Five Events and Acts of Heroism Against the Taliban in the Shomali Region and the Northern Hindu Kush (from Mizan 1375 to Sunbula 1378 in the Solar Hijri Calendar — October 1996 to August 1999)
Author: Mohammad Abdullah, journalist, especially for Sangar
After publishing the article “Shomali — the Frontline of the War and the Sacrifice for Freedom”, friends expressed different opinions about the attacks and defeats of the Taliban, Pakistanis, Al-Qaeda, and their allied terrorist groups during the First Resistance, and raised questions. This prompted me to study the matter in greater depth and share a concise summary with you.
In the first five years of their rule, the Taliban and their foreign allies launched dozens of large-scale attacks on Resistance positions, and in most of them suffered defeat with heavy losses. Among these, three major offensives north of the capital and two general invasions of the northern and northeastern provinces stood out. In each counterattack and popular uprising, thousands of Taliban, Pakistanis, and foreign fighters were killed, and hundreds were captured.
1 – The Taliban’s Attack and Defeat in Shomali, Mizan 1375 (October 1996)
After capturing Kabul, the Taliban attacked Kohdaman, Parwan, Kapisa, and the entrance to Panjshir. As a result of the Resistance counterattack, they suffered a heavy defeat. Parwan, Kapisa, and Kohdaman were liberated, and for some time the frontline was established in Pul-e Sufian and Hussein Kot near Kabul. Hundreds of invaders were killed, hundreds more were captured, and more than 300 prisoners were transferred to Panjshir.
Until mid-winter of that year, several fierce battles occurred in Kohdaman and Parwan, in which the Resistance also suffered heavy losses.
2 – The Surrender of General Abdul Malik to the Taliban and the Fall of the North
After the killing of his brother, Rasul Pahlawan, General Abdul Malik sought revenge against General Dostum and made contact with the Taliban. On 29 Sawr 1376 (20 May 1997), Mohammad Ismail Khan, commander of the Badghis front, was arrested by the forces of General Malik and Gul Mohammad Pahlawan and, along with 700 fighters, handed over to the Taliban. The Taliban entered the provinces of Faryab, Jawzjan, Sar-e Pol, and Balkh; General Dostum fled abroad. Some local commanders in Kunduz Province and the Rag and Yaftal districts of Badakhshan surrendered to the Taliban, who within days advanced almost to Fayzabad, the capital of Badakhshan.
*Pakistan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia officially recognized the Taliban.
*Mohammad Zahir Shah, the former king, called the Taliban’s control of the north a unifying factor for Afghanistan and sent them congratulations.
*Gohar Ayub, Pakistan’s foreign minister, declared that Ahmad Shah Massoud would soon be captured.
*Hamid Karzai and several technocrats supportive of the Taliban attempted to take over Afghanistan’s UN mission and its embassy in the US; the embassy was closed, but they failed to seize the UN mission.
*Resistance activists and Massoud’s friends sent him messages saying the Afghan issue was over and offering him a safe way out, but Massoud firmly refused, assuring them the Taliban and Pakistanis would be defeated.
*Ahmad Shah Massoud explained Pakistan and the Taliban’s plans to General Abdul Malik over radio communication and persuaded him to resist them.
*On 28 May, large-scale uprisings and attacks against the Taliban broke out in the north and northeast, leading to the defeat of the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and Pakistanis; thousands were killed and captured. According to some reports of the time, 10,000 Taliban prisoners were executed by General Malik’s forces in the Dasht-e Leili desert.
*Massoud reconciled General Malik and General Abdul Rashid Dostum, and Malik assumed leadership of Jumbesh-e Milli.
3 – The Surrender of General Abdul Basir Salangi to the Taliban, June 1997
General Basir Salangi, commander of the Salang front, surrendered to the Taliban with several commanders from Parwan, stationed them in the Salang headquarters, and over the radio urged Massoud to surrender.
*Those commanders who opposed him blew up the Salang tunnel and either took positions in the mountains or retreated to Panjshir. Meanwhile, the Taliban entered Khinjan and the city of Pul-e Khumri via Salang.
*Within days, the Taliban reached the entrance of Panjshir and also captured Siyaghan, Kohmard, and the center of Bamyan Province.
*General uprisings began in Parwan, Kapisa, and north of Kabul, inflicting heavy losses on the Taliban.
*In Shomali, 700–800 Taliban were captured and hundreds killed.
*Some of the Taliban’s defeated forces went to Baghlan, where, with the help of Kunduz commanders, they recaptured its center and held it until 2001, supplied by air.
*By the end of the month, Pul-e Khumri was liberated, around 500 Taliban were captured, and some of their forces went to Kunduz. From there, they attacked Balkh and reached Hairatan, committing massacres, but were defeated.
4 – The Taliban’s Capture of the North and the Massacre in Mazar-i-Sharif, August 1998
After the liberation of the north and northeast, the Islamic State’s center was in Balkh Province. On 9 August 1998, after the fall of the fronts in Faryab, the Taliban captured Mazar-i-Sharif, linked up with Kunduz, and took Takhar along with the Yaftal and Rag districts of Badakhshan.
*On the first day in Mazar-i-Sharif, the Taliban killed the Iranian consul-general, secretary, eight diplomats, and an IRIB journalist in the Iranian consulate.
*The massacre of residents began on 17 Asad: although Mullah Omar had ordered a three-day killing, Mullah Mannan Niazi extended it to ten days, during which 8,000–10,000 unarmed civilians — mostly Hazara Shiites — were killed.
*At the same time, the Taliban launched several assaults on the northern front but were defeated.
*In the attack on Khawak Pass, they met fierce resistance; Andarab commanders attacked Taliban reinforcements in Pul-e Hisar, killing hundreds and destroying or capturing hundreds of their vehicles.
*Badakhshan and Takhar were liberated through uprisings and Resistance operations.
*Uprisings spread in Samangan, Balkh, Bamyan, Sar-e Pol, Faryab, and Ghor, liberating many districts and establishing Resistance bases in Belkhāb, Sancharak, Kohistan, Gorziwan, Dar-e Suf, Tiura, Chaharsada, and Marghab.
5 – The Taliban’s Defeat in Shomali and the Start of the Scorched-Earth Policy, August 1999
I wrote about this a few days ago; the link is attached.
Shomali — The Front Line of War and the Sacrifice of Freedom
Notes:
1 – The Taliban massacred civilians in Bamyan once in spring 1999, and again in winter 2000, killing over 300 residents of Yakawlang.
2 – For greater accuracy, interviews were conducted with commanders and Resistance fighters, former intelligence officers, media and cultural activists, and families of the martyrs. Printed sources such as the weekly Payam-e Mujahid, the Arya Press agency, and eyewitness notes were also used.
3 – The video published from the August 1999 attack shows Resistance fighters assaulting the Taliban north of Kabul.