Map 17b · Conflict
Militant attacks on the Taliban since 2021
- Region
- Afghanistan, 2021–2026
- Data
- UCDP georeferenced events, plus 34 attacks UCDP misses, from Wikipedia.
- Rule
- Attacks whose main target was Taliban forces or officials. Attacks on civilians are map 17. Clashes with no clear attacker, Taliban operations and all foreign strikes are left out. Same circle scale as map 4.
84 attacks between the Taliban takeover on 15 August 2021 and August 2026 killed 470 people, not counting the attackers: Islamic State bombings of Taliban ministries, officials and gatherings, and ambushes and raids on Taliban posts by the National Resistance Front, the Afghanistan Freedom Front and smaller fronts. Each attack is counted once, on the map for its main target; attacks on civilians are on map 17, 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) | 34 | 224 | 48% |
| National Resistance Front | 28 | 172 | 37% |
| Afghanistan Freedom Front | 19 | 64 | 14% |
| Unclaimed or unidentified | 2 | 7 | 1% |
| Other anti-Taliban groups | 1 | 3 | 1% |
By year
| Year | Attacks | Killed |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 (from 15 Aug) | 14 | 90 |
| 2022 | 30 | 128 |
| 2023 | 12 | 82 |
| 2024 | 14 | 83 |
| 2025 | 7 | 63 |
| 2026 (to Aug) | 7 | 24 |
Deadliest attacks
| Date | Place | Blamed on | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-21 | New Kabul Bank Kandahar, Kandahar | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 26 |
| 2023-01-11 | Foreign Affairs Ministry Kabul, Kabul | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 21 |
| 2021-11-02 | Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital Kabul, Kabul | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 20 |
| 2025-02-11 | Kunduz Kunduz, Kunduz | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 19 |
| 2023-06-08 | Nabawi mosque Fayzabad, Badakhshan | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 17 |
| 2025-12-07 | , Panjshir | National Resistance Front | 17 |
| 2023-01-01 | Kabul airport Kabul, Kabul | Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) | 14 |
| 2021-09-02 | Chikrinow Chikrinow, Panjshir | National Resistance Front | 13 |
| 2025-05-17 | Dara Dara, Panjshir | National Resistance Front | 13 |
| 2021-08-21 | Andarab Andarab, Baghlan | National Resistance Front | 11 |
| 2022-04-30 | Taghanak and Paskundi villages Puli Hisar, Baghlan | National Resistance Front | 11 |
| 2022-08-19 | Darah Darah, Panjshir | National Resistance Front | 10 |
- 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.
- Most tolls for attacks by the National Resistance Front and the Afghanistan Freedom Front come from the groups’ own claims or from local reports the Taliban rarely confirm, so these circles are less certain than the Islamic State bombings.
- Bombings that killed Taliban staff alongside bystanders, such as the Kandahar and Kunduz bank attacks on salary queues, are counted here because the Taliban were the target.
- 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.
84 attacks
| Kandahar bank suicide bombingNew Kabul Bank, KandaharSuicide bombing on Taliban salary collectors at New Kabul Bank, Kandahar. | 26 | |
| Kabul foreign ministry suicide bombingForeign Affairs Ministry, KabulSuicide bombing on Foreign ministry employees at Foreign Affairs Ministry, Kabul. | 21 | |
| Kabul military hospital attackSardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital, KabulAttack on Patients and staff at military hospital at Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital, Kabul. | 20 | |
| Kunduz Taliban gathering bombingKunduzSuicide bombing on Taliban gathering, Kunduz. | 19 | |
| Faizabad Nabawi mosque bombingNabawi mosque, Fayzabad, BadakhshanBombing on Worshippers at prayer ceremony at Nabawi mosque, Fayzabad. | 17 | |
| Panjshir Taliban check post attackPanjshirNRF claimed an attack on a Taliban check post in Panjshir that killed 17 group members. | 17 | |
| Kabul airport suicide bombingKabul airport, KabulSuicide bombing on Kabul military airport entrance at Kabul airport, Kabul. | 14 | |
| Chikrinow ambush kills 13 TalibanChikrinow, PanjshirPanjshir sources claimed an ambush in Chikrinow district killed 13 Taliban fighters. | 13 | |
| Dara district Taliban base attackDara, PanjshirNRF claimed an attack on a Taliban base in Dara district that killed 13 Taliban fighters and wounded four; local residents confirmed it. | 13 | |
| Andarab resistance ambush on TalibanAndarab, BaghlanAmbush on Taliban fighters, Andarab. | 11 | |
| Taghanak and Paskundi Taliban base attacksTaghanak and Paskundi villages, Puli Hisar, BaghlanNRF forces led by Khari Mohammad Andarabi attacked Taliban bases in Taghanak and Paskundi; 11 Taliban and one NRF commander reportedly killed. | 11 | |
| NRF attack on Darah checkpointDarah, PanjshirNRF attacked a Taliban checkpoint in Darah district, Panjshir, reportedly killing 10 Taliban fighters according to the NRF. | 10 | |
| Kabul Interior Ministry NRF attackKabulNRF attacked a Ministry of Interior convoy and an explosion targeted the Taliban Ministry of Interior in Kabul, killing 10 Taliban and wounding five. | 10 | |
| Panjshir NRF ambush on TalibanKotal-e-Arezoo, Unaba, PanjshirAmbush on Taliban fighters at Kotal-e-Arezoo, Unaba. | 9 | |
