Fall of Herat

Fall of Herat
	Part of 2021 Taliban offensive
	; Situation on 7 August; Pink: Controlled by the government; Grey: Controlled by the Taliban; Green: Unclear
Date	28 July – 13 August 2021
Location	Herat, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan34°20′31″N 62°12′11″E
Result	Taliban victory Surrender of Afghan National Army's 207th Corps;
Belligerents
Taliban	Afghanistan
Commanders and leaders
Abdul-Qayum Rauhani; (Taliban commander); Abdul-Karim Jihadyar; (Taliban commander); Abdul-Aziz Ansari; (Taliban commander)	Mohammad Ismail Khan ; (Former Governor of Herat); Abdul Sabur Qaneh ; (Governor of Herat); Abdul Rahman Rahman ; (Deputy interior minister of Herat); Kamran Alizai ; (Herat Provincial Council Chairman); Hasib Sediqi ; (NDS Chief for Herat); Khyal Nabi Ahmadzai ; (207th Corps Commander); Colonel Abdul Hamid †; (Commander of 1st regiment); Colonel Mohammad Nasir Alizai; (Commander of a Commando unit)
Units involved
Taliban forces	Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) 207th Corps 1st Regiment; ; Commando Corps; National Directorate of Security (NDS); Public uprising forces
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Thousands of government forces surrendered
	Location within Afghanistan

The Fall of Herat was a battle and subsequent capture of Herat by Taliban fighters. The attack on the city started around 28 July 2021, and ended in Taliban victory by 13 August of the same year. Several of the surrounding districts fell to the Taliban from June to mid July, leaving only the city and two other districts in government hands by 10 July. The border crossings in Herat Province were captured by the Taliban on 9 July, raising prices of goods inside the city. Ismail Khan, former governor and warlord, led a public uprising force to assist the Afghan National Security Forces in defending the city.

After fighting started in the city around the end of July, the Taliban launched a significant attack on 30 July, shutting down the Herat International Airport and temporarily taking the road leading to the airport. A few days later, some Heratis chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) in support of the government forces. The Taliban insurgents launched another significant attack on the city on 12 August, taking the city by night after a two-week siege. Fall of the city forced Ismail Khan and other top government officials to retreat to the provincial airport and the army corps headquarters outside the city. The next day Ismail Khan and other senior security officials including a deputy for the interior ministry, an army corps commander and an intelligence director, along with thousands of government forces, surrendered to the Taliban.

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