2015 in Afghanistan explained

The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Afghanistan.

Incumbents

• President: Ashraf Ghani
• Chief Executive Officer: Abdullah Abdullah
• Chief Justice: Abdul Salam Azimi

Events

January

• January 5 – A suicide car bomber targets the headquarters of the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan in Kabul, killing one person and injuring five. The Taliban claim responsibility.^[1]
• January 14 – A U.S. drone strike kills at least two al-Qaeda militants and accidentally kills two hostages: Warren Weinstein and Giovanni Lo Porto.^[2]
• January 15 – Afghan security officials arrest five men in Kabul in relation to their suspected involvement in the 2014 Peshawar school massacre in Pakistan.^[3]
• January 29 – Taliban insurgency
  • Taliban attacks across Afghanistan kill 17 people.^[4]
  • Three American contractors are killed at Hamid Karzai International Airport.^[5]

February

• February 3/4 – Afghan, US and NATO troops carried out a mission in Nangarhar province that captured 6 Taliban militants who were wanted for the 2014 Peshawar school massacre.^[6]
• February 9 - A US Air Force drone strike in Helmand Province killed Mullah Abdul Rauf Khadim, deputy commander of ISIL-K, 5 other militants were killed in the strike.^[7]
• February 25 – At least 187 people are killed in avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan.^[8]
• February 26 – A Taliban suicide bomb attack on a Turkish government vehicle in Kabul kills at least one person.^[9]

March

• March 24 - During a visit to the US by Ghani and Abdullah, the US president announced that the US forces will remain at a level of about 9800 troops through 2015 and will not be drawn down to 5000 as had been originally planned.
• March 25 – The Afghan National Army kills twenty-nine insurgents and injures twenty-one others in a series of operations in Daikundi, Ghazni, and Parwan provinces.^[10]

April

• April 18 - A major suicide bomb attack in Jalalabad killed more than 30 people and injured over 100 persons. A spokesman for the ISIL said it carried out the attack.^[11]
• April 24 - The Battle of Kunduz begins.

May

• Suicide bombers attack the Park Palace guesthouse on 13 May 2015. Norwegian special forces from the Marinejegerkommandoen were central in saving 37 Australian hostages while they were in direct contact with the Australian ambassador in Kabul.^[12]
• Late May - Secret talks were held in the Chinese city of Urumqi between Afghanistan's peace envoy and representatives of the Taliban.^[13] The meeting was reportedly facilitated by Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI.^[14]

June

• 2015 Kabul Parliament attack - the Taliban use a car bomb, assault rifles and RPGs to attack the parliament, killing a woman and injuring 30 civilians.

July

• July 7 - The third senior group commander of ISIL in Afghanistan; Shahidullah Shahid, was killed along with five other terrorists in a U.S. drone strike in Nangarhar province.^[15]
• July 13 - At least 33 people have been killed in a suicide car bomb attack near Camp Chapman housing both Afghan and international troops in Khost province.^[16]
• July 20 - Eight Afghan soldiers were killed and five wounded by friendly fire from a U.S. Apache helicopter in Logar province, south of Kabul during a battle with insurgents.^{[17] [18]}

August

• August 7 - A series of bombings in Kabul kill 50 and wound 500. The attacks were claimed by the Taliban.^[19]
• August 10 - A Taliban suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint near the entrance to the international airport in Kabul, killing five people.^[20]
• August 22 - A Suicide attack on a NATO convoy in Kabul kills 12 and injures 66.^[21]
• August 26 - Two NATO soldiers were killed in an 'insider attack'in Helmand province.^[22]

