Events from the year 2019 in Afghanistan.
Incumbents President: Ashraf Ghani Chief Executive: Abdullah Abdullah Speaker of Wolesi Jirga: Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi Speaker of Meshrano Jirga: Fazel Hadi Muslimyar First Vice President of Afghanistan: Abdul Rashid Dostum Second Vice President of Afghanistan: Sarwar Danish First Deputy Chief Executive of Afghanistan: Khyal Mohammad Mohammad Khan Second Deputy Chief Executive of Afghanistan: Vacant
January The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported a record high 10,993 civilian casualties (3,804 deaths and 7,189 injured) in 2018, which it said represented a 5% increase in overall civilian casualties and an 11% increase in civilian deaths compared to 2017. UNAMA identified causes including a spike in suicide attacks by anti-government elements and aerial and search operations by pro-government forces (more than 500 civilians killed by aerial operations for the first time on record).
Afghanistan was considered one of the most corrupt countries on Earth in 2018, ranking 172 out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International. Also, according to the World Happiness Report, the country was the third least happy in the world, exceeded only by the Central African Republic and South Sudan. January 1 – Afghan special forces attacked ISIS-K in eastern Nangarhar Province's Achin District, killing 27 militants according to officials. Two local ISIS leaders were reported among those killed. January 3 – U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley unexpectedly visited Kabul, meeting with president Ashraf Ghani to discuss ways to end the conflict. January 4 – Taliban fighters continued to threaten major oil wells in northern Sar-e Pol Province since attacks began before the new year, with Afghan security force casualties totaling about 40 dead or wounded. A provincial government spokesperson described the security situation as "alarming", and an aide to interior minister Amrullah Saleh said reinforcements had been sent and a team from Kabul would soon arrive. January 4 – The World Health Organization declared the country (along with Pakistan) to be the "final wild poliovirus bastion" with less than 30 reported cases in 2018, and committed to help both governments tackle polio in its last strongholds and get rid of the debilitating disease for good. January 6 – At least 30 workers illegally mining gold in a riverbed on behalf of a mining company were killed during a landslide and flash flood in Badakhshan Province's Kohistan District, officials said. January 10 – Taliban attacks in northern Balkh Province blocked major highways, including to the capital, and killed more than 30 police and soldiers. American and Afghan air forces retaliated, leading to large numbers of Taliban casualties. Other attacks in Herat and Badghis provinces caused additional security force deaths and injuries, while the insurgents also suffered more casualties. Meanwhile, a senior ISIS-K commander was killed in a raid in Nangarhar Province according to a U.S. forces spokesman. He was reported to have facilitated major attacks and provided ISIS-K bombmakers with explosive materials. January 11 – Mohasif Motawakil, a former translator for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was detained at Houston Intercontinental Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and threatened with deportation to Kabul just hours after arriving from there, along with his wife and five children. Motawakil and his family were denied access to legal counsel at the airport before his wife and children were paroled to a hotel, while Motawakil was still being held at the airport. Motawakil was released a week later after legal intervention, and he and his family had their visas reinstated. January 11 – Kabul's air quality ranked the worst in the world. The WHO estimated more than 17,000 Afghanis suffered premature death from air pollution in 2016, but Afghan health officials did not have data to confirm this. Current and former officials said the government could not curb coal consumption and vehicle exhaust, causes Kabul's thick smog. January 14 – A truck bomb in Kabul killed 4 and wounded at least 40 near the Green Village compound in Police District 9 (near Hamid Karzai International Airport). The Taliban later claimed responsibility. January 15 – Shortly after U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul for talks to Afghan government officials, the Taliban issued a statement threatening to end talks with the U.S., accusing Washington of trying to expand the agenda (possibly referring to direct talks between the Taliban and Afghan government). Also, Taliban leader Hafiz Mohibullah was reported arrested and released in Pakistan. January 18 – A U.S. Army Ranger died of combat wounds sustained from small arms fire in Badghis Province's Jawand District according to a military statement. His was the first reported U.S. military death in Afghanistan