2016 in Afghanistan

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Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s
See also:	Other events of 2016 List of years in Afghanistan

The following lists events that happened during 2016 in Afghanistan.

Incumbents

• President: Ashraf Ghani, 2014-current
• Chief Executive Officer: Abdullah Abdullah, 2014-current
• Chief Justice: Abdul Salam Azimi

Events

January

War in Afghanistan (2015–present) continues.

• January 1 - A suicide car bomb blast struck a Kabul restaurant killing 2 and injuring 15.^[1]
• January 2 - Afghan security forces battled a group of gunmen near the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif.^[2] Also that day, an Afghan counterterrorism force freed 59 prisoners from a Taliban prison in the district of Nahr-i-Sarraj.^[3]
• January 5 - A United States Army Special Forces soldier was killed and two others were wounded as were an unknown number of Afghan special forces soldiers during a joint operation in support of a larger mission by the Afghan National Army’s 215th Corps in clearing Taliban compounds in the town of Marja, Helmand Province. An Army HH-60 special operations helicopter was also damaged.^[4][5][6][7]
• January 13 - Militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province attacked Pakistan's consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, killing 9 people and injuring 12 more^[8]

February

• February 1 - A suicide bomber blew himself up while standing in a queue at the entrance of the headquarters of the Afghan National Civil Order Police in Kabul. The blast killed at least 20 people and another 29 were injured. The Taliban claimed responsibility.^{[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]} Also that day, U.S. airstrikes in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan, killing 29 ISIS fighters and struck the terrorist group's FM radio station.^[17]
• February 2 - A U.S. airstrike in Paktika province, eastern Afghanistan, killed 18 Taliban fighters from Pakistan.^[18]
• February 5 - Afghan forces suffered 4 KIA and 7 WIA in Sangin, Helmand province.^[19]
• February 6 - Afghan soldiers defending the government buildings In Sangin, suffered 9 KIA, 7 WIA, and 3 POW following a Taliban attack.^[20]
• February 11 - An Afghan policeman shot dead 4 colleagues and injured 7 more in Kandahar Province.^[21]
• February 14 - The Nangarhar Offensive began.^[22][23]
• February 17 - Men who appeared to be from the Afghan army raided a health clinic belonging to the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) in Tangi Saidan in Wardak Province, killing 4.^[24]
• February 20 - A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper crashed at Kandahar airfield.^[25]
• February 22 - Afghan forces and U.S.-led coalition airstrikes kill a total 43 Islamic State militants in Nangarhar Province during a military operation against ISIS in that region.^[26][27]
• February 26 - Afghan special forces raided a Taliban prison in an area between Nad Ali and Marjah districts Helmand province and liberated 35 people and capturing 7 Taliban militants.^[28]
• February 27 - 25 people were killed in Taliban suicide attacks in Kabul and Asadabad, Kunar province.^[29][30]

March

• March 2 - Militants attacked the Indian consulate in Jalalabad, 5 militants were killed and 9 people were injured.^[31]
• March 6 - The Nangarhar Offensive ended; Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani announced in the Afghan parliament that the Islamic State has been defeated in the eastern parts of the country.^[32] Also that day, a U.S. Drone strike in Nangarhar killed 15 ISIL militants.^[33]
• March 9 - As many as 10 Taliban insurgents attacked Afghan government buildings in Helmand Province.^[34]
• March 14 - Khanneshin district fell to the Taliban.
• March 16 - Militants loyal to ISIS-K attacked an Afghan police checkpoint in Nangarhar province, killing and wounding 6 policemen.^[35]
• March 29 - A USAF F-16 crashed on takeoff near Bagram Air Field.^[36]
• March 30 - Taliban militants blocked the highway between Dihrawud and Tarin Kot, Uruzgan province Afghan forces cleared them from the highway after 4 days of fighting, afghan forces suffered 15 killed and 8 wounded. Around 100 Taliban insurgents, including foreign fighters, attacked police check points- in particular they clashed with the Taliban in Charhar Bolak district Balkh province which resulting in 2 police officers dead and 8 insurgents dead. The Taliban were pushed back after reinforcements arrived and fighting continued in Jawzjan province.^[37]

April

• Early April - A mission lasting 36-hour mission took place in Kot district in Nangarhar province involving unilateral U.S. strikes against ISIL targets which enabled Afghan special operations forces to move into the district and clear part of a valley. ^[38]
• April 6 - 39 IS militants are killed, including their Commander Qari Yusif, and 15 others are wounded in clashes with Afghan forces in Nangarhar province.^[39]
• April 15 - Afghan and U.S. forces carried out a raid on the house of Abu Abdullah; a suspected al Qaeda member in Kharwar district, Logar province. Two people were seized along with weapons and intelligence, 12 people (7 of them were ethnic Chechens jihadists), including 3 children, were killed.^[40]
• April 19 - As part of the Taliban spring offensive; the Taliban carried out attacks on Kabul killing 71 and wounding more than 360.
• For the month, the U.S., Afghan and other allied special operations forces carried out just under 19 counterterrorism strikes on ISIL targets and a few on al-Qaeda targets.^[41]

