QASED Non-government Research Organization
(Issue No: 34)
Note: You can download the PDF format of the report from here.
Preface
This report covers the casualties of the ongoing war, occurred in different parts of the country during December 27 – January 2, 2020. Overall, 581 people have been killed or wounded this week (413 killed and 168 wounded).
According to the report’s statistics, the total death toll due to the ongoing war in the country has been much higher than it was last week. Last week, 330 people were killed and wounded across the country; but this week, the number increased to reach 581 killed and wounded.
The death toll among the Afghan forces has risen more than twice since last week. This week, Taliban launched bloody attacks on Afghan forces. 87 Afghan security forces were killed in Taliban attacks in Helmand, Takhar, Jowzjan, Kunduz and Balkh provinces.
Civilian casualties’ figures show a slight decline this week; however, in addition to airstrikes by Afghan forces, civilians were killed in bomb blasts deployed by anti-government militants. Eight civilians were killed in explosions in Helmand and Farah provinces.
Moreover, the death toll for anti-government armed militants has also increased compared to last week, and many deaths occurred due to airstrikes.
You will read in this report the details of casualties of the Afghan government forces, anti-government armed militants, and Afghan civilians, as well as analysis of the most important security incidents and the security situation in the country in last part.
Afghan Forces’ Casualties
December 27:
Taliban militants attacked a military base in Helmand province, killing 10 ANA soldiers and wounding four others.
A policeman was injured when a bomb attached to a police car exploded in Nawa district of Helmand province.
Two ANA soldiers were killed and two others were injured in a roadside bomb blast in Faizabad district of Jawzjan province.
A commando soldier was killed and three others were injured in a roadside bomb blast in Nusy district of Badakhshan province.
An NDS officer was killed and three others were injured in a Taliban ambush in Dara-e-Souf Payan district of Samangan province.
December 28:
Three Afghan soldiers were killed and two others injured in separate security incidents in Jawzjan province.
In Sangin district of Helmand province, 16 Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed in a bomb blast that was deployed through a tunnel under an outpost.
Two guards of a private security company have been killed in an attack by unknown gunmen in Herat city.
Four Afghan soldiers were killed in a Taliban attack on a checkpoint of Afghan forces on Baghlan-Kunduz highway in Baghlan province.
A local policeman was killed in a Taliban attack on a local police outpost on Saripul-Jawzjan highway.
Two pro-government militia soldiers were killed and another injured in a Taliban attack in Almar district of Faryab province.
December 29:
Taliban militants attacked a local police post in Lalaguzar area of Khwaja Bahauddin district of Takhar province, killing 17 local policemen and injuring seven others.
Two Afghan soldiers were killed and three others were injured in a bomb blast in Balghali area of Sar-e Pol province, after Taliban attack on a military base.
Two border policemen were killed in a roadside bomb blast in Sang-Atash area of Muqur district of Badghis province.
A police officer of Kapisa Province was killed and two of his friends were injured in an attack by unknown gunmen in Jabal-ul-Seraj district of Parwan province.
December 30:
In Hyderabad area of Faizabad district of Jawzjan province, armed Taliban attacked an outpost of Afghan forces, killing 14 policemen, NDS soldiers, and pro-government forces and injuring four others.
Four security personnel were injured in an armed clash between Afghan forces and armed Taliban in Yamchi and Baland-Ghor areas of Saiad district of Sar-e Pol province.
Five security forces were injured during separate security incidents in Faryab province.
December 31:
A National Directorate of Security (NDS) officer was killed and two others were injured in a Taliban attack on a government vehicle in Qala-e-Rig village of Zenda Jan district of Herat province.
Two armed men were killed in an armed clash between a local police commander and another former commander in Siagird district of Parwan province.
Four policemen were killed and six others wounded in an attack by a Taliban fighter on an Afghan forces checkpoint in Faryab province’s Gurziwan district.
Taliban militants attacked a convoy of Afghan forces in Qara Tapa village of Darqad district of Takhar province, killing three ANA soldiers and four local policemen and wounding six others.
A traffic policeman has been killed in an attack on an unidentified gunman in the third Police District of Kunduz city.
January 1:
14 security personnel, including two local policemen, two soldiers and ten NDS soldiers were killed and six others were injured in Taliban attacks on security outposts in Dasht-Archi district of Kunduz province.
Four people, including two commandos, a policeman and a territorial army soldier were killed in a Taliban attack on Belcheragh district’s center in Faryab province, and seven others were wounded.
Nine policemen were killed in a Taliban attack on an outpost of Afghan forces on Balkh-Jowzjan highway in Balkh province.
