportedly threatening those they claimed had offered previous support to thegovernment. 907 In early July 2021 the Taliban was also reported to be searching for members of the
ALP, uprising forces and former mujahedin commanders in the districts under their control. 908 On 16
July 2021 a vehicle exploded in the third police district, killing one civilian and wounding nine more. 909
UNOCHA reported at the end of July 2021 that the ANSF had been conducting military operations inpolice districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and that IEDs and magnetic IEDs had killed a civilian and injured 20 others. 910
In one incident on 23 July 2021 the Taliban targeted a pro-government militia base at a mosque, killing
two members. 911 On 8 August 2021 the Taliban claimed Kunduz city, with residents reported to beforced to flee and the city’s market on fire. 912 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitter on 8 August 2021 thatat least 100 civilians were killed following fighting in Kunduz. 913 The Red Unit, the Taliban’s ‘special
fighters’ were reported to have been seen in Kunduz city. 914
As of April 2021 Kunduz was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly
present. 915 ISKP was assessed in April 2021 to have retained a small group in Kunduz, predominantly
made up of local ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks. 916 The ISKP attacked electricity pylons and fuel tankers in
Kunduz in the first half of May 2021. 917 During the government and Taliban declared ceasefire for thecelebration of Eidul-Fitr, on 13 May 2021 the ISKP claimed a remote detonated IED attack outside ashop in the Zer-e-Dawra area of Kunduz city which killed two civilians and injured a further 15. 918 On
30 July 2021 Islamic State fighters abducted and executed a traffic police officer from the Eighth police
district in Kunduz city. 919

902 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

903 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (10-16 May 2021), 19 May 2021, url, p.2
904 Al Jazeera, Taliban captures Afghanistan’s main Tajikistan border crossing, 22 June 2021, url
905 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url

906 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
907 HRW, Afghanistan: Taliban Forcibly Displace Civilians, 7 July 2021, url

908 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
909 NEW YORK TIMES (THE), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
910 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25, 29 July 2021, url

911 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

912 The Guardian, Major coup for Taliban as fighters take Afghan city of Kunduz, 8 August 2021, url
913 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 8 August 2021, url

914 LWJ, Taliban takes control of Afghan provincial capitals of Kunduz, Sar-i-Pul and Taloqan, 8 August 2021, url

915 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42
916 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 62
917 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 21
918 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 10
919 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

93Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Kunduz province in the firstseven months of 2021. 920
There is an airport in Kunduz that is located 3 nautical miles (5.5 km) southeast from Kunduz city. 921
As of end July 2021, Kunduz to Kabul is an intended future Kam Air passenger services route. 922
UNOCHA noted that in mid-July 2021 attacks near the Kunduz airport impacted some flights, althoughhumanitarian flights remained operational. 923 The airport was reported to remain under government
control as of 8 August 2021 924 but Afghan troops reportedly surrendered to the Taliban three days
later. 925 The Taliban also captured the airport outside of the Jawzjan’s provincial capital Shiberghan on
11 August 2021, along the Pamir Corps headquarters, meaning that the Taliban controls the roads
leading to the two cities and denying the ability to launch counterattacks by road. 926 As of 29 August
2021, flights were scheduled to and from Kabul. 927 On 30 August 2021, Reuters cited the US FAA(Federal Aviation Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services and a functional civil
aviation authority in Afghanistan’. 928
In the first quarter of 2021, the Taliban set up new checkpoints on the Kunduz-Takhar highway tocontrol transit and commerce routes. 929 In May 2021 the Taliban blew up two bridges in Emamsaheb
district. 930 In July 2021 AAN noted that ‘most of the roads connecting Kunduz city to its districts areunder Taliban control, as are the highways to Baghlan to the south and Takhar to the east’. 931
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 95 909 persons
displaced from Kunduz province, of which around 90% (86 667) were displaced within the province,
almost all (84 042) remaining within the Kunduz district. 11 837 IDPs left the Kunduz province, seeking
refuge in Badakhshan (6 475), Kabul (2 667), Herat (63) and Panjsher (37). No displacement from otherprovinces was registered to Kunduz province in the same period.932 Between 22 and 28 March 2021,
4 200 people from remote villages in Imam Sahib district, Kunduz province were displaced to safer
districts due to fighting. 933 Between 29 March and 4 April 2021, 3 472 people were displaced to
Emamsaheb district due to ongoing fighting in Kunduz province. 934 Between 19 and 25 April 2021, 9
100 people were displaced from Estameng, Agibai, Mominabad, Rawza and Ismael Qishlaq villages to
Emamsaheb district due to ongoing fighting in the province. 935 Between 14 and 20 June 2021, around35 000 people had been displaced by conflict around Kunduz 936 with a further 7 500 people displaced
from Khanabad, Aliabad, Emamsaheb, and the outskirts of Kunduz city to safer locations in Kunduz cityin the week of 21 to 27 June 2021. 937

920 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
921 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 360
922 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url

923 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 2

924 LWJ, Taliban takes control of Afghan provincial capitals of Kunduz, Sar-i-Pul and Taloqan, 8 August 2021, url
925 LWJ, Taliban seizes Afghan Army corps headquarters, 2 northern airports, 11 August 2021, url
926 LWJ, Taliban seizes Afghan Army corps headquarters, 2 northern airports, 11 August 2021, url
927 Flightradar24, Kunduz Airport Live Air Traffic, n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url

928

Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url

929 USDOD, Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, 14 May 2021, url, p. 13
930 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

931 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
932 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

933 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (22-28 March 2021), 31 March 2021, url, p. 2

934 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (29 March - 4 April 2021), 7 April 2021, url, p. 2
935 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25 April 2021), 28 April 2021, url, p. 2
936 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (14-20 June 2021), 23 June 2021, url, p. 2
937 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June 2021), 1 July 2021, url, p. 2

94

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.21 Laghman

Map 21: Afghanistan – Laghman province, source: UNOCHA 938

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Laghman to under
Taliban control. 939
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 179 security incidents
recorded in Laghman, of whom 123 were coded as battles, 45 remote violence and 11 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

938 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Laghman Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url;

939 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

95

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 22. Laghman province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 940

On 2 April 2021 mortar shells that landed near residential areas in Alishang district reportedly injured
17 civilians. 941 On 13 June 2021 a mortar shell killed five civilians including a newborn, and wounded
one other in Alishang district. 942 On 3 July 2021 armed clashes reportedly led to the deaths of threecivilians and injury of 20 others with further clashes and mortar fire in some Alishang villages killing
three civilians and injuring eight others. 943 On 15 July 2021 mortar fire hit houses in Alingar districtkilling five civilians and wounding 12 others. On 27 July 2021 four security officers were killed in a
Taliban ambush in Alingar district. 944
An August 2021 AAN report described Laghman as having long been contested with ‘strong Taliban
presence in some rural areas, held at bay by government forces based in district centres’. 945 It notedthat since 1 May 2021, three district centres and several security outposts fell with loss of life, following
ANSF surrenders that had been mediated by tribal elders. 946
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Mehtarlam, on 23 April
2021 unidentified assailants shot and killed a tribal elder and wounded three civilians. 947 On 21 May
2021 the Taliban captured Dawlatshah district which enabled them to capture security outputs around
Mehtarlam. 948 On 26 May 2021, a mortar was reported to wound four children. 949 Residents reported
that at the end of May 2021 the Taliban had warned them to leave their homes due to a planned
offensive. 950 On 27 July 2021 the Taliban stormed a house in Mehtarlam and killed three civilians andwounded three others. 951
As of April 2021, Laghman was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly
present. 952
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Laghman province in the firstsix months of 2021 but one healthcare facility destroyed and one other damaged in July 2021. 953
940 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
941 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (29 March -4 April 2021), 7 April 2021, url
942 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url

943 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 2
944 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

945 AAN, Taliban Victory or Government Failure? A security update on Laghman province, 4 August 2021, url
946 AAN, Taliban Victory or Government Failure? A security update on Laghman province, 4 August 2021, url
947 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
948 VOA, Taliban Attack Threatens Afghan Provincial Capital, 23 May 2021, url

949 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update ((24 – 30 May 2021), 2 June 2021, url, p. 2

950 AAN, Taliban Victory or Government Failure? A security update on Laghman province, 4 August 2021, url
951 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

952 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42
953 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-June 2021), 12 July 2021, url; WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on HealthCare July 2021, 10 August 2021, url;

96

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Between 4 and 5 July 2021, a health facility in Laghman provinces was closed due to damage causedby fighting. 954
There is no operational domestic airport in Laghman province. 955
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 17 814 persons
displaced from Laghman, of which 17 745 were displaced within the province. The remainder fled toGhor (6), Kabul and (28) Panjsher (35) provinces. During the same period, no displacement wasreported to Laghman from other provinces. By district, displacement was recorded during thereference period from Alishang and Alingar district. 98 % of persons displaced from Alishang andAlingar district were displaced to Mehtarlam/Bad Pash district. 956 Between 26 April and 2 May 2021,
150 families (approximately 1 050 people) were displaced within Alishang district due to fighting
between the ANSF and an NSAG. 957 In mid-May 2021, 14 000 people were displaced owing to clashes
between the ANSF and a non-state armed group in Mehtarlam city and Alishang, Alingar and
Dawlatshah districts. 958 On 17 June 2021, UNOCHA reported that since the start of the conflict, flighting
had displaced a cumulative 23 000 people in Laghman. 959

2.22 Logar

Map 22: Afghanistan – Logar province, source: UNOCHA 960

954 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 2
955 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url

956 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

957 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (26 April-2 May 2021), 5 May 2021, url, p. 2
958 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (17-23 May 2021), 23 May 2021, url, p. 2
959 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (7-13 June 2021), 17 June 2021, url, p. 2
960 UNOCHA, Afghanistan Logar Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

97Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Logar province to beunder Taliban control. 961
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 244 security incidents
recorded in Logar, of whom 168 were coded as battles, 59 remote violence and 17 incidents of violenceagainst civilians.

