The story that began then and continues to this day
Author: Mohammad Abdullah, journalist, exclusively for Sangar
Original article: شمالی، خط مقدم جنگ و قربانی آزادیخواهی
The video presented below relates to events that took place 26 years ago (Asad 1378 in the Solar Hijri calendar – August 1999).
The Taliban, al-Qaeda, and their foreign backers suffered several defeats in Shomali (an area north of Kabul, including Kohdaman in Kabul Province, and the provinces of Parwan, Kapisa, and Panjshir – Sangar) and in northern Afghanistan from the autumn of 1375 to the spring of 1378 (1996–2001). Three of these defeats were particularly heavy and bloody—each time, hundreds of their fighters were captured.
In the spring of 1378, the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Pakistanis, and other terrorist groups (1) devised a large-scale plan: with the arrival of favorable weather, they would once again attempt to break the northern defensive lines and occupy this vast region.
The forward line of the resistance front began at the foothills of the Shakardara mountains and extended through Mirbachakot, Babakuchqar, the Barikab Pass, the vicinity of Bagram airfield, parts of the Sufi mountains, Kura-e Tagab, and into the Pachi Ghan valley. Afghanistan’s Nijrab, Solanak, Sayyad, Bagram, Qala-e Nasr, Mashinab, and Qarabagh served as rear positions and reserve lines for the front.
The provincial centers of Parwan and Kapisa remained calm and became refuges for people from nearly all ethnicities and provinces of Afghanistan. Hospitals, schools, and local institutions operated normally, and bazaars bustled with life. The Charikar market was so lively it seemed as if the entire population of the capital lived there.
The Taliban began attacks in late Saratan (July) in three directions—Kohdaman, Barikab, and Tagab. Fierce fighting took place, but civilians behind the front lines continued their daily lives without fear.
On 5 Asad (28 July 1999), after several months of travel through northern provinces, Mohammad Dawood Ebrahimi and I returned and stayed for two days with friends in Charikar. The population density in Parwan and Kapisa struck us as remarkable.
Taliban fighter jets, after striking resistance positions, would pass over Charikar and sometimes bomb areas such as Jabal-us-Siraj, Gulbahar, and parts of Kapisa.
Supplies to the Shomali front line were sent daily from Parwan. People were aware of the course of the fighting and prayed for the victory of the resistance.
After several days of heavy attacks—armored, infantry, and air—the Taliban entered the Istragich and Sanjiddara areas via the Ghorband mountains, forcing the resistance to retreat. Military losses among the resistance were small, but the civilian population suffered heavily.
During the last three days of fighting, many civilians left Kohdaman, Parwan, and Kapisa for Panjshir and Andarab. A small number, after the Taliban passed, went to Kabul, but families unable to leave faced violence and abuse from the Taliban and other terrorists.
In less than a week, Ahmad Shah Massoud regrouped, convened commanders, and launched a counterattack in which, in just half a day, the Taliban suffered a crushing defeat and, in Massoud’s words, “their war machine collapsed.”
The operation began before morning prayer, and by sunrise, Gulbahar, Jabal-us-Siraj, Sayyidkhil, Kohband, the textile factory, Jamalaga, Dehbola, Sayyad, Shukhi, Solanak, and other areas had been liberated. By noon that day, resistance forces had liberated the foothills of Istragich, Langikhil, Mashinab, Qarabagh, Jarchi, Pitawa, Qala-e Nasr, Barikab, Bagram airfield, parts of the Sufi mountains, and Kura-e Tagab (2).
The speed of the resistance fighters’ movement without vehicles from Gulbahar to Qarabagh, Bagram, and other mentioned areas within half a day was extraordinary. Yet, it is a historical fact—made possible by the power of love, faith, and the people’s desire for freedom (3).
The occupiers left behind hundreds of corpses, dozens of armored vehicles, and large quantities of weapons, and hundreds of their fighters were taken prisoner (4).
The crimes committed by the Taliban and their collaborators in areas not yet liberated were horrific and represent undeniable examples of war crimes and crimes against humanity: the destruction and burning of houses and vineyards, the devastation of orchards, irrigation systems, and water sources, the killing of innocent civilians, and their forced relocation to the scorching camps of Sar-e Shahi district in Nangarhar Province.
Until 1380 (2001), in the areas of Shomali that remained under their control, the Taliban spared no living thing, destroying settlements and implementing a scorched-earth policy reminiscent of the Mongol invasions. It became so severe that identifying and distinguishing the villages of Kohdaman between the Bagram crossroads and Kariz-Mir became difficult.
Documenting the invaders’ crimes, the heroism and sacrifices of the people, and analyzing the causes and circumstances of defeats requires professional and continuous work.
May the memory of those who fell for freedom be blessed, and may the fighters who displayed bravery and courage in these religious and national liberation wars be honored and exalted!
Notes:
1 – More than twenty terrorist groups from Arab countries, Central Asia, Africa, and South Asia, as well as Pakistan’s military forces, fought alongside the Taliban. Documentation and evidence exist.
2 – If there are errors in dates or place names, competent authorities are kindly asked to correct them.
3 – Since most of the resistance’s vehicles had been moved into Panjshir, and the entrance to the valley had been blown up, the renewed attack was carried out mainly on foot, though some commanders used captured Taliban armored vehicles.
4 – According to some sources, Taliban and allied forces’ losses reached about three thousand killed. Video footage exists showing foreign prisoners among the Taliban, published in documentary reports.
