Afghanistan: Reported US covert actions 2019
The timeline below contains information on all US air attacks on Afghanistan recorded by the Bureau in 2019. 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 | 4251 |
| Total reported killed | 58-2954 |
| Civilian reported killed | 22-249 |
| Children reported killed | 11-47 |
| Total reported injured | 35-614 |
| Total Close Air Support (CAS) sorties with at least one weapon release | 1548 |
| Total CAS sorties | 5659 |
| Total weapons released | 4483 |
Strikes Page 20
One strike hit Kandahar province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Kandahar province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Helmand province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Helmand province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Ghor province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Ghor province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Two strikes hit Badghis province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Badghis province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Khost province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Khost province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Three strikes hit Zabul province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Zabul province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Two strikes hit Parwan province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Parwan province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Four strikes hit Paktika province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
There had been previous reports of strikes in Paktika on this day. Khaama Press reported that three separate airstrikes carried out by "security forces" in the province killed five Taliban fighters.
As Afghan security forces often call in US air support, it is not clear whether US or Afghan forces conducted the strikes.
According to Khaama's "informed military sources" the strikes were conducted in the Gomal district and also destroyed two Taliban vehicles.
Khaama Press had not explicitly state a date for this strike so we recorded it as the date that it was reported on.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Paktika province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
One strike hit Logar province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Logar province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Five strikes hit Laghman province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
There had been previous reports of strikes in Laghman on this day. Khaama Press reported that two airstrikes in the province killed two Taliban fighters - though it was not clear whether US or Afghan forces were responsible.
According to their "informed military sources" the strikes were conducted in the Alingar district alongside a ground operation that killed a further six fighters.
Khaama Press had not explicitly give a date for this strike, so we recorded it as the date that they reported on it.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Laghman province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
Four strikes hit Helmand province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
There had been previous reports of strikes in Helmand on this day. Khaama Press reported that airstrikes carried out by security forces killed 13 Taliban fighters across three districts of Helmand.
As Afghan security forces often call in US air support, it is not clear whether US or Afghan forces conducted the strikes.
According to Khaama's "informed military sources" a strike in Marjah killed five and wounded two; a strike in Sangin killed two and a strike in Nahr e Saraj killed six.
Khaama Press had not explicitly state a date for these strikes so we recorded it as the date that it was reported on.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Helmand province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
Two strikes hit Baghlan province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
There had been previous reports of strikes in Baghlan on this day. Khaama Press reported that an airstrike in the province killed one Taliban fighter and wounded two others - though it was not clear whether US or Afghan forces were responsible.
According to their "informed military sources" the strikes were conducted in the Baghlan e Jadid district.
Khaama Press did not explicitly give a date for this strike, so we recorded it as the date that they reported on it.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Baghlan province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
One strike hit Badghis province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Badghis province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Zabul province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
There had been previous reports of strikes in Zabul on this day. Khaama Press reported that airstrikes carried out by security forces in the province had killed five Taliban fighters.
As Afghan security forces often call in US air support, it is not clear whether US or Afghan forces conducted the strikes.
According to Khaama Press' military sources the strike in the Mizan district killed four fighters and the strike in the Shah Joy district killed one.
Khaama Press had not explicitly stated a date for these strikes so we recorded it as the date that it was reported on.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Zabul province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
Two strikes hit Uruzgan province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Uruzgan province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Two strikes hit Parwan province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Parwan province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Three strikes hit Paktika province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Paktika province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Nangarhar province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
There had been previous reports of a strike in Helmand on this day. Khaama Press reported that joint security forces carried out an airstrike in Nangarhar's Khogyani district killing two Taliban fighters.
It is not clear what is meant by "joint security forces" - it could be referring to US air support of Afghan security forces, or it could be referring to another Afghan corps.
Khaama Press had not provided an explicit date for this strike so we recorded it as the date that they reported on it.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Nangarhar province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
Four strikes hit Laghman province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Laghman province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Three strikes hit Khost province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Khost province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Three strikes hit Helmand province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
There had been previous reports of a strike in Helmand on this day. Khaama Press reported that joint security forces carried out an airstrike in Helmand's Nahr e Saraj wounding three Taliban fighters.
It is not clear what is meant by "joint security forces" - it could be referring to US air support of Afghan security forces, or it could be referring to another Afghan corps.
Khaama Press had not provided an explicit date for this strike so we recorded it as the date that they reported on it.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Helmand province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
One strike hit Ghor province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Ghor province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Daykundi province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Daykundi province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Baghlan province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
Khaama Press had reported that airstrikes by joint security forces over the last three days in Badghis have killed 40 Taliban fighters.
It's not clear what is meant by "joint security forces" - it could be that US air support was called in or it could be referring to ground support.
We have already counted a 0-20 killed in Badghis on June 1 and an unknown casualty rate from a strike on June 2, so we will add a 0-20 range into this entry to bring the total up to 40 and reflect this report.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Baghlan province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
One strike hit Badghis province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Badghis province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
The leader of the Kerala branch of ISIS, Rashid Abdullah, was reportedly killed in a US airstrike in Afghanistan over a month ago - the date of the strike however, has not yet surfaced.
The Times of India gained access to a message sent from an unidentified ISIS operative over Telegram, the encrypted messaging platform that ISIS have a long history of using, that said the Abdullah was killed in a random bombing by US forces.
