Map 17 · Conflict
Militant attacks on civilians in Afghanistan since 2021
- Region
- Afghanistan, 2021–2026
- Data
- UCDP georeferenced events, plus 6 attacks UCDP misses, from Wikipedia.
- Rule
- Attacks whose main target was civilians or foreigners. Attacks on Taliban forces are map 17b. Taliban operations and all foreign strikes are left out. Same circle scale as map 4.
58 attacks between the Taliban takeover on 15 August 2021 and August 2026 killed 1,006 people, not counting the attackers: Islamic State bombings and shootings of Shia mosques, Hazara schools and neighbourhoods, Sufi shrines and foreigners. Each attack is counted once, on the map for its main target; attacks on Taliban forces are on map 17b, drawn on the same scale as this one and the Pakistan and India maps. Taliban raids and executions, clashes where no side is named as the attacker, and every foreign strike, including Pakistani airstrikes, US drone strikes and the 2025 border fighting, are left out. The South Asia Terrorism Portal barely covers Afghanistan, so the base list is the Uppsala Conflict Data Program’s event data, read event by event, with attacks it misses added from Wikipedia’s lists. Each circle sits where UCDP placed the event, or at the named place or district.
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Who was blamed
| Group | Attacks | Killed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 55 | 994 | 99% |
| Unclaimed or unidentified | 3 | 12 | 1% |
By year
| Year | Attacks | Killed |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 (from 15 Aug) | 10 | 360 |
| 2022 | 31 | 501 |
| 2023 | 7 | 71 |
| 2024 | 8 | 56 |
| 2026 (to Aug) | 2 | 18 |
Deadliest attacks
| Date | Place | Blamed on | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-08-26 | Abbey Gate Kabul, Kabul | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 183 |
| 2021-10-08 | Saydabad mosque Kunduz, Kunduz | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 80 |
| 2022-04-29 | Khalifa Sahib mosque Kabul, Kabul | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 66 |
| 2021-10-15 | Imam Bargah (Fatima) mosque Kandahar, Kandahar | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 63 |
| 2022-09-30 | Kaaj educational center Kabul, Kabul | Unclaimed | 54 |
| 2022-04-21 | Sih Dokan mosque Mazari Sharif, Balkh | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 50 |
| 2022-04-22 | Mawlawi Sikandar Khanaqa mosque Imam Sahib, Kunduz | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 50 |
| 2022-09-02 | Ghazargah mosque Herat, Herat | Unclaimed | 47 |
| 2022-04-19 | Mumtaz School Kabul, Kabul | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 31 |
| 2023-10-13 | Imam Zaman mosque Puli Khumri, Baghlan | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 31 |
| 2022-11-30 | Aybak Aybak, Samangan | Unclaimed | 23 |
| 2022-08-17 | Khair Khana mosque Kabul, Kabul | Unclaimed | 21 |
- Attacks with one or two deaths are left out, as on the other attack maps, so the map undercounts the total toll. UCDP records far fewer events after 2023, partly because attacks fell and partly because reporting from inside Afghanistan has narrowed.
- The Kabul airport bombing is counted here: most of the 183 dead were Afghans waiting at the gate, with 13 US service members and some Taliban guards.
- Attacks blamed on Islamic State include some it never claimed, such as the Kaaj education centre bombing, where UCDP attributes the attack to the group.
- Where sources differ, the UCDP best estimate is used. It is often higher than the Taliban’s figures, which tended to play tolls down: UCDP counts 31 dead at the Pul-e Khumri Shia mosque in October 2023, against an official 7.
All attacks
Every attack on the map. Select a row to find it on the plate.