January 2:
A police officer was killed in a Taliban attack in Saqdan village of Ghorian district of Herat province.
Five local policemen were killed and two others injured in a Taliban attack on a security checkpoint in Baghlan-e-Markazi district of Baghlan province.
Table-1: Afghan Forces’ Casualties
|
Name |
Killed | Injured | Total Killed and Injured |
| ANA | 43 | 20 |
63 |
|
Police |
79 | 50 | 129 |
| Total | 122 | 70 |
192 |
Anti-government Armed Militants’ Casualties
December 27:
Seven Taliban militants have been killed and another injured in attacks by Afghan forces in Kajran district of Daikundi province.
20 Taliban militants were killed and seven others were injured in an airstrike in Badi Ab area between Mehtarlam city and Alingar district of Laghman province.
December 28:
11 Taliban militants were killed and nine others were injured in three separate security incidents in Jawzjan province.
Eight Taliban militants were killed in an airstrike by Afghan forces in Nusay district of Badakhshan province.
Two militants, including the head of Taliban’s military commission of Dara-e-Souf Payan district, have been killed in clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban in Dara-Chechil and Kotal Regi areas of Dara-e-Souf Payan district of Samangan province.
Three militants were killed during an operation by Afghan Special Forces in Zurmat district of Paktia province.
13 armed Taliban were killed in ground and air strikes by Afghan forces in Nahr-e-Siraj district of Helmand province.
December 29:
Four Taliban militants were killed during clashes in Khanqah and Faizabad districts of Jawzjan province.
Four Taliban militants, including a Taliban district chief, were killed in Kushanda district of the northern Balkh province.
13 Taliban militants, including a Taliban commander, were killed in attacks by Afghan forces in Khanabad district of Kunduz province.
Two Taliban militants were injured during an armed clash in Almar district of Faryab province.
In Chamtal district of Balkh province, airstrikes by Afghan forces killed six Taliban militants and wounded nine others.
23 Taliban militants were killed and 27 others were injured in an operation by Afghan forces in Khakrez district of Kandahar province.
December 30:
In Faryab province, 14 armed Taliban were killed and ten others injured during separate security incidents.
16 armed Taliban were killed in Afghan Forces operations on Ghor-Herat Highway in Ghor province
17 Taliban militants were killed and five others were wounded due to operations by Afghan forces in Dasht Qala district of Takhar province.
Four armed Taliban were killed in two airstrikes in Pashtun Zarghun and Gulran districts of Herat province.
14 armed Taliban were killed in two separate attacks by Afghan forces in Chashma Sher area of Baghlan province.
Three Taliban militants were killed and five others were injured in an airstrike in Chehel Tepa area of Qosh Tepa district of Jawzjan province.
In an armed clash between Afghan forces and Taliban in Yamchi and Baland Ghor areas of Saiad district of Sar-e-Pol province, six Taliban militants were killed and three others were injured.
Three Taliban militants were killed in a police operation in the Varsaj district of Takhar province.
14 armed Taliban were killed in an operation by Afghan forces in Kijran district of Daikundi province.
December 31:
Four Taliban militants were killed and 11 others were injured during an operation by Afghan forces in Pashtun Kot district of Faryab province.
Taliban militants attacked a convoy of Afghan forces in Qara Tepa village of Darqad district of Takhar province, resulted in the death of 11 Taliban militants along with Afghan forces.
11 Taliban militants were killed in an airstrike by Afghan forces in Shorabak district of Kandahar province.
Ten armed Taliban were killed in airstrikes and ground attacks by Afghan forces in Chashma Sher area of Baghlan province.
January 1:
In addition to Afghan forces casualties, three Taliban militants were killed and four others were injured in a Taliban attack in Belcheragh district of Faryab province.
Ten Taliban militants were killed in airstrikes and ground attacks by Afghan forces in Almar and Pashtun Kot districts of Faryab province.
Two militants were killed in an airstrike in Nahr-e-Siraj district of Helmand province.
In another airstrike, two armed Taliban were also killed in Shinkai district of Zabul province.
January 2:
Nine Taliban fighters were killed in an attack by Afghan border forces in Berg Matal district of Nuristan.
Table–2: Casualties of the Anti-government Armed Militants
|
Name |
Killed | Injured | Total Killed and Injured |
| Taliban | 267 | 93 |
360 |
|
Total |
267 | 93 | 360 |
Civilian Casualties
December 27:
Two former jihadi commanders of Kapisa province have been killed in an attack by unknown gunmen in Qarabagh district of Kabul province.