"Total three Indian brothers, two Indian ladies and four kids got killed" the message reportedly read.
According to news site Swarayja Abdullah was the leader of the 21 strong contingent of Kerala muslims who moved to the ISIS stronghold in Afghanistan in May/June 2016. Their report continued:
An IS member, in response to a question by a police officer on Telegram chat on the whereabouts of Rashid Abdulla, confirmed that “he is no more”. According to the ISIS operative, Rashid and his family were killed in “random bombings” by US military which were “not targeted”. He also added that Rashid was killed a month back.
Most reports state that Abdullah was killed in Afghanistan's Khorasan province. Khorasan is a historical region that encompasses parts of modern day Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. ISIS announced its expansion into the historical space in 2015, with Nangarhar being their biggest stronghold in Afghanistan. Khaama Press reported that he was killed in eastern Nangarhar.
We have recorded the date as June 3 as this was the date that The Times of India reported on it. When we know more about when the strike happened we will move it to the correct place.
- Type of strike: Possible US strike
- Location: Possibly Nangarhar province
- Reference: Times of India, Swarajya, News Nation, Deccan Chronicle, Khaama Press
Three strikes hit Zabul province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Zabul province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Two strikes hit Wardak province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Wardak province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Three strikes hit Uruzgan province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Uruzgan province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Parwan province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Parwan province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Two strikes hit Nangarhar province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Nangarhar province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Two strikes hit Logar province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Logar province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Kandahar province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Kandahar province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Four strikes hit Helmand province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Helmand province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Eleven strike hit Ghazni province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
While there were no reports of strikes in Ghazni on this day, there was a Khaama Press report from June 3 that mentioned strikes in Ghazni that they hadn't explicitly provided a date for - that could well be referring to one of these eleven strikes from the day before.
They reported that joint security forces carried out an airstrike in Ghazni's Muqur district killing 16 Taliban fighters.
It is not clear what is meant by "joint security forces" - it could be referring to US air support of Afghan security forces, or it could be referring to another Afghan corps.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Ghazni province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
One strike hit Faryab province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Faryab province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Balkh province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Balkh province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Badghis province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Badghis province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Four strikes hit Zabul province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Zabul province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Parwan province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Parwan province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Paktika province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Paktika province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Four strikes hit Nangarhar province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Nangarhar province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Two strikes hit Logar province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Logar province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
Three strikes hit Khost province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
There had been previous reports of a strike in Khost on this day. Khaama Press reported that an airstrike carried out by "security forces" in Khost province killed 12 Taliban fighters and destroyed a vehicle.
As Afghan security forces often call in US air support, it was not clear whether US or Afghan forces conducted the strikes.
According to Khaama's "informed military sources" the strike was conducted in the Sabari district.
Khaama Press had not explicitly stated a date for this strike so we recorded it as the date that it was reported on.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Khost province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
Five strikes hit Helmand province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Helmand province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Ghor province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
There had been previous reports of a US strike in Ghor on this day. Khaama Press reported that US forces carried out airstrikes in support of Afghan armed forces that killed 20 Taliban fighters and wounded four others.
The 207th Zafar Corps of the Afghan military reportedly said in a statement that the US strikes were in Bala Murghab district of Badghis province and Shahrak district of Ghor province.
It is unclear how many Taliban fighters were killed in each province. We have included a range in our casualty estimates to reflect this. While this range will appear in the entry for both strikes here, we will only include the figures once in the dataset so not to skew the figures.
According to Khaama the statement also added that Taliban commander, Mullah Hayatullah, was killed in the strikes - but again it is not clear which.
Khaama Press did not explicitly give a date for this strike, so we have recorded it as the date that they reported on it.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Ghor province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
Eleven strikes hit Ghazni province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
There had been previous reports of a strike in Ghazni on this day. Khaama Press reported that a strike carried out by security forces in Ghazni killed 21 Taliban fighters.
As Afghan security forces often call in US air support, it was not clear whether US or Afghan forces conducted the strikes.
Khaama Press' "informed military sources" said that the strike was in Qarabagh at some point over the last 24 hours. We are therefore unsure whether it was carried out on the May 31 or June 1.
According to the data from US Forces - Afghanistan, there were no US strikes in Ghazni on May 31.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Ghazni province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
Three strikes hit Faryab province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Faryab province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
One strike hit Badghis province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
There had been previous reports of a US strike in Badghis on this day. Khaama Press reported that US forces carried out airstrikes in support of Afghan armed forces that killed 20 Taliban fighters and wounded four others.
The 207th Zafar Corps of the Afghan military reportedly said in a statement that the US strikes were in Bala Murghab district of Badghis province and Shahrak district of Ghor province.
It is unclear how many Taliban fighters were killed in each province. We have included a range in our casualty estimates to reflect this. While this range will appear in the entry for both strikes here, we will only include the figures once in the dataset so not to skew the figures.
According to Khaama the statement also added that Taliban commander, Mullah Hayatullah, was killed in the strikes - but again it is not clear which.
Khaama Press had not explicitly given a date for this strike, so we recorded it as the date that they reported on it.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Badghis province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary, Khaama Press
One strike hit Parwan province on this day, according to data from US Forces - Afghanistan.
No further details were given. To see more about the release of this data, click here.
- Type of strike: US air or drone strike
- Location: Parwan province
- References: US Forces - Afghanistan strike summary