58 attacks
| Kabul airport suicide bombingAbbey Gate, KabulSuicide bombing on Kabul airport evacuees at Abbey Gate, Kabul. | 183 | |
| Kunduz Shia mosque bombingSaydabad mosque, KunduzBombing on Shia worshippers in mosque at Saydabad mosque, Kunduz. | 80 | |
| Kabul Khalifa Sahib mosque bombingKhalifa Sahib mosque, KabulBombing on Sufi worshippers at mosque at Khalifa Sahib mosque, Kabul. | 66 | |
| Kandahar Shia mosque bombingsImam Bargah (Fatima) mosque, KandaharSuicide bombing on Shia worshippers in Imam Bargah at Imam Bargah (Fatima) mosque, Kandahar. | 63 | |
| Kabul Kaaj education centre bombingKaaj educational center, KabulSuicide bombing on Hazara students at Kaaj educational center, Kabul. | 54 | |
| Mazar-e-Sharif Shia mosque bombingSih Dokan mosque, Mazari Sharif, BalkhBombing on Shia worshippers at mosque at Sih Dokan mosque, Mazari Sharif. | 50 | |
| Kunduz mosque suicide bombingMawlawi Sikandar Khanaqa mosque, Imam Sahib, KunduzSuicide bombing on Worshippers at Khanaqa mosque at Mawlawi Sikandar Khanaqa mosque, Imam Sahib. | 50 | |
| Herat Ghazargah mosque bombingGhazargah mosque, HeratBombing on Mosque worshippers at Ghazargah mosque, Herat. | 47 | |
| Kabul Hazara school blastsMumtaz School, KabulBombing on Students at Shia-area schools at Mumtaz School, Kabul. | 31 | |
| Baghlan Shia mosque suicide bombingImam Zaman mosque, Puli Khumri, BaghlanSuicide bombing on Shia worshippers at Imam Zaman mosque, Puli Khumri. | 31 | |
| Samangan madrasa bombingAybak, SamanganBombing on Madrasa students, Aybak. | 23 | |
| Kabul Khair Khana mosque bombingKhair Khana mosque, KabulBombing on Mosque worshippers at Khair Khana mosque, Kabul. | 21 | |
| Kabul Wazir Akbar Khan mosque bombingWazir Akbar Khan mosque, KabulBombing on Friday prayer worshippers at Wazir Akbar Khan mosque, Kabul. | 20 | |
| Mazar-e-Sharif coordinated blastsKarte Ariana, Mazari Sharif, BalkhBombing on Civilian vehicles at Karte Ariana, Mazari Sharif. | 15 | |
| Daykundi Shia pilgrims attackQaryu Dal, Sangi Takht, DaykundiArmed assault on Shia pilgrims at Qaryu Dal, Sangi Takht. | 14 | |
| Herat Shia civilians bombingJibril, Injil, HeratBombing on Shia civilians at Jibril, Injil. | 12 | |
| Mazar-e-Sharif minibus bombingsPolice Districts 3 and 10, Mazari Sharif, BalkhBombing on Minibus passengers at Police Districts 3 and 10, Mazari Sharif. | 12 | |
| Kunduz Imam Sahib mosque blastAlif Birdi mosque, Imam Sahib, KunduzBombing on Worshippers at mosque at Alif Birdi mosque, Imam Sahib. | 12 | |
| Kabul Shia commuter bus bombingDasht-e Barchi, KabulBombing on Shia commuter bus passengers at Dasht-e Barchi, Kabul. | 11 | |
| Baghlan Sufi shrine attackSyed Badshah Agha shrine, Nahrin, BaghlanAttack on Sufi worshippers at Syed Badshah Agha shrine, Nahrin. | 11 | |
| Herat Shia shrine shootingDeh Miri, Injil, HeratShooting on Shia shrine visitors at Deh Miri, Injil. | 11 | |
| Kabul Eidgah mosque bombingEidgah mosque, KabulBombing on Worshippers outside Eidgah mosque at Eidgah mosque, Kabul. | 8 | |
| Kabul Hazrat Zakaria mosque blastHazrat Zakaria mosque, KabulBombing on Mosque worshippers at Hazrat Zakaria mosque, Kabul. | 8 | |
| Kabul Sar-e-Kariz bombingSar-e-Kariz, KabulBombing on Shia residents at Sar-e-Kariz, Kabul. | 8 | |
| Kabul Dasht-e Barchi bombingDasht-e Barchi, KabulBombing on Hazara residents at Dasht-e Barchi, Kabul. | 8 | |
| Khost religious school grenade attackKhostA grenade attack on a religious school in Khost killed seven people, including at least one Taliban fighter; ISIS-K claimed it. | 7 | |
| Herat Shia minibus bombingPolice District 12, Hirat, HeratBombing on Shia minibus passengers at Police District 12, Hirat. | 7 | |