Figure 23. Logar province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 962

On 23 April 2021 a doctor and his son were killed during a NDS military operation in Mohammad Agha
district. Clashes between the ANSF and the Taliban in April 2021 led to security force casualties. 963 On
25 May 2021 four civilians were killed when mortar fire by an unknown group hit a house in Baraki
Barak district. 964 On 16 June 2021 four people were killed and six others wounded when mortar hit ahouse in Mohammed Agha district. 965 In mid-July 2021 the central region was described as having
become ‘increasingly unstable and unpredictable’, with reports of increased activities and violenceagainst civilians by non-state armed groups in Logar. 966
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Pul-e-Alam targetedkillings and roadside bombs were documented in the reporting period. 967 On 28 March 2021, unknown
gunmen killed two members of a pro-government militia and another was wounded in the KhaderBazaar area of. 968 On 24 April 2021 a roadside bomb killed three soldiers in the Kunjuk area. 969 On 30
April 2021, a vehicle explosion at a guesthouse in during Iftar killed four and injured a further 118
civilians, as well as causing severe damage to the provincial hospital and other buildings. 970 Other
sources put the figure at 25 or 27 dead. 971 No group claimed responsibility. 972 Police officers, NDS
officers and a former spokesman of Logar police were reported to be shot dead and wounded inseveral Taliban attacks in May 2021. On 9 May 2021 the Taliban killed a bank branch manager and on
24 May 2021 shot dead a bank security guard. 973 On 12 June 2021 a religious scholar was abducted
961 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

962 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
963 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
964 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
965 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url

966 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 2

967 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
968 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
969 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
970 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 7
971 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (26 April-2 May 2021), 5 May 2021, url; New York Times (The),
Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
972 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 7
973 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

98Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situationand killed by the Taliban. 974 UNOCHA reported that during the second quarter of 2021, Pul-e-Alam was
the district experiencing the second highest number of casualties from IED incidents in Afghanistan, at
205. 975 Pul-e-Alam was captured by the Taliban on 13 August 2021. 976
In the first seven months of 2021 the WHO recorded one healthcare facility damaged and one
closed. 977 In addition to the end of April 2021 vehicle explosion described above, on 31 March 2021 a
rocket hit a health facility in Baraki Barak wounding 20 civilians. 978
Logar province lacks an operational domestic airport, though it hosts an airfield in Shank (campDahlke). 979
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 - 9 August 2021, reporting 3 010 persons
displaced from Logar province, of which 1 400 were displaced within the province itself (all finding
refuge in Pul-e Alam district) and 1 610 persons were displaced to Kabul. During the same period, nodisplacement was reported to Logar from other provinces. 980 Owing to an unstable security situation,
UNOCHA reported that between 5 and 11 April 2021, 5 600 people were displaced in Logar and Wardak
provinces 981 and a further 5 334 were displaced by conflict in Logar, Parwan and Paktika provinces
between 31 May and 6 June 2021. 982

974 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
975 UNOCHA, HAG Quarterly Report (April to June 2021), 19 July 2021, url, p. 10

976 LWJ, Afghan government on verge of collapse as Taliban capture 4 more cities, 13 August 2021, url
977 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url

978 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (29 March -4 April 2021), 7 April 2021, url
979 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 455

980 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

981 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (5-11 April 2021), 15 April 2021, url, p. 2

982 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (31 May - 6 June 2021), 8 June 2021, url, p. 2

99

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.23 Nangarhar

Map 23: Afghanistan – Nangarhar province, source: UNOCHA 983

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts to be under Taliban
control. 984
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 388 security incidents
recorded in Nangarhar, of whom 252 were coded as battles, 110 remote violence and 25 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

Figure 24. Nangarhar province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 985

ISKP claimed responsibility for the assassination of three female media workers and one female doctor
on 2 and 5 March 2021 and for explosions against several civilian targets on 21 March 2021, in
983 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Nangarhar Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url;

984 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

985 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

100Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Nangarhar’s provincial capital Jalalabad. 986 At the end of March 2021, the NDS was involved inoperations against the Islamic State and the Haqqani Network in Nangarhar. 987 AAN assessed that theprovince’s fight against the ISKP meant that the army was ‘proficient’ and that it retained a networkof strong pro- government militias, coupled with a comparatively weak Taliban. As such it noted thatin May 2021 the Taliban attacked two districts bordering Pakistan; Deh Bala and Pachir Wa Agam
districts but were stopped by Uprising Forces supported by the ANSF. 988 At the end of May 2021,
UNOCHA recorded conflict in Achin, Dehbala, Pachir Wa Agam, Surkhrod and Khogyani districts. 989
Targeted attacks, IEDs and sticky bombs attached to vehicles were documented in Nangarhar during
the reporting period. 990 On 3 March 2021 seven Hazara workers were tied up and killed at a factory in
the Mar Ghondi area of Surkhrod district by unidentified gunmen, although local officials believed theassailants to be the Islamic State. 991 Around 13 March 2021, nine students and a teacher were killed
in a night raid by the Afghan military forces on an Islamic institute and civilian houses in Khogyani
district. 992 On 27 April 2021 five civilians were killed and three others wounded when unidentified
gunmen attacked a gathering in Lalpur district. 993 On 12 May 2021, an IED denotated Sherzad district
killed two civilians and wounded four others. 994 On 2 June 2021 the Taliban attacked outposts in Haska
Meyna (Deh Balah) district killing 40 security force members and wounding 12 others, with the resultthat five outposts and a base fell to the Taliban. 995 UNOCHA reported that during the second quarterof 2021, Nangarhar was the province experiencing the second highest number of IED incidents in
Afghanistan, at 162. 996
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Jalalabad, on 2 March 2021
three women employees of a television network were killed and one other wounded in two attacks inthe first police district of Jalalabad. On 4 March 2021, a female doctor was killed, and a child wounded
when a rickshaw exploded in the third police district and on 6 March 2021 a sticky bomb killed a tribal
elder of the seventh district. On 18 March 2021 a roadside bomb exploded in the fifth district, killing
two civilians and wounding eight others. 997 On 7 April 2021, IED detonations reportedly killed two
civilians and wounded 27 others. 998 On 28 June 2021, a magnetic IED detonation injured four NGO
staff, killed a civilian and wounded another. 999 UNOCHA reported that during the second quarter of2021, Jalalabad was the district experiencing the third highest number of casualties from IED incidents
in Afghanistan, at 127. 1000

986 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 21

987 ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan 27 March – 2 April 2021, 8 April 2021, url

988 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
989 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (31 May - 6 June 2021), 8 June 2021, url

990 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
991 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
992 Insecurity Insight, Education in Danger Monthly News Brief, March 2021, 20 April 2021, url
993 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
994 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (10-16 May 2021), 19 May 2021, url, p.1
995 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
996 UNOCHA, HAG Quarterly Report (April to June 2021), 19 July 2021, url, p. 10
997 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
998 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5-11 April 2021), 15 April 2021, url, p. 2
999 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June ), 1 July 2021, url, p. 1
1000 UNOCHA, HAG Quarterly Report (April to June 2021), 19 July 2021, url, p. 10