A woman was killed and a child was injured when a bomb attached to a police car exploded in Nawa district of Helmand province.
A man was killed in a firing by Taliban militants in Washer district of Helmand province.
Two UNAMA staff members were shot dead by unknown gunmen in Guzara district of Herat province.
December 28:
A tribal elder of Waziristani refugees was killed in an attack by unknown gunmen in Gurbz district of Khost province.
December 30:
Due to a roadside bomb blast in Sarkhdoz area of Nawa district of Helmand province, four civilians, including a man, a woman and two children, were killed.
Five civilians have been killed in attacks by Afghan forces in Khak-e-Safid district of Farah province.
Two children were killed and one person was injured when a bomb exploded in Qishilaq village of Khwaja Sabz Posh district of Faryab province.
December 31:
One person was killed and another injured in a roadside bomb blast in Gulran district of Herat province.
A women was killed in an attack by an unknown gunman in Kunjak village of Kishanda district of Balkh province.
Three civilians were killed in a bomb blast in New Bridge area of Farah city of Farah province.
A trade man was shot dead by unknown gunman in Dand district of Kandahar province.
January 1:
Two civilians were wounded in a Taliban attack on the center of Belcheragh district of Faryab province.
January 2:
A radio technician was shot dead in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.
Table–3: Civilian Casualties
|
Name |
Killed | Injured | Total Killed and Injured |
| Civilians | 24 | 5 |
29 |
|
Total |
24 | 5 |
29 |
Conclusion and Analysis of the Week
The report shows that all over the country, 581 people have been killed and injured (413 of them were killed and 168 wounded) from 27 December – 2 January 2020.
The overall death toll this week has risen compared to last week. On the Afghan government’s side, 43 Afghan security forces were killed last week; this week the number has more than doubled to reach 122 Afghan security forces been killed. The death toll for anti government armed militants has also increased this week. 153 armed militans were killed last week; however, this week, 267 Taliban militants were killed in different parts of the country. Civilian casualties showed a lower rate than last week. Last week, the civilian death toll was 32, however this week the number dropped to 24.
The last week of 2019 was a bloody week for the Afghan forces and the Taliban. This week, armed Taliban launched several deadly attacks on Afghan forces, causing heavy casualties. On 27th December, in a Taliban attack in Helmand province, ten ANA soldiers were killed, and on the next day in Sangin district of this province, 16 other ANA soldiers were killed. On 29th December, 17 local policemen were killed in Khwaja Bahauddin district of Takhar province and on the next day in Faizabad district of Jawzjan province, 14 Afghan security forces were killed. On the last day of the year, seven ANA soldiers and local policemen were killed in Darqad district of Takhar province. On the first day of the year 2020, 14 Afghan security forces were killed in Kunduz province and nine others in Balkh province. So far in these few incidents, at least 87 Afghan soldiers have been killed.
Overall, the violence and casualties on the Afghan batlefield were extremely high during the 2019; In addition to Taliban attacks this year, Afghan and foreign forces have carried out heavy ground and air operations, which has resulted in increased civilian casualties. According to the UN report, this year was the bloodiest year for civilians. In the first nine months of this year, more than 2500 civilians were killed and nearly 6000 others were injured. More than 4,000 others have also been displaced due the conflict. According to a BBC study, in August of this year, an average of 74 Afghans were killed every day.
This year was also the bloodiest year for US troops over the past five years. According to official statistics, this year, 26 foreign soldiers were killed in the Afghan war, including 24 Americans, this number is recorded the highest since 2014.
At the same time, 2019 is one of the years in which the unique opportunities for peace have been created. There were ten rounds of talks between Taliban and the United States in Doha; however, they have not reached any conclusion. At present, the US and the Taliban appear to disagree on the ceasefire issue, which has delayed the peace agreement. It is expected that the Taliban will agree to reduce violence in batlefield with the American side and a peace agreement will be signed in the near future.
Qased Strategic Research Center as a war casualties’ monitoring organization in the country emphasizes that the ongoing bloodshed and bloody situation in the country is possible to stop only through the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and peace with the Taliban. Therefore, we call on international and Afghan stakeholders to focus on peace efforts, rather than focusing on the battlefield.
Table–4: Total Casualties of War and Security Incidents
|
Name |
Killed | Name | Wounded |
| Afghan Forces | 122 | Afghan Forces |
70 |
|
Anti-government Militants |
267 | Anti-government Militants | 93 |
| Civilians | 24 | Civilians |
5 |
|
Total |
413 | Total | 168 |
|
Total Casualties 581 |
|||
The end