| Kunduz food distribution blastSardawar, KunduzBombing on Civilians at NGO food distribution at Sardawar, Kunduz. | 7 | |
| Mazar-e-Sharif bus roadside bombingSaidabad, Mazari Sharif, BalkhBombing on Oil company staff at Saidabad, Mazari Sharif. | 7 | |
| Kabul Chinese restaurant suicide bombingGulfaroshi Street, KabulSuicide bombing on Restaurant patrons at Gulfaroshi Street, Kabul. | 7 | |
| Dasht-e-Barchi minivan bombingDasht-e-Barchi, KabulBombing on Minivan passengers at Dasht-e-Barchi, Kabul. | 6 | |
| Samangan coalminers shot deadKotal Regi, Dara-I-Sufi Payin, SamanganShooting on Coalminers at Kotal Regi, Dara-I-Sufi Payin. | 6 | |
| Kabul Russian embassy suicide bombingDarul Aman Road, KabulSuicide bombing on Russian embassy at Darul Aman Road, Kabul. | 6 | |
| Balkh journalists event bombingTebyan cultural center, Mazari Sharif, BalkhBombing on Journalists at event at Tebyan cultural center, Mazari Sharif. | 6 | |
| Kabul Foreign Ministry suicide bombingMalik Asghar Square, KabulSuicide bombing on Foreign ministry area at Malik Asghar Square, Kabul. | 6 | |
| Herat Hazara area gunmen attackJibril, Injil, HeratShooting on Hazara residents at Jibril, Injil. | 6 | |
| Herat Shia mosque shootingImam Zamani mosque, Guzara, HeratShooting on Shia worshippers at Imam Zamani mosque, Guzara. | 6 | |
| Bamyan tourists armed attackBamyan market, BamyanArmed assault on Foreign tourists at Bamyan market, Bamyan. | 6 | |
| Nangarhar Taliban vehicle bombingShimal, Dara-I-Nur, NangarharBombing on Taliban vehicle at Shimal, Dara-I-Nur. | 6 | |
| Kabul Dasht Barchi minibus bombingDasht Barchi, KabulBombing on Civilian minibus passengers at Dasht Barchi, Kabul. | 5 | |
| Kabul Barchi grenade attackBarchi, KabulAttack on Shia civilians at Barchi, Kabul. | 5 | |
| Dasht-e-Barchi double explosionDasht-e-Barchi, KabulBombing on Residents of Dasht-e-Barchi at Dasht-e-Barchi, Kabul. | 4 | |
| Polio workers shot, KunduzKunduzGunmen shot dead polio vaccination workers in Kunduz, one of two coordinated attacks that day that killed eight in Kunduz and Takhar. | 4 | |
| Polio workers shot, TakharTaloqan, Taluqan, TakharGunmen shot dead polio vaccination workers in Takhar, one of two coordinated attacks that day that killed eight in Kunduz and Takhar. | 4 | |
| Kunduz vehicle bombing April 2022KunduzA detonation against a vehicle in Kunduz killed four people and injured 18, including children, during the IS-K wave of attacks that week. | 4 | |
| Kabul Batkhak minibus bombingBatkhak crossroads, Bagrami, KabulBombing on Minibus passengers at Batkhak crossroads, Bagrami. | 4 | |
| Logar Shia family shootingPuli Alam, LogarShooting on Shia civilians, Puli Alam. | 4 | |
| Wazir Akbar Khan mosque explosionWazir Akbar Khan, KabulAn explosion near a mosque in Kabul Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood killed four people and injured ten, per the Interior Ministry spokesman. | 4 | |
| Shirzad district IED blastShirzad, NangarharBombing on Women and children, Shirzad. | 3 | |
| Nangarhar Trili mosque blastTrili, Achin, NangarharBombing on Mosque worshippers at Trili, Achin. | 3 |
Sources
- Uppsala Conflict Data Program, UCDP Georeferenced Event Dataset 26.1 (Afghanistan, 15 August 2021 to December 2025) and UCDP Candidate Events 26.01–26.08 (January to August 2026), ucdp.uu.se.
- Wikipedia, List of terrorist incidents in 2021 to … in 2026, Islamic State–Taliban conflict, Republican insurgency in Afghanistan, List of terrorist attacks in Kabul and the yearly … in Afghanistan pages (raw wikitext), used only to add attacks missing from UCDP; each added row is marked in the CSV.
- Afghanistan: geoBoundaries AFG ADM1 and ADM2 (2014 districts); place names from the GeoNames gazetteer for Afghanistan; neighbouring countries from Natural Earth.