101

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

As of April 2021, Nangarhar was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly
present. 1001
ISKP was assessed in April 2021 to have retained a core group of around 1 500 to 2 200 fighters in the
Manogay district of Kunar and the Achin district of Nangarhar. 1002 The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
was estimated to have between 2 500 and 6 000 armed fighters and traditionally located in eastern
districts of Nangarhar, near the Pakistan border. 1003
The WHO recorded attacks related to health care provision in Nangarhar province in the first sevenmonths of 2021, resulting in one healthcare facility damaged, nine healthcare providers killed with six
injured and three detained, and one other person injured. 1004 On 30 March 2021 three women
vaccinators were killed by unidentified gunmen in the fourth police and seventh districts of Jalalabad
City, the provincial capital. 1005 On 15 June 2021 there were five attacks on polio vaccinators in Jalalabadcity, Khogyani and Sukhrod districts, killing six and wounding a further three. 1006
There is a domestic airport in Jalalabad that is located 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) southeast of Jalalabad
city. 1007 Bakhtar Afghan Airways operated its first Kabul-Jalalabad test flight in January 2021, but nofurther updates have been reported. 1008 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitter on 26 May 2021 that a bridge
was blown up on the Kabul- Jalalabad highway in Surkhrod district. 1009 On 5 August 2021, the Taliban
blew up three culverts in Surkhrod district of on the second highway between Kabul and Jalalabad. 1010
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 12 424 persons
displaced from Nangarhar. An overwhelming majority of these IDPs were displaced within theprovince. Only 8 people headed to Kunar. Displaced persons originated from across the province, withpersons travelling from Sherzad, Hesarak, Khogyani, Pachieragam, Dehbala, Surkhrod and Achin
districts. 77% originated from two districts, Achin (4 941) and Pachieragam (4 570). 10 358 (83 % of
total displaced persons) were displaced in May 2021, mostly from Achin. During the same period, afurther 4 607 IDPs sought refuge in Nangarhar from Kunar. The majority (4 522) were displaced from
Nari district in Kunar on 24 July 2021. 1011 Between 1 and 7 March 2021, airstrikes and ANSF military
clearing operations continued displacing people to Khogyani, Surkhrod, Behsud districts and JalalabadCity. 1012 On 17 June 2021, UNOCHA reported that since the start of the conflict, flighting had displaced
a cumulative 12 000 people in Nangarhar. 1013 Towards the end of June 2021, fighting in Pachieragam
district displaced around 7 000 people. 1014

1001 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42
1002 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 62
1003 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 78
1004 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1005 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
1006 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 61007 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 191
1008 Pajhwok Afghan News, Test flights begin from Kabul to Nangarhar, 7 January 2021, url
1009 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 26 May 2021, url
1010 Pajhwok Afghan News, Taliban blow up culverts on Kabul-Jalalabad highway, 5 August 2021, url
1011 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
1012 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (1-7 March 2021), 10 March 2021, url, p. 1
1013 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (7-13 June 2021), 17 June 2021, url, p. 21014 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (14-20 June 2021), 23 June 2021, url, p. 2

102

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.24 Nimroz

Map 24: Afghanistan – Nimroz province, source: UNOCHA 1015

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Nimroz province to beunder Taliban control. 1016
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 57 security incidents recordedin Nimruz, of whom 40 were coded as battles, 15 remote violence and 2 incidents of violence against
civilians.

1015 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Nimroz Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url

1016 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

103Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 25. Nimruz province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1017

On 24 March 2021 the Taliban attacked but was not able to take a security outpost in Khachrod district,killing three soldiers and injuring four more. 1018 On 9 June 2021 the Taliban attacked and took over anarmy battalion in Khashrod, killing 11 soldiers and wounding five others, before it was recaptured. 1019
On 5 August 2021 the Taliban attacked and captured Kang district, killing 30 security forces despitesome of them surrendering. 1020 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitter on 6 August 2021 that Zaranj, theprovincial capital of Nimroz, fell to the Taliban without a single shot being fired. 1021 Reportedly it was‘was lightly defended because government forces were focused on holding the much larger southerncities of Kandahar and Lashkar Gah’. 1022 It was the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban since it
launched its offensive in May 2021 1023, described as a gateway for drug smuggling and for refugee
entry to Iran. 1024
As of April 2021, AQ in the Indian Subcontinent was reported to be operating under the umbrella of
the Taliban from Kandahar, Helmand and Nimroz provinces. 1025
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Nimroz province in the firstseven months of 2021. 1026
There is a domestic airport in Nirmoz that is located 17 km east of Zaranj City. 1027 As of end July 2021,
Kam Air offered several scheduled passenger services from Zaranj, including to Kabul. 1028 By 6 August2021 the Taliban had taken control of the airport. 1029 As of 29 August 2021, there were no scheduled
flights from the airport. 1030 On 30 August 2021, Reuters cited the US FAA (Federal Aviation
Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services and a functional civil aviation authority
in Afghanistan’. 1031 UNOCHA reported in early July 2021 that primary and secondary roads to1017 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
1018 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
1019 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1020 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
1021 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 6 August 2021, url

1022 New York Times (The), Collapse and Conquest: The Taliban Strategy That Seized Afghanistan, 18 August 2021, url
1023 LWJ, Taliban takes full control of Nimruz province, seizes capital, 6 August 2021, url

1024 AAN, The Fall of Nimruz: A symbolic or economic game-changer? 9 August 2021, url

1025 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 46
1026 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1027 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 421
1028 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url
1029 LWJ, Taliban takes full control of Nimruz province, seizes capital, 6 August 2021, url
1030 Flightradar24, Zarajn Airport Live Air Traffic n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url
1031
Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url

104

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

provinces and districts in the south were reportedly being intermittently blocked by a non-state armed
group which was affecting civilian movements and food transportation, as well as other basic items. 1032
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 590 persons displaced
within Nimroz province from Khashrod/Dularam district to Zaranj district. During the same period, 299
persons were displaced from Farah province to Nimroz, all sought refuge in Zaranj district. 1033 Between
12 and 18 April, 805 people were displaced to the provincial capital Zaranj from Khashrod district aswell as from Ghor and Farah provinces. 1034 Between 14 and 20 June, 8 813 IDPs from Nimroz andKandahar provinces were newly displaced to Zaranj in Nimroz province and to Kandahar city. 1035

2.25 Nuristan

Map 25: Afghanistan – Nuristan province, source: UNOCHA 1036

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Nuristan Province tobe under Taliban control. 1037
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 24 security incidents recordedin Nuristan, of whom 20 were coded as battles, 4 remote violence and no incident of violence against
civilians.

1032 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p.1
1033 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

1034 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 April 2021), 21 April 2021, url, p. 11035 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (14-20 June 2021), 23 June 2021, url, p. 11036 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Nuristan Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url

1037 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

105

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 26. Nuristan province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1038

Between 12 and 15 May 2021, tribal conflict in remote areas of Sham Valley, Nurgeram district resulted
in several casualties and the destruction of houses. 1039 In early July 2021 it was reported that a ‘large
number’ of people in Nuristan province had taken up arms to fight the Taliban.1040 On 14 July 2021,
five civilians were reportedly killed and a further 12 injured by mortars in Nurgeram district
administrative centre. 1041
As of April 2021 Nuristan was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly
present. 1042
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Nuristan province in the firstseven months of 2021. 1043 UNOCHA reported that in mid-May 2021 18 health facilities reopened andat the end of May 2021 a healthcare facility in Duab district as closed due to insecurity. 1044
Nuristan province lacks an operational domestic airport. 1045 In mid-July 2021, sections of the
Asadabad-Ghaziabad and Ghaziabad-Nari roads remained closed, affecting the supply of basic
commodities and with the potential to disrupt medical supplies. 1046
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 322 persons displaced
from Nuristan, of which 43 % (150) were displaced within the province in Parun district. During thesame period, 70 persons from Nuristan were displaced to Kabul province, 21 to Parwan and 91 to
Panjsher province. A further 168 IDPs from Kunar sought refuge in Nuristan’s Parun district during thesame period. 1047

1038 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
1039 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (10-16 May 2021), 19 May 2021, url, p. 1
1040 Tolonews, Afghan Govt Vows to Retake district s from Taliban, 6 July 2021, url

1041 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 2

1042 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42
1043 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1044 UNOCHA, Afghanistan-Weekly Humanitarian Update (10-16 May 2021), 19 May 2021, url, p. 2; UNOCHA, AfghanistanWeekly Humanitarian Update (31 May - 6 June 2021), 8 June 2021, url, p.2
1045 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url
1046 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 2
1047 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

106Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.26 Paktika

Map 26: Afghanistan – Paktika province, source: UNOCHA 1048

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts to be under Taliban
control. 1049
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 112 security incidents
recorded in Paktya, of whom 84 were coded as battles, 19 remote violence and 9 incidents of violenceagainst civilians.