Public holidays

See also

• Timeline of Afghan history

References

1. "Suicide blast strikes Kabul restaurant popular with foreigners". the telegraph. 1 January 2016.
2. "Battle near Indian consulate building in northern Afghanistan". the telegraph. 3 January 2016.
3. "Afghan forces raid another Taliban ‘prison’ in Helmand". the long war journal. 29 February 2016.
4. (Washington Post)
5. "Pentagon identifies Army Special Forces soldier killed in Afghanistan". the Washington post. 6 January 2016.
6. "Congressman questions if Army Special Forces denied rescue force, fire support". The Washington Post. 7 January 2016.
7. "CENTCOM: AC-130 'absolutely did fire' in Marjah battle against Taliban". Stars and Stripes. 8 January 2016.
8. (NDTV)
9. "Afghanistan attack: Kabul suicide bomber kills 20". BBC News. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
10. Mirwais Harooni (1 February 2016). "Suicide bomber strikes outside police office in Afghan capital". Reuters. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
11. "Taliban Bombing Kills at Least 20 at Kabul Police Station". The New York Times. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
12. "Taliban suicide bomber in deadly attack on Kabul police base". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
13. AFP - Reuters. "Suicide bomber kills 20 outside Kabul police base". Retrieved 16 February 2016.
14. "Taliban attack on Kabul police headquarters kills 20". UPI. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
15. "Deadly suicide attack rocks Afghanistan's capital". Retrieved 16 February 2016.
16. Ashley Fantz and Masoud Popalzai; CNN (1 February 2016). "Taliban claim Kabul police headquarters attack - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
17. "Afghan official: U.S. airstrikes hit ISIS radio station, kill 29 militants". CNN. February 2, 2016.
18. "US strikes Pakistani Taliban faction in eastern Afghanistan". the long war journal. 3 February 2016.
19. "I see my old battalion assigned to Helmand again and I wonder: What is the point?". Washington post. 27 February 2016.
20. "I see my old battalion assigned to Helmand again and I wonder: What is the point?". Washington post. 27 February 2016.
21. "Afghan policeman opens fire on colleagues, kills 4". appealdemocrat. 11 February 2016.
22. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-drones-afghan-forces-kill-28-is-fighters/3179608.html
23. http://www.voanews.com/content/achin-battle-rages-on-dozens-militants-killed/3198698.html
24. "Afghanistan: Three killed in raid on Swedish-run clinic". BBC. 18 February 2016.
25. "US drone crashes in southern Afghanistan; no injuries". foxnews. 20 February 2016.
26. "Officials: Forces kill 43 Islamic State militants in eastern Afghanistan". Stars and Stripes. 23 February 2016.
27. "ISIS In Afghanistan: US Airstrikes, Afghan Forces Target Islamic State Group In Eastern Nangarhar". international business times. 23 February 2016.
28. "Afghan forces raid another Taliban ‘prison’ in Helmand". the long war journal. 29 February 2016.
29. "Afghanistan suicide attacks kill 25, jeopardising peace talks". ABC news. 27 February 2016.
30. "Afghanistan: 25 people killed in two separate suicide attacks". BBC news. 27 February 2016.
31. "Afghanistan militants dead in Jalalabad attack". BBC. 2 March 2016.
32. "Afghan President: IS Being Wiped out in Afghanistan". ABC news. 6 March 2016.
33. "Drone strike kills Islamic State militants in Afghanistan". Stars and Stripes. 7 March 2016.
34. "Taliban Fighters Assault Afghan Government Sites in Helmand". the new York times. 9 March 2016.
35. "NATO chief predicts another tough year ahead for Afghanistan". militarytimes. 16 March 2016.
36. "US Air Force F-16 Crashes in Afghanistan, Pilot Safely Ejects". abc news. 29 March 2016.
37. "Afghanistan: Taliban fight kills 15 security troops". AlJazeera. 30 March 2016.
38. "Number of ISIL Fighters in Afghanistan Drops Significantly, Official Says". US department of defence. 14 April 2016.
39. "39 IS members killed in clashes with troops in eastern Afghanistan". fox news latino. 6 April 2016.
40. "Twelve Die in Coalition Raid in Afghanistan". Washington street journal. 16 April 2016.
41. "Senior Official Outlines U.S. Forces’ Missions in Afghanistan". U.S. department of Defence.