October

• October 1 to 4 - U.S. aircraft launched 22 airstrikes over four days on Taliban targets in Kunduz.^[23]
• October 2 - A U.S. C-130 aircraft crashed at Jalalabad airport in a non-hostile incident, killing 12.^[24]
• October 3 - A USAF AC-130U gunship attacked the Kunduz Trauma Centre operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) during the Battle of Kunduz, killing at least 30 people and injuring over 30.
• October 10 - An RAF Puma Mk2 helicopter crashed as it was landing at NATO training and support mission HQ in Kabul, killing five NATO personnel.^[25]
• October 7 to 11 - In Shorabak district, Kandahar province, 200 U.S. and Afghan Special forces operators supported by 63 U.S. airstrikes destroyed 'probably the largest ever' AQIS training camp, killing Some 160 al-Qaeda terrorists.^[26] Also that day, the Taliban attacked a British military convoy in Kabul, there were no British casualties however seven Afghans were injured.^[20]
• October 13 - A U.S. F-16 was struck by insurgent small arms fire whilst flying over Paktia province, forcing it to return to base.^[27]
• October 14 - U.S. and Afghan forces retake the city of Kunduz after the Taliban withdraws from the city.^[28]
• October 15 - President Obama announces that he will be keeping 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through most of 2016 and 5,500 into 2017, rather than reducing the force to about 1,000 service members by the end of 2016.^[26]
• October 20 - The Taliban seize Babaji in Helmand province.^[29]
• October 26 - The 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake of 7.5 magnitude hits north-east Afghanistan, with tremors reported in India and Pakistan, with at least 260 killed.^[30]

November

• Unknown - The Taliban had surrounded police forces in the center of Marja District, threatening to take over that town and open the way for an assault on the provincial capital. But in a rescue mission by eight United States Special Operations soldiers leading a contingent of Afghan soldiers, kept the district in government control^[31]
• Unknown - A company of US Army Rangers and Afghan counter-terrorism forces, destroyed an al-Qaeda training camp in a “fierce fight” that lasted for several days in southeastern Afghanistan.^[32]
• November 25 - The Afghan army launched an operation to rescue hostages captured by the Taliban after their helicopter was shot down in Pashtun Kot district, Faryab province the previous day. Of the 21 people on board, three were killed the Taliban.^[33]