1048 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Paktika Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url

1049 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 13 August 2021), url

107Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 28. Paktika province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1050

On 30 March 2021, Afghan forces led a raid in Gyan district that led to the death of a prominent AQ in
the Indian Subcontinent commander, Dawlat Bek Tajiki (alias Abu Mohammad al-Tajiki), in addition to
Hazrat Ali, a Taliban commander from Waziristan. 1051 On 5 May 2021 the Taliban attacked an outpost
in Sarawza district, following which a police chief was killed in a roadside bomb and three of his
bodyguards were injured. On 29 May 2021 a roadside bomb in Sarhawaza district killed a police officers
and wounded two more. 1052 On 28 July 2021 a roadside bomb hit a vehicle in Mata Khan district killing
four civilians. 1053
In mid-July 2021 the central region was described as having become ‘increasingly unstable andunpredictable’, with reports of increased activities and violence against civilians by non-state armed
groups in Paktika and other central provinces. 1054
The Haqqani Network within the Taliban structure is reported to have a force of between 3 000 to
10 000 traditional armed fighters operating in the “P2K” region of Khost, Paktika and Paktya
provinces. 1055
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Paktika province in the firstseven months of 2021. 1056
There is a domestic airport in Sharana, Paktika that is located 4 km southeast of the city of Zahar
Sharan. 1057 As of end July 2021, Kam Air listed Sharana to Kabul as an intended future route. 1058
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting that 833 persons weredisplaced to Paktika. 420 of those displaced came from Ghazni and sought refuge in Yosufkhel district.
The remaining 413 persons came from Paktya and found refuge in Sharan district. There was no one

1050 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

1051 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 47
1052 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
1053 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
1054 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 21055 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, paras. 27-28
1056 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1057 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 421
1058 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url

108Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

displaced from Paktika to another province in the reporting period.1059 Between 31 May and 6 June,
5 334 people were reportedly displaced by conflict in Logar, Parwan and Paktika provinces. 1060

2.27 Paktya

Map 27: Afghanistan – Paktya province, source: UNOCHA 1061

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts to be under Taliban
control. 1062
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 182 security incidents
recorded in Paktya, of whom 133 were coded as battles, 39 remote violence and 10 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

1059 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

1060 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (31 May 2021- 6 June 2021), 8 June 2021, url, p. 21061 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Paktya Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url

1062 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

109Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 27. Paktya province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1063

On 25 April 2021 the district police chief of Wazi Khwa district was killed in clashes with the Taliban. 1064
On 12 June 2021 the Taliban attacked and took over a security outpost in Mirzaka district, killing four
soldiers and abducting 30 security force members and on 16 June 2021 a Taliban car bomb targetingan outpost in Zazai Aryub district killed nine soldiers and wounded 12 others. 1065 On 21 June 2021 and
2 July 2021 roadside bombs killed 13 civilians in Ahmad Aba district and two others were wounded. 1066
AAN reported that in the last two weeks of June 2021 Paktya lost several northeastern districts,
including the two bordering Pakistan, and Zurmat and Rohani Baba, and that as of mid-July 2021 thethree Dzadran districts still held by the government, Shwak, Zadran and Gerda Tserai were controlled
by the pro-government militia the Khost Protection Force, formerly controlled by the CIA. 1067
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Gardez, on 20 March 2021
a provincial council member was shot dead in the second police district, and 27 March 2021 a
prosecutor was shot dead in the fifth police district, both by unidentified gunmen. 1068 On 3 May 2021
a Taliban attack on a security outpost killed four pro-government militia members and one police
officer and injured 12 more and on 9 May 2021 a civil society activist was shot dead. 1069 On 6 June
2021 a roadside bomb killed four civilians and on 12 June 2021 a Taliban ambush led to seven soldierskilled and 40 ANSF members surrendered to the Taliban. 1070 In late June 2021 Tolonews reported that
the Paktya governor Haleem Fedayee considered that ‘Taliban infiltrators had played a key role in thefall of the districts’. 1071 On 4 July 2021 a roadside bomb hit a vehicle in in the fourth police districtkilling four civilians and on 12 July 2021 a bomb killed a police officer in the second police district. 1072
The Haqqani Network within the Taliban structure is reported to have a force of between 3 000 to
10 000 traditional armed fighters operating in the “P2K” region of Khost, Paktika and Paktya
provinces. 1073
The WHO recorded one attack related to health care provision in Paktya province in the first sevenmonths of 2021 which killed one person. 1074
Paktya province lacks an operational domestic airport. 1075 On 17 June 2021 the Taliban closed anumber of key highways connecting the centre of the province to a number of districts. 1076 Bilal
Sarwary posted on Twitter on 18 June 2021 that main road in Paktya Province was blown up. 1077On 2
July 2021 Zurmat district fell to the Taliban, which lies on the supply route to Paktika and the region’s‘most important’ ANA garrison. 1078

1063 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
1064 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
1065 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url

1066 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1067 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
1068 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
1069 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
1070 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1071 Tolonews, 'Infiltrators' Had Role in Fall of Districts in Paktia: Governor, 24 June 2021, url
1072 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
1073 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, paras. 27-28
1074 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1075 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url
1076 Tolonews, Taliban Close Key Routes in Paktia: Residents, 17 June 2021, url
1077 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 18 June 2021, url
1078 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url

110Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 2 947 persons
displaced from Paktya. Of those displaced, 2 464 or 84% were displaced within the province, in Gardez
capital district. 70 persons headed to Kabul and 413 persons sought refuge in Paktika province. During
the same period, no displacement was reported to Paktya from other provinces. 1079 Between 14 and
20 June 2021, 1 519 IDPs received humanitarian assistance in Paktya, Paktika and Daykundi
provinces. 1080

2.28 Panjsher

Map 28: Afghanistan – Panjsher province, source: UNOCHA 1081

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all the districts of Panjsher province
to be under NRF’s control. 1082
On 18 August 2021, Panjsher province reportedly remained the “last free region” in Afghanistan 1083
with an estimated number of 2 000 to 2 500 fighters. 1084 According to BBC, on 23 August 2021, theTaliban claimed that they have encircled and besieged NRF’s ‘stronghold’ in Panjsher. 1085
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there was 1 security incident recorded in
Panjsher, which was coded as a battle.
1079 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

1080 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (14-20 June 2021), 23 June 2021, url, p. 21081 UNOCHA, Afghanistan Panjsher Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

1082 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

1083

France 24, In Panjsher, ‘last free region’ in Afghanistan, Saleh claims caretaker presidency, 18 August 2021, url
New York Times (The), Biden says U.S. forces will stay in Kabul to get all Americans out, 18 August 2021, url
1085
BBC, Anti-Taliban group says it has thousands of fighters, 23 August 2021, url
1084

111

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 29. Panjsher province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1086

As of April 2021, Panjsher was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly
present. 1087
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Panjsher province in the firstsix months of 2021. 1088
Panjsher province lacks an operational domestic airport. 1089
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 - 9 August 2021, reporting 338 persons displaced
to Panjsher province, all of them settling in Bazarak district. They came from a variety of provinces
including Nuristan, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Laghman and Kunduz. During the same period, nodisplacement was reported from Panjsher to other provinces. 1090

1086 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

1087 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 421088 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1089 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url
1090 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

112

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.29 Parwan

Map 29: Afghanistan – Parwan province, source: UNOCHA 1091

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all the districts of Parwan province
to be under Taliban control except Saland, which was considered to be contested, and Chaharikar,
which was considered to be under NRF’s control. 1092
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 74 security incidents recorded
in Parwan, of whom 46 were coded as battles, 20 remote violence and 8 incidents of violence against
civilians.

