Afghanistan: Reported US covert actions 2018
The timeline below contains information on all US air attacks on Afghanistan recorded by the Bureau in 2018. It is updated with the latest US air attacks. We also log Afghan Air Force attacks when they are reported. The Bureau collects information on the US and Afghan strikes and the people they kill from local and international media reports – including the Bureau’s own field investigations – as well as academics and NGOs that cite US, Afghan and Pakistani civil, military and intelligence officials, and witnesses and local people in the affected areas.
Please note that our data changes according to our current understanding of particular strikes. The information below represents our present best estimate.
Background
US aircraft have been bombing Afghanistan since late 2001 and the airstrikes have continued into the Trump administration. Up until December 2014 the US was operating in concert with its allies in the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force. Now it is just the US, and the Afghans, flying strike missions in the country.
The Bureau began tracking the strikes from January 1 2015 onwards, when the US and Nato’s combat mission in Afghanistan came to an end. The Afghan military and police took the lead in fighting the Taliban with the US and its international partners moving into a non-combat “train, advise, assist” role, supporting local forces.
US air forces are still flying combat missions however. There are three targeting authorities that govern the kind of strikes the US can conduct in Afghanistan.
Force protection strikes are intended to protect friendly ground forces who are under attack, or are about to be attacked. From January 1 2015 the US was supposed to stop deliberately going after the Taliban, leaving that to the Afghans. But in June 2016, with the Taliban pushing the Afghan forces to breaking point, the US went on the offensive against the Taliban, under “strategic effect” strikes.
The third authority governs the US’s counter-terrorism strikes, part of its offensive operations against al Qaeda and, since January 2016, Afghanistan’s Islamic State offshoot.
Full data
The Bureau publishes a narrative timeline of US strikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen each year. Links for all other timelines can be found here.
We also publish spreadsheets detailing casualty numbers in each country. You can download the entire Afghanistan sheet here.
| Strikes recorded by the Bureau | |
|---|---|
| Total reported strikes | 1985-1986 |
| Total reported killed | 767-1060 |
| Civilians reported killed | 92-163 |
| Children reported killed | 14-51 |
| Total reported injured | 106-166 |
| Total Close Air Support (CAS) sorties with at least one weapon release | 783 |
| Total CAS sorties | 6,584 |
| Total weapons released | 5982 |
Strikes Page 19
A key Taliban leader was killed in a strike in Helmand, according to a statement from the Helmand governor's office, although it was unclear if the strike was carried out by US or Afghan forces.
The Taliban leader was not named, but the statement claimed he was responsible for "financial deals and providing logistics" for the fighters. He was allegedly in contact with the group's leadership and had been arranging weapons and "military kits" for the insurgents.
No other casualties were reported.
The date of the strike was not clear, but it was reported on January 6.
- Type of strike: Possible US strike
- Location: Nad e Ali district, Helmand province
- References: Khaama Press
At least 14 members of Afghanistan's branch of Islamic State were killed in a strike in Laghman province, local police told TOLO News, but they did not specify whether it was carried out by Afghan or US forces.
The dead reported included two commanders of the group.
- Type of strike: Possible US strike
- Location: Kondgul area, Alingar district, Laghman province
- References: TOLO News
A series of strikes were reportedly carried out on Islamic State targets in Nangarhar's Haska Mena district, including on one of the group's training camps, the provincial government media office has said.
The strike on the camp killed ten members of the group as they were receiving training, the statement said. Two compounds belonging to Afghanistan's branch of Islamic State were also hit, reportedly killing five fighters.
The statement said a further six fighters were killed in a strike during ground operations.
However, it was not clear whether these strikes were carried out by Afghan or US forces. It was also not clear when the strikes took place, although they were reported by Khaama Press on January 5.
- Type of strike: Possible US strike
- Location: Nangarhar province
- References: Khaama Press
Two different US airstrikes in Nangarhar province on this day caused civilian casualties, according to a report released by the Department of Defense (DoD).
The first injured four civilians and the second killed two civilians. No further geographical information was provided by DoD.
However, Khaama Press had previously reported two different strikes in Nangarhar on this day - although they reported that it was seven Taliban fighters that died.
The first strike reportedly hit Bati Kot district killing five Taliban fighters, while the second hit Achin killing two members of Afghanistan's branch of Islamic State.
- Type of strike: Possible US strike
- Location: Nangarhar province
- References: Khaama Press, DoD annual report on civilian casualties
A police chief in Jawzjan province has told Radio Free Afghanistan that Afghan strikes on a meeting of Islamic State fighters killed more than two dozen, and also led to civilian casualties.
However, the chief allegedly cites the use of drones to carry out the strikes - the US is the only country known to be flying armed drones in Afghanistan. He also provides detailed information on the identity of those killed within hours of the strike, something questioned by RFA in their reporting, especially as the region has been largely under the control of Islamic State for more than two years. The chief also appears to offer contradictory information regarding the civilian casualties to two different new sites.
“Based on the specific target information, our aircraft targeted major meetings of Daesh (Islamic State) in the village of Saradara and Alkhani [in Darzab district],” Police Chief Faqir Mohammad Jawzjani told RFA. “More than 26 people were killed in the attacks, which included some foreigners and prominent militant commanders, and many more were injured.”
Jawzjani said three French nationals and four fighters from Uzbekistan were killed in the strikes. “The dead included famous militant commander Qari Zia, who was also known as Shuja. The other prominent militants were named as Yaqub and Shaikh, who was a judge and had recently arrived from [the IS enclave] in eastern Nangarhar Province,” he told RFA.
The police chief also told RFA that two civilians were also killed in the strikes as they had gone to the meeting to resolve a tribal issue. However, in comments to Pajhwok, he says two civilians in Islamic State custody had been injured. The discrepancy could be a result of more information surfacing in the aftermath.
A commander of the "public uprising group" put the civilian death toll at higher. He told Pajhwok ten civilians had been killed in the strike, including five women and a child. The victims had been travelling when Islamic State fighters stopped their vehicle to use it to evacuate injured fighters, he said.
A police spokesperson told Pajhwok that he had not recieved reports of civilian casualties from the strikes.
The above will be recorded as possible US strikes. While the police chief alleges they were carried out by Afghan forces, the reported use of a drone could suggest otherwise.
There is also a lack of clarity over the date of the strikes - Radio Free Afghanistan reports them on January 2, while Pajhwok believes they took place the previous night. Jawzjani is the source for both dates.
- Type of strike: Possible US strike
- Location: Alkhani and Sardara villages, Darzab district, Jawzjan province
- References: Pajhwok, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
AFG433CIV link
1 January 2018
- 61 reported killed, including 1 civilian
- 30 reported injured, including 14 civilians
In a statement, the Nangarhar governor's office said that at least sixty members of Afghanistan's branch of Islamic State were killed and a further 18 injured in "joint" Afghan-US strikes in Nangarhar province.
The statement, reported in Khaama Press, said one civilian was also killed and at least 14 others injured. They had been used by fighters as human shields, it said.
It is not clear what is meant by "joint" strikes so we have recorded these as possible US strikes.
The strikes hit Gorgori, Shinkai, and Angor areas of Haska Mena district.
- Type of strike: Possible US strike
- Location: Haska Mena district, Nangarhar province
- References: Khaama Press