December

• Early December - NATO forces had carried out heavy airstrikes in several districts of Helmand, including Marja, Sangin and Babaji. In another joint operation, in Nawzad, NATO and Afghan forces conducted a rescue operation in which they freed 62 hostages of the Taliban, including police officers and civilians.^[31]
• December 5 - Throughout the night, a group of Rangers engaged in a firefight with enemy troops near the Afghan-Pakistan border; after about 5 a.m. their commander called for an extraction after they learned of a larger enemy group approaching. A helicopter from the 160th SOAR arrived and began and received heavy fire from the enemy, an AH-64 Apache helicopter from the 1st Battalion 101st Aviation Regiment escorting the helicopter, put their Apache directly between the U.S. troops, the helicopter and the enemy forces to draw the fire. As a result, the extraction was a success.^[34]
• December 8 - The Taliban attack Kandahar Airport, killing 37 people including nine Taliban insurgents and 35 people were injured as well as one insurgent ^[35]
• December 11 - Taliban militants attack the Spanish embassy in Kabul killing a total of nine people and perpetrators.
• December 17 - Green Berets from A Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group were accompanying a team of Afghan commandos in a clearing operation in Khan Neshin Valley in Helmand province; a firefight broke out whilst they were clearing several structures resulting in two Afghans killed and two Americans were wounded, at least five enemy combatants were killed, one green beret was awarded the Silver star for his actions in the engagement.^[36]
• December 21 - The Taliban carried out a suicide attack on a joint NATO and Afghan patrol near the Kandahar air base killing six US airmen.^{[37] [38]}
• December 25 - Ashraf Ghani & Narendra Modi, inaugurate new Parliament building of Afghanistan^[39] And an earthquake hits Northern Afghanistan.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Suicide Bomber Hits European Police in Kabul; 1 Dead . . 5 January 2015 . 5 January 2015.
2. Web site: U.S. drone strike accidentally killed 2 hostages. CNN. 24 April 2015.
3. News: Five men arrested in Afghanistan over involvement in Pakistan school massacre . ABC News . 15 January 2015 . 16 January 2015.
4. Web site: Suicide bomb at Afghan funeral for Taliban victims kills 16 . 29 January 2015 . 30 January 2015 . 1 February 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150201190721/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ac09f1ab3f0f48cf9e5fc326591d21d8/taliban-bomb-kills-4-attack-kills-11-afghanistan . dead .
5. News: Three U.S. Contractors Said Killed in Kabul Airport Shooting . Bloomberg.com . 29 January 2015 . 30 January 2015.
6. News: U.S. forces, Afghan troops arrest Taliban militants wanted for school massacre. Washington Post. 12 February 2015.
7. News: Afghanistan drone strike 'kills IS commander Abdul Rauf'. BBC News. 9 February 2015. 24 February 2015. A drone strike in Afghanistan has killed a militant commander who recently swore allegiance to Islamic State (IS), officials say. The police chief of Helmand said that former Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Rauf had died in the strike..
8. News: Afghans in frantic search for avalanche survivors. 2015-02-26. BBC News.
9. News: Kabul bomb hits Turkish embassy car. 2015-02-26. BBC News.
10. Web site: 29 Insurgents Killed In Military Operations. 25 March 2015. 28 March 2015. Tolonews. https://web.archive.org/web/20150326234141/http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/18751-29-insurgents-killed-in-military-operations. 2015-03-26. dead.
11. https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/first-wave-of-is-attacks-claim-and-denial-over-the-jalalabad-bombs/ First wave of IS attacks? Claim and denial over the Jalalabad bombs
12. Web site: Norske spesialsoldater i Afghanistan: – de vi slåss mot kjemper til døden. live. www.vg.no. https://web.archive.org/web/20170215224140/http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/afghanistan/vg-moette-norske-spesialsoldater-i-afghanistan-de-vi-slaass-mot-kjemper-til-doeden/a/23917662/ . 2017-02-15 .
13. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/26/world/asia/taliban-and-afghan-peace-officials-have-secret-talks-in-china.html Taliban and Afghan Peace Officials Have Secret Talks in China
14. https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghan-peace-envoy-met-taliban-in-secret-china-talks-1432486585 Afghan Peace Envoy Met Taliban in Secret China Talks
15. Web site: Top ISIL leader in Afghanistan 'killed in drone strike'. Aljazerra. 9 July 2015.
16. Web site: At least 33 people dead in Afghanistan suicide blast. Aljazerra. 13 July 2015.
17. Web site: Afghan troops 'killed by US friendly fire' in Logar. BBC. 20 July 2015.
18. News: Report: U.S. airstrike kills eight Afghan soldiers. The Washington Post. July 20, 2015.
19. Web site: Dozens killed in multiple attacks across Kabul . Al Jazeera . 7 August 2015.
20. Web site: Taliban attack UK military convoy in Afghan capital Kabul. BBC. 11 October 2015.
21. News: Suicide attack on Nato convoy in Afghanistan kills 12. The Telegraph. 23 August 2015.
22. News: Two Nato soldiers killed in Afghan 'insider attack'. The Telegraph. 26 August 2015.
23. Web site: U.S. Role in Afghanistan Turns to Combat Again, With a Tragic Error. the new York times. 8 May 2016.
24. News: US transport plane crashes in Afghanistan killing 12. the telegraph. October 2015. Crilly. Rob.
25. Web site: RAF helicopter crash: Five Nato staff die in Afghanistan. BBC. 12 October 2015.
26. News: 'Probably the largest' al-Qaeda training camp ever destroyed in Afghanistan. the Washington post. October 30, 2015.
27. Web site: US F-16 struck by enemy fire in Afghanistan in rare attack. Yahoo. October 18, 2015.
28. Web site: Taliban exit Afghan city of Kunduz but claim mission was successful. CNN. 14 October 2015.
29. Web site: Taliban seize British stronghold in Helmand as security unravels. the telegraph. 20 October 2015.
30. Web site: 12 schoolgirls trampled to death in Afghanistan earthquake. the telegraph. 26 October 2015.
31. Web site: Afghan Province, Teetering to the Taliban, Draws In Extra U.S. Forces. Jolly, David. Shah, Taimoor. The New York Times. 13 December 2015. February 11, 2016.
32. News: The U.S. was supposed to leave Afghanistan by 2017. Now it might take decades.. the Washington post. January 26, 2016.
33. Web site: Afghan army launches rescue bid after helicopter shot down. yahoo news. 25 November 2015.
34. Web site: 2 Fort Campbell soldiers receive Distinguished Flying Cross. army times. 2 June 2016.
35. Web site: Taliban Attack on Kandahar Airport: What We Know. 10 December 2015. The Diplomat.
36. Web site: Green Berets honored with Silver Star and eight other valor awards. army times. 6 May 2016.
37. Web site: Six US soldiers killed in Afghanistan suicide attack. www.aljazeera.com. 2015-12-22.
38. News: Pentagon identifies Army Special Forces soldier killed in Afghanistan. the Washington post. 6 January 2016.
39. News: President Ghani and PM Modi inaugurate new Afghan parliament building. The Khaama Press News Agency . 25 December 2015. khaama.