Figure 30. Parwan province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1093

1091 UNOCHA, Afghanistan Parwan Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

1092 LWJ,Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

1093 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

113

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

ISKP attacked electricity pylons and fuel tankers in Parwan in the first half of May 2021. 1094 At the endof May 2021 the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a roadside bomb that hit a bus transporting
university students and lecturers that killed at least four and wounded a further 11. 1095
Targeted assassinations, Taliban attacks on security outposts and roadside bombs were documented
in the reporting period.1096 On 28 April 2021 in Bagram a Taliban attack on a security outpost killed one
police and wounded two more and on 30 April 2021 a bomb planted in a mosque inside Bagram airbase
killed one Afghan solider and wounded 25 others. 1097 On 11 May 2021 in Salang district thecommunication manager of the provincial Hajj and Religious Affairs Ministry was assassinated and on
23 May 2021 a religious scholar was shot dead in Saydkhel district, both by unknown assailants. 1098
Taliban attacks on security outposts in Shinwari and Sayah Gerd caused casualties to security force
members and on 26 June 2021 the Taliban attacked and captured the latter, killing four police officers
and abducting 120 security force members. 1099 UNOCHA reported that towards the end of June 2021,
rockets launched in Koh-e-Safi district hit residential areas, killing four civilians and damaging several
houses. 1100 In early July 2021 the central region was described as having become ‘increasingly unstableand unpredictable’, with reports of increased activities and violence against civilians by non-statearmed groups in Parwan. 1101 The following week UNOCHA described reports of increased non-statearmed group activity and that the ANSF reportedly retook control of several districts in Parwan. 1102
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Charikar, on 24 April 2021
a police officer was shot dead and on 28 April 2021 three traffic police officers were killed by a roadsidebomb in the Deh Qazi area. 1103 On 1 June 2021, a magnetic bomb targeted a vehicle transporting NDS
officers, killing three officers and one civilian and injuring three officers and one civilian. 1104 On 24 July
2021 a Taliban attack on security outposts killed four police officers and the Taliban retreated after
hours of fighting. 1105 Similarly on 2 August 2021 the Taliban were pushed back after attacking security
outposts which killed four police officers. 1106
As of April 2021, Parwan was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly
present. 1107
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Parwan province in the firstseven months of 2021. 1108 According to national power utility Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat 351094 UN Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications forinternational peace and security A/75/926–S/2021/570, 15 June 2021, url, para. 211095 BBC, Afghanistan: Bus blast kills three university staff, 29 May 2021, url; AP, Government, Taliban blame each other forshell that kills 7, 30 May 2021, url
1096 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),
Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June
2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1097 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),
Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
1098 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
1099 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1100 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June ), 1 July 2021, url, p. 21101 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 21102 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 21103 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
1104 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1105 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
1106 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
1107 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 421108 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url

114

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situationelectricity pylons were damaged or destroyed in the first six months of 2021 1109, including one in
Parwan at the end of June 2021. 1110
Parwan province lacks an operational domestic airport, but hosts Bagram airfield. 1111 On 12 July 2021
the US evacuated its headquarters from Bagram. 1112
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 - 9 August 2021, reporting 658 persons displaced
within Parwan province. By district, displacement was recorded during the reference period from
Shekhali, Ghorband and Shinwari. All recorded IDPs were displaced within the province to Charikar
district, except 28 IDPs who fled to Kabul. During the same period, a further 280 persons sought refugein the province in Charikar district from Badakhshan, Nuristan and Baghlan province. 83% (231) of
those who headed to Charikar district came from Baghlan. 1113 Between 31 May and 6 June 2021, 5 334
people were reportedly displaced by conflict in Logar, Parwan and Paktika provinces. 1114

2.30 Samangan

Map 30: Afghanistan – Samangan province, source: UNOCHA 1115

1109 Reuters, Violence intensifies across Afghanistan's central and northern provinces, 28 June 2021, url

1110 SIGAR, Quarterly report to the United States Congress, 30 July 2021, url, p. 140; Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter],posted on: 26 June 2021, url
1111 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 91112 New York Times (The), An Iconic Bridge Sees U.S. Allies Flee Afghanistan as the Soviets Did, 16 August 2021, url
1113 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
1114 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (31 May 2021- 6 June 2021), 8 June 2021, url, p. 21115 UNOCHA, Afghanistan Samangan Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

115

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts to be under Taliban
control. 1116
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 65 security incidents recorded
in Samangan, of whom 51 were coded as battles, 12 remote violence and 2 incidents of violenceagainst civilians.

Figure 31. Samangan province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1117

On 8 May 2021 Taliban attacks on outposts in Dara-e-Suf Bala district killed two police officers and amember of the territorial army and injured four more. 1118 On 19 June 2021 the Taliban took over DaraSuf-Payan district, following the killing of a pro-government militia member and wounding of threeothers and the retreat of 160 Afghan security force members and on 20 June 2021 Dara-ye Suf Bala
fell, with ongoing fighting in Ruy-e-Duab district centre. 1119 The Taliban reportedly took control ofFeroznakhchir district in late June 2021 after several days of fighting. 1120 On 28 July 2021 a Taliban
attack on Dara-e-Suf Bala district killed one pro-government militia member and injured two more.
The Taliban were repelled after hours of fighting but during their retreat they executed four Hazara
civilians. On 30 July 2021 the Taliban attacked and captured an outpost in Feroznakhchir district killingeight pro-government militia members. 1121
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Samangan province in the firstseven months of 2021. 1122 However in early April 2021 UNOCHA noted that 22 basic health facilities
remained closed, with negotiations to reopen them ongoing. 1123
Samangan province lacks an operational domestic airport. 1124 On 17 July 2021, a roadside bomb in in
the first police district of Aybak, the provincial capital, killed one civilian and injured 10 more. 1125 On 9
August 2021 Aybak was reported to have been overrun by the Taliban without a fight. 1126 In mid-July2021 fighting was reported on the main road between Mazar-e Sharif (Balkh province) and Aybak(Samangan Province), affecting aid agency trucks. 1127 In mid-July 2021 AAN noted that the Taliban

1116 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

1117 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
1118 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

1119 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url; NewYork Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1120 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 2; New York Times(The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1121 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
1122 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1123 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (29 March -4 April 2021), 7 April 2021, url
1124 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 91125 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
1126 LWJ, Fifth northern Afghan capital falls to the Taliban, 9 August 2021, url
1127 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 3

116

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

operated checkpoints on stretches of the road between Pul-e Khomri to Samangan and Samangan to
Mazar-e Sharif. 1128
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 12 761 persons
displaced from Samangan, of which 97 % (12 404) were displaced within the province. 357 weredisplaced to Kabul and Balkh provinces. Persons were displaced from Hazrat-e-Sultan, Aybak, Khuram
Wa Sarbagh, Dara-e-Suf-e-Payin and Feroznakhchir district. During the same period, no displacement
was reported to Samangan from other provinces. 1129 Between 12 and 18 July 2021, 10 213 people wereassessed to have been displaced by conflict – over half (5 516 people) of which were displaced from
Hazrati Sultan and Aybak districts in Samangan due armed clashes in the beginning of July 2021. 1130

2.31 Sar-e Pul

1128 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25, 29 July 2021, url

1129 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

1130 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 July 2021), 23 July 2021, url, p. 3

117

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Map 31: Afghanistan – Sar-e Pul province, source: UNOCHA 1131

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Sar-e Pul province tobe under Taliban control. 1132
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 68 security incidents recorded
in Sar-e Pul, of whom 44 were coded as battles, 21 remote violence and 3 incidents of violence against
civilians.

Figure 32. Sar-e Pul province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1133

On 31 March 2021 in Sayad district a roadside bomb hit a Humvee killing two territorial army members
and injuring two more. 1134 In April 2021 two Taliban attacks on a security outpost in Sozmaqala district
caused casualties to security force members. 1135 On 27 May 2021 in Sayaad district, an Afghan Air
Force airstrike reportedly targeting a local Taliban leader’s residence killed seven civilians and injured
a further six. 1136 On 13 June 2021 a Taliban ambush on retreating ANSF killed 2 pro-government militia
members, injured eight and 20 others were abducted. 1137
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Sar-e-Pul city attacks on
security outposts and roadside bombs were documented in the reporting period. 1138 On 23 March
2021 the Taliban attacked an outpost in the Sayed Abad area and killed a police officer and injured
another. 1139 On 8 May 2021 a military vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, killing three soldiers andwounding three others. 1140 On 6 June 2021 a triple roadside bomb in the second police district killed
two civilians and wounded two others and a Taliban attack on a security outpost killed two soldiers
and wounded two more. 1141 In mid-July 2021 AAN described Sar-e-Pul city as ‘vulnerable’. 1142 At theend of July 2021 UNOCHA reported that non-state armed groups continued to carry out sporadic
attacks around provincial capitals including Sar-e-Pul. 1143 On 3 August 2021 a Taliban attack on the firstpolice district killed a commando and two pro-government militia members and wounded four more
1131 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Sar-e Pul Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url

1132 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

1133 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
1134 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
1135 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url

1136 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 91137 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url

1138 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),

Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
1139 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
1140 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
1141 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1142 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
1143 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25, 29 July 2021, url

118

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situationand on 5 August 2021 a Taliban attack on a security outpost killed three pro-government militia
members and injured eight others. 1144 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitter on 8 August 2021 that an Afghancommander had told him that Sar-i-Pul was no longer in their hands. 1145 Security forces evacuated,
thereby handing over control to the Taliban. 1146
ISKP was assessed in April 2021 to have retained a small group in Sar-e-Pul, predominantly made up of
local ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks. 1147
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Sar-e Pul province in the firstseven months of 2021. 1148
Sar-e Pul province lacks an operational domestic airport. 1149
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 5 633 persons
displaced from Sar-e Pul, 83 % (4 711) of whom were displaced within the province to Sar-e-Pul district.
In the same period, 945 persons were displaced to Jawzjan province, all finding refuge in the
Shiberghan district, while 7persons were displaced to Faryab province. During the same period, 42
persons were displaced to Sar-e Pul from other provinces, including from Faryab, Jawzjan, Kandahar
and Takhar. 1150 Between 15 and 21 March 2021, armed clashes between ANSF and an NSAG continued
in Sar-e-Pul province. Interagency assessment teams identified 1 281 people affected by conflict inBalkh, Faryab, Sar-e-Pul, Samangan and Jawzjan provinces. 1151

