Fall of Kabul (2021)

The Taliban’s capture of Kabul on 15 August 2021 ended the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and brought the Taliban back to national power.

Taliban offensive (2021): The Taliban’s nationwide campaign in 2021 that captured provincial capitals and Kabul as foreign forces withdrew. Its advances isolated Kabul and culminated in the capital’s capture.
Operation Allies Refuge: The U.S. military operation in 2021 that evacuated eligible Afghans and foreign nationals from Afghanistan. The operation began as Kabul fell and the airport became the main evacuation route.
Soviet–Afghan War: The 1979–1989 war in which Soviet forces supported Afghanistan’s communist government against mujahideen insurgents. The war’s aftermath helped produce the factions and instability from which the Taliban arose.
Fall of Kabul (1996): The Taliban’s capture of Kabul in September 1996, which began its first period of rule over the Afghan capital. The 2021 capture repeated the Taliban’s seizure of Kabul after a different government collapsed.
SIGAR: The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, an oversight office that investigated American reconstruction efforts. Its reports examine why the Afghan state and security forces failed so rapidly.
Doha Agreement: A 2020 agreement between the United States and the Taliban that set terms for foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The agreement shaped the withdrawal timeline amid which the Taliban advanced.
Kabul airport attack (2021): The 26 August 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. service members. The attack struck crowds gathered during the evacuation following the takeover.
Afghan Civil War (1992–1996): The conflict among Afghan factions after the fall of the communist government and before the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996. Its disorder created conditions that helped the Taliban gain support and power.
Kabul airlift: The mass air evacuation from Kabul airport in August 2021 after the Taliban took control of the city. Its crowded flights and desperate scenes became defining images of the fall.
Intelligence failure: A breakdown in collecting, interpreting, or acting on information needed to assess a threat or make a decision. The speed of the Taliban’s advance raised questions about assessments of Kabul’s likely survival.

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