| Rukha roadside mine hits Taliban convoyRukha, PanjshirA roadside mine hit a Taliban convoy in Rukha district, Panjshir; the NRF claimed seven Taliban killed and five wounded. | 7 | |
| Charikar ISKP complex attackPolice District 3, Chaharikar, ParwanAttack on Taliban in Charikar at Police District 3, Chaharikar. | 6 | |
| Andarab NRF guerrilla attack on TalibanAndarab, BaghlanNRF forces conducted a guerrilla attack in Andarab; Taliban losses reported as six killed, four wounded and two captured. | 6 | |
| Kabul prosecutors suicide bombingQala-e Bakhtiar, KabulSuicide bombing on Prosecutors at Qala-e Bakhtiar, Kabul. | 6 | |
| Kabul Khalil Haqqani bombingKabulSuicide bombing on Taliban minister Khalil Haqqani, Kabul. | 6 | |
| Jalalabad Taliban-targeted bombingJalalabad, NangarharBombing on Taliban, Jalalabad. | 5 | |
| Jalalabad gas station shootingPolice District 7, Jalalabad, NangarharShooting on Taliban fighters at gas station at Police District 7, Jalalabad. | 5 | |
| Rukha NRF base attackHesarak, Rukha, PanjshirArmed assault on Taliban base at Hesarak, Rukha. | 5 | |
| Panjshir commander killed by NRFShutul, PanjshirAttack on Taliban commander, Shutul. | 5 | |
| Kohistan District attack on TalibanKohistan, KapisaNRF forces based in Kapisa attacked Taliban positions in Kohistan District, reportedly killing three Taliban and wounding two. | 5 | |
| Herat Taliban outpost attackJoy Injil, HeratArmed assault on Taliban outpost at Joy Injil, Herat. | 5 | |
| Puli Khumri Taliban commander killedPuli Khumri, BaghlanAFF claimed killing a senior Taliban commander and four other Taliban members in Puli Khumri. | 5 | |
| Kandahar grenade attackKabul Ada, KandaharAttack on Taliban commander and civilians at Kabul Ada, Kandahar. | 5 | |
| Jalalabad gun attack, four killedPolice District 3, Jalalabad, NangarharShooting on Taliban and civilians at Police District 3, Jalalabad. | 4 | |
| Kaftarkhaneh village attack on TalibanKaftarkhaneh village, BaghlanLocal NRF members attacked Taliban positions in Kaftarkhaneh village, Baghlan, reportedly killing four Taliban and wounding four. | 4 | |
| Shinwar ISKP ambush on TalibanGhani Khel, Shinwar (Ghani Khel), NangarharAmbush on Taliban commander and guards at Ghani Khel, Shinwar (Ghani Khel). | 4 | |
| Nangarhar roadside mine kills TalibanNangarharA roadside mine explosion in Nangarhar killed at least four Taliban security force members and wounded one. | 4 | |
| Kabul Haji Nabi checkpoint attackHaji Nabi, KabulArmed assault on Taliban checkpoint at Haji Nabi, Kabul. | 4 | |
| Khogyani roadside bombingMamli, Khogayani, NangarharBombing on Taliban at Mamli, Khogayani. | 4 | |
| Badghis gunmen kill TalibanQala-I- Naw, BadghisShooting on Taliban fighters, Qala-I- Naw. | 4 | |
| Kunar Taliban vehicle bombingChambeal, Chawkay, KunarBombing on Taliban vehicle at Chambeal, Chawkay. | 4 | |
| Kabul attack on Taliban intelligenceKabulNRF claimed an attack that killed four Taliban intelligence agents and wounded one in Kabul. | 4 | |
| Kabul airport NRF attackKabulNRF fighters targeted Kabul International Airport, killing four Taliban fighters and wounding three. | 4 | |
| Faizabad Taliban convoy bombingJawozon bridge, Fayzabad, BadakhshanBombing on Taliban convoy at Jawozon bridge, Fayzabad. | 4 | |
| Kabul interior ministry AFF attackKabulAFF attacked the Taliban interior ministry in Kabul, killing four fighters, according to an Asia Times report. | 4 | |
| Nangarhar Taliban car bombingDara-I-Nur, NangarharBombing on Taliban fighters, Dara-I-Nur. | 4 | |
| Baghlan rapid reaction unit ambushBaghlan-e-Markazi, BaghlanNRF ambushed a Taliban rapid reaction unit in Baghlan-e-Markazi district, killing its commander Mullah Hebat Khan and three comrades. | 4 | |
| Kabul 15th police district NRF attackKabulNRF said its fighters carried out an attack in Kabul 15th police district that killed four Taliban fighters. | 4 | |
| Baharak border unit AFF attackBaharak, BadakhshanAFF attacked a Taliban-led border unit in Baharak district, Badakhshan, killing four Taliban members and injuring three. | 4 | |
| Tala wa Barfak government building attackTala Wa Barfak, BaghlanAFF attacked a Taliban government building in Tala wa Barfak district, Baghlan, killing four Taliban members and injuring two. | 4 | |
| Jalalabad Taliban patrol bombingPolice District 5, Jalalabad, NangarharBombing on Taliban patrol at Police District 5, Jalalabad. | 3 | |
| Jalalabad bombing on Taliban vehiclesPolice Districts 2 and 6, Jalalabad, NangarharBombing on Taliban vehicles at Police Districts 2 and 6, Jalalabad. | 3 | |
| Jalalabad twin blastsPolice District 2, Jalalabad, NangarharBombing at Police District 2, Jalalabad. | 3 | |
| Jalalabad car shooting of TalibanJalalabad, NangarharISIS-K gunmen opened fire on a Taliban car in Jalalabad, killing three Taliban fighters. | 3 | |
| Zabul ISKP attack on TalibanTuray, Arghandab (Zabul), ZabulAttack on Taliban fighters at Turay, Arghandab (Zabul). | 3 | |
| Baghlan NRF ambush on TalibanCharkh Wa Falak valley, Khost Wa Firing, BaghlanAmbush on Taliban troops at Charkh Wa Falak valley, Khost Wa Firing. | 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.