1144 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
1145 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 8 August 2021, url

1146 New York Times (The), Fear Sets In as Taliban Seize Former Bastions of Resistance, 9 August 2021, url

1147 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 62
1148 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1149 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 91150 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
1151 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (15-21 March 2021), 24 March 2021, url, p. 2

119

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.32 Takhar

Map 32: Afghanistan – Takhar province, source: UNOCHA 1152

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Takhar province to beunder Taliban control. 1153
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 180 security incidents
recorded in Takhar, of whom 138 were coded as battles, 23 remote violence and 15 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

1152 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Takhar Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url

1153 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

120

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 33. Takhar province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1154

The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report covering the period May 2020 and April
2021 noted that the Taliban moved forces into five northern provinces including Takhar, with theobjective to deny the ANSF freedom of movement and to control road communications and bordercrossings to facilitate narcotic and mineral trade. 1155 In early July 2021 the Taliban was reported tocontrol 13 of the province’s 17 districts, which apart from Eshkashem, Bangi and Baharak, were given
up without a fight. 1156
Targeted attacks as well as Taliban attacks against security outposts continued to be documented in
the reporting period. 1157 On 6 March 2021 two business men were shot dead in Chahab and on 11
March 2021 an unexploded ordnance in Hazarsumuch district reportedly killed three children. 1158 On
19 March 2021 the Taliban captured three villages in Rostaq district and during a recapture operation
six pro-government militia members were killed and 10 more wounded. 1159 In April 2021 Taliban drone
attacks targeting an army outpost in Dasht-e-Qala district killed three soldiers and wounded two more
and in Bangi district killed seven pro-government militia members. 1160 On 2 and 4 May 2021 the Taliban
shot and killed two tribal elders in Khwajabahawuddin district. May 2021 saw Taliban attacks in Darqad
district and on 11 May 2021 the Taliban attacked the house of a pro-government militia commander
in Rustaq district, killing him and his daughter. 1161 In June 2021 Taliban attacks on Eshk(a)mesh andBahark caused security force casualties and forced the ANSF to retreat. On 20 June 2021 Namakab
district fell to the Taliban after heavy fighting which killed four police officers and wounded 10others. 1162 On 27 June 2021 the Taliban attacked Rostaq district, which was abandoned without a fight,
killing one pro-government militia member and wounding three others. 1163
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Takhar, on 31 March 2021
the head of the Ulama Council of Takhar was killed by a magnetic IED and three others wounded. 1164

1154 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

1155 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 32
1156 AAN, A Quarter of Afghanistan’s district s Fall to the Taliban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, url
1157 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url; New York Times (The),
Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report:
May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021,
url
1158 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (15-21 March 2021), 24 March 2021, url; New York Times (The),
Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
1159 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
1160 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
1161 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
1162 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1163 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1164 Tolonews, Head of Takhar’s Ulema Council Killed in IED Blast, 31 March 2021, url

121Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

On 3 April unknown gunmen killed the son of a provincial council members.1165 On 3 May 2021 a school
teacher was assassinated by unidentified gunmen in the Nahr-e-Chaman area. 1166 On 5 May the
Taliban attacked a security outpost at the entrance of Taloqan killing eight pro-government militia
members and abducting one other and on 21 May 2021 a Taliban mortar killed a child and injured two
civilians. 1167 On 5 June 2021, members of a pro-Government armed group killed four and abducted 20
civilians, having accused them of supporting the Taliban. 1168 Battles with the Taliban were reported on
the outskirts of Taluqan on 11 July 2021. 1169 On 14 July 2021 a Taliban attack on a security outpost in
the first police district killed 10 pro-government militia, a police officer and wounded 20 others. 1170 On
3 August 2021 a Taliban attack killed two commandos, two police officers and two pro-government
militia members and the Taliban was reported to have advanced on the east and northwest parts ofthe city, by which time the city was reported to have been under siege for two months. 1171 Bilal Sarwary
posted on Twitter on 5 August 2021 that intense fighting was hitting Taloqan city, while the rest of theprovince had fallen to the Taliban. 1172 On 8 August 2021 the Taliban seized control of Taloqan city after‘vicious fighting’, with the Taliban freeing hundreds of prisoners. 1173 According to local journalists, theTaliban had ordered the media to follow Sharia law. 1174
As of April 2021, Takhar was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly
present. 1175
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Takhar province in the firstseven months of 2021. 1176
Takhar province has no operational domestic airport, but there is an airstrip located in Taloqan. 1177
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021- 9 August 2021, reporting 32 872 persons
displaced from Takhar, of which about 32 025 (97%) were displaced within the province, 840 to Kabul
and 7 to Sar-e-Pul provinces. During the same period, no displacement was reported to Takhar fromother provinces. 1178 Between 12 and 18 April 2021, fighting between ANSF and an NSAG continued in
Takhar province with 3 402 people displaced by conflict in Baghlan, Badakhshan, Takhar and Kunduz
provinces identified to receive humanitarian assistance. 1179

1165 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url
1166 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
1167 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

1168 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 121169 Tolonews, Two district s Fall as Battles Continue Near 10 Cities, 11 July 2021, url

1170 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
1171 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
1172 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 5 August 2021, url

1173 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 8 August 2021, url; New York Times (The), Another provincial capital,

Taliqan, falls to the insurgents on Sunday, 8 August 2021, url
1174 Tolonews, Taliban Take Over Kunduz Airport, Media Restricted in Takhar, 11 August 2021, url
1175 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42
1176 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1177 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 61178 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
1179 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 April 2021), 21 April 2021, url, p. 2

122

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

2.33 Uruzgan

Map 33: Afghanistan – Uruzgan province, source: UNOCHA 1180

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Uruzgan province tobe under Taliban control. 1181
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 95 security incidents recorded
in Uruzgan, of whom 77 were coded as battles, 13 remote violence and 5 incidents of violence against
civilians.

Figure 34. Uruzgan province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1182

1180 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Uruzgan Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url

1181 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

1182 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url

123Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

On 7 June 2021 the Taliban besieged Gizab district, taking over the district headquarters, bazaar, police
headquarters and the NDS compound, trapping over 60 soldiers. 1183 Further fighting in Gizab thefollowing week reportedly left 13 civilians dead and wounded nine more. 1184 On 5 August 2021 a poetand writer was abducted and shot dead in Chora district, the Taliban denied involvement. 1185
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Tarinkot, on 5 March 2021
a Taliban attack on a security outpost killed a police officer and injured one other. 1186 In mid-April 2021,
two civilians were reportedly killed by IEDs. 1187 On 4 May 2021 a magnetic bomb tied to a police vehicle
killed a police officer and wounded a civilian. 1188 On 23 June 2021 airstrikes in the Mehrabad area
reportedly killed eight civilians and injured three more. 1189 On 15 July 2021 unidentified gunmen shotdead a prosecutor. 1190 Tarin Kot was captured by the Taliban on 13 August 2021. 1191
As of April 2021, Uruzgan was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly
present. 1192
The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Uruzgan province in the firstseven months of 2021. 1193
There is a domestic airport in Tarinkot, that is located 1.6 km south of the city. 1194 As of end July 2021,
Kam Air offered scheduled passenger services between Tarinkot and Kabul. 1195 As of 29 August 2021
flights were scheduled to and from Kabul. 1196 Bilal Sarwary posted on Twitter on 29 July 2021 that the
Taliban had asked private airlines not to fly to Tarinkot. 1197 On 30 August 2021, Reuters cited the US
FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services and a functional
civil aviation authority in Afghanistan’. 1198 In mid-March 2021 a road side IED killed three civilians andwounded three others on the road connecting Kandahar to Tarinkot. 1199 UNOCHA reported in earlyJuly 2021 that primary and secondary roads to provinces and districts in the south were reportedly
being intermittently blocked by a non-state armed group which was affecting civilian movements aswell as the transportation of food and other basic items. 1200
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 1 086 persons
displaced within Uruzgan province. During the time frame, all persons displaced were from the
Chora/Chinarto district, seeking refuge in Tirinkot. During the same period, no displacement wasreported to Uruzgan from other provinces. 1201 Between 29 March and 4 April, 630 people were1183 Ariana TV, At least 60 soldiers under siege in Uruzgan’s Gizab district, 7 June 2021, url; ACLED, Regional Overview: South

Asia and Afghanistan 29 May-4 June 2021, 10 June 2021, url
1184 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (31 May - 6 June 2021), 8 June 202, url
1185 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
1186 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
1187 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (12-18 April 2021), 21 April 2021, url
1188 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
1189 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (21-27 June ), 1 July 2021, url, p. 11190 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url
1191 LWJ, Afghan government on verge of collapse as Taliban capture 4 more cities, 13 August 2021, url
1192 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42
1193 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1194 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 504
1195 KamAir, Route Map, n.d. (accessed 28 July 2021), url
1196 Flightradar24, Tarinkot Airport Live Air Traffic n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url
1197 Sarwary, B., (@bsarwary), [Twitter], posted on: 29 July 2021, url
1198
Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url
1199 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (8-14 March 2021), 16 March 2021, url
1200 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 1
1201 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

124Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

displaced from Gizab, Chora and Dehrawud districts to Tirinkot. 1202 Between 3 and 9 May, the security
situation in Uruzgan deteriorated affecting civilians. 1203 Between 31 May and 6 June, armed clashes
near the Gizab DAC reportedly resulted in civilian displacements. 1204

2.34 Wardak

Map 34: Afghanistan – Wardak province, source: UNOCHA 1205

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all the districts of Wardak province
to be under Taliban control. 1206
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 185 security incidents
recorded in Wardak, of whom 142 were coded as battles, 36 remote violence and 7 incidents ofviolence against civilians.

1202 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (29 March 4 April 2021), 7 April 2021, url, p. 1
1203 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (3-9 May 2021), 12 May 2021, url, p. 1

1204 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (31 May 2021- 6 June 2021), 8 June 2021, url, p. 11205 UNOCHA, Afghanistan Wardak Province - District Atlas, April 2014, url

1206 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 31 August 2021), url

125Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Figure 35. Wardak province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1207

On 10 April 2021 it was reported that the ANSF started a clearing operation on the Wardak-Kabul
highway, during which they were fired on by the Taliban from a house which was subsequently
bombed by the air force. 1208 On 21 April 2021 at an outpost in Jalrez district, five police officers
surrendered to the Taliban but were all beheaded. On 25 April 2021 an airstrike in Zorlang village,
Jalrez district killed eight members of one family and in Saydabad district, a mortar killed four people
and wounded three others. 1209 On 8 May 2021 a Taliban car bomb directed at a military base in
Sayedabad district killed 12 soldiers and wounded eight more. 1210 An 11 June 2021 Taliban attack on abase in Saydabad district killed four soldiers and wounded 18 more. 1211 In mid-May 2021, the Taliban
captured Nerkh, located just outside of Kabul city, and Jalrez districts. 1212 In mid-July 2021 UNOCHA
described the central region of Afghanistan as having become ‘increasingly unstable andunpredictable’, with reports of increased activities and violence against civilians by non-state armed
groups in Wardak. 1213
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Maydan Shar, on 16 June
2021 mortar fire hit a house killing a civilian and wounding another and on the next day a Taliban
attack in killed a civilian and wounded another. 1214 Battles with the Taliban were reported on theoutskirts of the city on 11 July 2021. 1215 On 1 August 2021 the Taliban attacked security outposts andcheckpoints, killing six police officers. 1216
Abdul Ghani Alipoor (Commander Shamshir) has established a militia known as Hizb-e-Wahdat-eIslami Afghanistan (the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan) faction of Abdul Ali Mazari which in March
2021 was reported to have around 2 000 armed men in a Behsud district (not specified) and the
support of Hazara locals. 1217 On 18 March 2021 in Behsud district the militia shot down an Afghan air
force helicopter killing nine security force members. Retaliatory airstrikes on 20 March 2021 killed one
civilian and wounded two others. 1218

1207 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
1208 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url

1209 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (19-25 April 2021), 28 April 2021, url
1210 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url
1211 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1212 Reuters, Taliban capture key district near Afghan capital, 11 May 2021, url

1213 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (5 -11 July 2021, 15 July 2021, url, p. 2
1214 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url
1215 Tolonews, Two district s Fall as Battles Continue Near 10 Cities, 11 July 2021, url

1216 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021, updated 5 August, url
1217 Tolonews, Who is Alipoor, aka Commander Shamshir? 21 March 2021, url

1218 Tolonews, Who is Alipoor, aka Commander Shamshir? 21 March 2021, url; New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty

Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url

126Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

The WHO did not record any attacks related to health care provision in Wardak province in the firstseven months of 2021. 1219
Wardak province does not have an operational domestic airport. 1220
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 - 9 August 2021, reporting 19 727 persons
displaced from Wardak province, of which 92% (18 158) were displaced within the province itself (with
14 581 persons travelling to Hesa-e-Awal-e-Behsud district). The remaining 1 569 persons displaced
from Wardak who sought shelter outside the province did so in Kabul, Bamyan and Herat provinces.
The peak displacement during the reporting period took place on 15 March 2021 when 17 843 persons
were displaced from Wardak. No conflict-induced internal displacement to Wardak province fromother provinces was reported by UNOCHA during the same period. 1221 Between 10 and 16 May, 490
people were newly displaced in Wardak province due to fighting. 1222 Between 17 and 23 May, theunstable security situation in the central part of the country resulted in 4 900 people newly displacedin Wardak and Khost provinces. 1223

2.35 Zabul

Map 35: Afghanistan – Zabul province, source: UNOCHA 1224

1219 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1220 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 61221 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url

1222 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (10-16 May 2021), 19 May 2021, url, p. 21223 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (17-23 May 2021), 23 May 2021, url, p. 21224 UNOCHA, Afghanistan: Zabul Province – District Atlas, April 2014, url

127Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

As of 31 August 2021, an assessment of the LWJ mapping Taliban control in Afghanistan in a frequently
updated map and based on open-source information, considered all districts in Zabul province to beunder Taliban control. 1225
According to ACLED data, between 1 March and 30 July 2021 there were 170 security incidents
recorded in Zabul, of whom 123 were coded as battles, 43 remote violence and 4 incidents of violenceagainst civilians.

Figure 36. Zabul province - Evolution of security events coded battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against
civilians from 1 March to 30 July 2021, based on ACLED data 1226

In mid-March 2021, a rocket landed on a house in the Nawarak area killing three civilians and wounding
three others and on 24 March 2021 a Taliban attack on Shinkai district killed one solider and wounded
two others. 1227 On 15 April 2021 a Taliban car bomb attack on a military base in Shahjoy district andresulting fighting killed ten soldiers. 1228 On 9 May 2021 in Tarnak Wa Jaldak district, a passenger bus
travelling from Kabul to Kandahar hit a pressure-plate IED, killing 11 civilians and injuring a further
40. 1229 At the end of May 2021 UNOCHA assessed that the security situation had intensified in Zabul
with regular armed clashes in Qalat, Tarnak Wa Jaldak, Shahjoy and Shinkay districts. 1230 At the end ofJune 2021, a roadside bomb in in Shahr-e Safa district (Tarnak Wa Jaldak) hit a vehicle killing two
civilians and wounding four more. 1231
Regarding the security situation in the main urban centre/provincial capital Qalat, on 15 March 2021
a magnetic bomb in Qalat killed one civilian and wounded another. 1232 In May 2021 Taliban attacks on
security checkpoints caused causalities to security forces. 1233 Fighting was reported to intensify in
Qalat city in mid-June 2021 1234 and by mid-July 2021 AAN described Qalat as ‘vulnerable’. 1235 On 29
July 2021 a mortar shell hit a house killing five civilians and wounding 14 more. 1236 Qalat was capturedby the Taliban on 13 August 2021, without a fight and local elders were reported to be negotiating afull handover. 1237

1225 LWJ, Mapping Taliban Contested and Controlled districts in Afghanistan, n. d., (accessed 13 August 2021), url

1226 EASO analysis based on publicly available ACLED data. ACLED, Curated Data Files, Afghanistan, 4 August 2021, url
1227 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (8-14 March 2021), 16 March 2021, url
1228 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: April 2021, updated 30 April 2021, url

1229 UNAMA, Afghanistan – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, Midyear Report 2021, July 2021, url, p. 71230 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update ((24 – 30 May 2021), 2 June 2021, url
1231 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: June 2021, updated 1 July 2021, url

1232 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: March 2021, updated 1 April 2021, url
1233 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: May 2021, updated 3 June 2021, url

1234 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (31 May - 6 June 2021), 8 June 202, url

1235 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
1236 New York Times (The), Afghan War Casualty Report: July 2021, updated 5 August 2021, url

1237 LWJ, Afghan government on verge of collapse as Taliban capture 4 more cities, 13 August 2021, url; New York Times(The), Three more major cities are under Taliban control, as the government’s forces near collapse, 13 August 2021, url

128Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

As of April 2021, Zabul was listed as one of the 15 Afghan provinces where AQ was reportedly
present. 1238
The WHO recorded one attack related to health care provision in Zabul province in the first sevenmonths of 2021, which killed a healthcare worker. 1239 UNOCHA reported that on 24 March 2021, arocket damaged Suri Comprehensive Health Centre and an ambulance. 1240 On 1 May 2021 a healthworker was killed in crossfire. 1241
There is an airport in Qalat, that is located 3.2 km northwest of the town of Qalat. 1242 As of 29 August
2021, domestic flights were not scheduled. 1243 On 30 August 2021, Reuters cited the US FAA (Federal
Aviation Administration) reporting on the absence of ‘air traffic services and a functional civil aviation
authority in Afghanistan’. 1244 UNOCHA reported that in early July 2021 that primary and secondary
roads to provinces and districts in the south were reportedly being intermittently blocked by a nonstate armed group which was affecting civilian movements and the transportation of food and otherbasic items. 1245 In mid-July 2021 AAN noted that Taliban controlled all the district centres along thering road from Qalat to Herat, except Tarnak Wa Jaldak (Zabul), and Daman, Kandahar city and its
district, and Zheray (Kandahar province). 1246
Displacement
UNOCHA collected data for the period 1 March 2021 – 9 August 2021, reporting 2 050 persons
displaced from Zabul, all within in the province itself. Displaced persons originated from Mizan (269)and Shahjoy (1 781) districts. No displacement from other provinces was registered to Zabul province
in the same period. 1247 Between 10 and 16 May, approximately 4 200 people were displaced within
the Takir area in Mizan district. 1248 Between 7 and 13 June, fighting intensified around Qalat City
leading to displacement to the city centre. In the same period, 3 458 people were reportedly displaced
within and from Shinkay, Shahjoy and Shinkai (also known as Seori, Seyuri) district to Qalat district. 1249

1238 UN Security Council, Twelfth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant toresolution 2557 (2020) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to thepeace stability and security of Afghanistan, S/2021/486 , 1 June 2021, url, para. 42
1239 WHO, Afghanistan: Attacks on Health Care (January-July 2021), 12 August 2021, url
1240 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (22-28 March 2021), 31 March 2021, url
1241 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (26 April-2 May 2021), 5 May 2021, url
1242 Afghanistan, ACAA, Aeronautical Information Publication, 20 May 2021, url, p. 428
1243 Kam Air, Flight schedule, n.d. (accessed 29 August 2021), url1244
Reuters, FAA says Kabul airport uncontrolled now, U.S. carriers barred from flights, 30 August 2021, url
1245 UNOCHA, Afghanistan- Weekly Humanitarian Update (28 June – 4 July 2021), 4 July 2021, url, p. 1
1246 AAN, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taliban take more district Centres across Afghanistan, 16 July 2021, url
1247 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Conflict Induced Displacements in 2021, updated 29 August 2021, url
1248 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (10-16 May 2021), 19 May 2021, url, p. 1
1249 UNOCHA, Afghanistan - Weekly Humanitarian Update (7-13 June 2021), 17 June 2021, url, p. 1

129

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

Annex 1: Bibliography
Public sources
AA (Anadolu Agency), Former Afghan premier says all ethnic groups to support future government,
23 August 2021, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/former-afghan-premier-says-all-ethnicgroups-to-support-future-government/2343600, accessed 25 August 2021
AOAV (Action on Armed Violence), Taliban attack Kabul’s Green Zone as fighting rages in provinces
Format, 7 August 2021, Taliban attack Kabul’s Green Zone as fighting rages in provinces | AOAV,
accessed 25 August 2021
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project), Regional Overview: South Asia andAfghanistan 20-26 March 2021, 1 April 2021, https://acleddata.com/2021/04/01/regional-overviewcentral-asia-and-the-caucasus20-26-march-2021/, accessed 28 July 2021
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project), Regional Overview: South Asia andAfghanistan 27 March – 2 April 2021, 8 April 2021, https://acleddata.com/2021/04/08/regionaloverview-central-asia-and-the-caucasus27-march-2-april-2021/, accessed 28 July 2021
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project), Regional Overview: South Asia andAfghanistan 29 May-4 June 2021, 10 June 2021, https://acleddata.com/2021/06/10/regionaloverview-south-asia-and-afghanistan29-may-4-june-2021/, accessed 28 July 2021
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project), Regional Overview: South Asia andAfghanistan 3-9 July 2021, 14 July 2021, https://acleddata.com/2021/07/14/regional-overviewsouth-asia-and-afghanistan3-9-july-2021/, accessed 28 July 2021
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project), Regional Overview: South Asia andAfghanistan 10-16 July 2021, 21 July 2021, https://acleddata.com/2021/07/21/regional-overviewsouth-asia-and-afghanistan10-16-july-2021/, accessed 28 July 2021
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project), Regional Overview: South Asia andAfghanistan, 17-23 July 2021, 28 July 2021, https://acleddata.com/2021/07/28/regional-overviewsouth-asia-and-afghanistan17-23-july-2021/ accessed 28 July 2021
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project), Regional Overview: South Asia andAfghanistan, 24-30 July 2021, 5 August 2021, https://acleddata.com/2021/08/05/regional-overviewsouth-asia-and-afghanistan24-30-july-2021/, accessed 31 July 2021
Afghanistan, ACAA (Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority), AIRAC AIP (Aeronautical Information
Publication), 20 May 2021, https://acaa.gov.af/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AERODROME-EDITION91.pdf, accessed 31 July 2021
Afghanistan, ACAA (Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority), AIRAC AIP (Aeronautical Information
Publication), 15 July 2021, https://acaa.gov.af/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AIP-AIRAC-AMDT-0032021-EFFECTIVE-15-JUL-2021.pdf, accessed 31 July 2021

130

Country of origin information report | Afghanistan: Security situation

AAN (Afghanistan Analysts Network), As US troops withdraw, what next for war and peace inAfghanistan? 1 May 2021, https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/war-and-peace/as-ustroops-withdraw-what-next-for-war-and-peace-in-afghanistan/, accessed 31 July 2021
AAN (Afghan Analysts Network), Preparing for a Post-Departure Afghanistan: Changing political
dynamics in the wake of the US troop withdrawal announcement, 4 June 2021,
https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/war-and-peace/preparing-for-a-post-departureafghanistan-changing-political-dynamics-in-the-wake-of-the-us-troop-withdrawal-announcement/,
accessed 31 July 2021
AAN (Afghan Analysts Network), A Quarter of Afghanistan’s Districts Fall to the Taleban amid Calls fora ‘Second Resistance’, 2 July 2021, https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/war-andpeace/a-quarter-of-afghanistans-districts-fall-to-the-taleban-amid-calls-for-a-second-resistance/
accessed 31 July 2021
AAN (Afghan Analysts Network, Menace, Negotiation, Attack: The Taleban take more District Centres
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Annex 2: Terms of Reference
General description of latest developments and observed trends during the reference period March– August 2021:
•
•
•
•
•

•
•
•
•

Status of withdrawal of US and other international forces
Status of peace negotiations and political developments
Involvement of new international actors
Changes in the presence and control of different actors (if possible, include information frommost recent map/maps of control, such as by LWJ)
Recent developments on emerging actors (e.g. former mujahedeen factions, warlords andtheir militias, Jamiat-e Islami, foreign fighters, etc. (including whether there are shifts in theirsupport/resistance to the GoA or against the Taliban)
Intensity of the conflict in the country and in different regions/provinces
Number of security incidents and civilian casualties (overview) and observed trends
New trends in nature of violence and methods primarily used by the actors
Conflict-induced displacement

Information to be made available per province
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Shifts of control in (areas of) the province, noting the situation in the provincial capital
Developments in the presence of other actors (pro-government armed groups and different
AGEs)
ACLED number of incidents and number of fatalities [to be provided by EASO as Annex, notincluded in the page count]
Number of civilian casualties if available [reference period may differ, e.g. based UNAMA
mid-year report]
Nature of the violence and examples of representative security incidents
Road security
Reported conflict severity (UNOCHA reporting)
Conflict-induced displacement
Further impact of the violence (closure of healthcare facilities, schools, infrastructure andhousing damage, etc.)*For Kabul, Herat, and Balkh, there should be additional focus on the capital city, covering to the extent
possible the same elements as for the provinces.
In addition, information on the location (which district), current operability (international flights), andsecurity of the international airports’ area should be provided.

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doi: 10.2847/43523

158