in 2019. January 20 – Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and chief executive Abdullah Abdullah both registered to be among the 14 candidates for the 2019 Afghan presidential election in July, reprising the 2014 contest. January 20 – The Taliban claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack on eastern Logar Province's governor and his convoy, which killed eight security forces and wounded at least 10 on the highway to Kabul. The governor and the provincial head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) were uninjured. January 21 – The Taliban attacked an NDS training base in Maidan Wardak Province with a captured military vehicle bomb, killing at least 126 and wounding at least 58 (some reports indicated higher casualties). The victims of the attack were personnel of National Directorate of Security (NDS). Later the NDS announced that the Taliban mastermind of the attack had been killed in an airstrike, though the Talibans denied this. Similarly residents and local officials in the area also rejected Afghan security officials claims and said that six civilians were killed in the Afghan airstrike. January 22 – A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier died of combat wounds sustained from small arms fire in Uruzgan Province's Tarin Kowt District according to a military statement. His was the second reported U.S. military death in Afghanistan in 2019. Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar following their decision to resume talks after threatening withdrawal. January 24 – As talks between the Taliban and U.S. negotiators continued in Doha, the outlines of an agreement emerged in which the U.S. would withdraw troops in return for the Taliban pledging terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda would not be allowed to remain. The Taliban announced as their new chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was recently released from Pakistani custody.
February During the last quarter of 2018, the U.S. military quietly ended Operation Iron Tempest, a series of air and artillery strikes begun in late 2017 with the goal of denying illicit drug revenues to the Taliban. According to the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the campaign involving America's most sophisticated air attack capabilities did little to impact the illegal drug trade; Afghanistan continues record high opium production, at levels more than twice those when U.S. intervention began in 2001. February 5 – Taliban fighters attacked an Afghan army post in northern Kunduz Province, killing at least 23 soldiers and 3 police officers; the previous night, other insurgents attacked a police checkpoint in neighboring Baghlan Province, killing at least 10 officers. Meanwhile, in Moscow, Taliban negotiators met with Afghan political opposition figures, including former president Hamid Karzai. Former Taliban chief negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai stated in an interview that the group did not want to seize "the [whole] country by military power", but also would not agree to a ceasefire until all foreign forces withdraw. February 8 – Afghan and American forces struck Taliban units in Kandahar, Helmand, and Nangarhar provinces, killing two low-level Taliban commanders and an intelligence chief. This continued a trend of increased U.S. air and special operations attacks at the highest levels since 2014, intended to give American negotiators leverage in peace talks; two senior Afghan officials said the Taliban complained about the pace of air attacks during negotiations with U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. February 11 – Acting U.S. secretary of defense Patrick M. Shanahan made an unannounced visit, meeting with U.S. commanders and Afghan leaders in Kabul before going to a military base to meet Afghan army commandos. February 14 – At least 20 of 34 provinces faced severe drought, and the UN reported return of more than 36,000 undocumented refugees from Iran and Pakistan and nearly 2,400 IDPs. Crisis and stressed food insecurity outcomes persisted through most of the country, while areas of Daykundi Province and the Wakhan Corridor in Badakhshan Province faced emergency levels of acute food insecurity. Humanitarian assistance prevented worse levels in most-affected areas including Badakhshan, Badghis, Ghor, and Nuristan Provinces. February 16 – Afghan president Ashraf Ghani had little contact with the media at the Munich Security Conference, and organizers did not put Afghanistan's conflict high on the agenda. Former NATO secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer warned against an expedited withdrawal of U.S. troops, while former U.S. secretary of defense William Cohen said it would not be easy for the U.S. to pull out. Conference observers reportedly gleaned that Ghani appears to be an increasingly isolated figure. After meeting with Ghani at the conference, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers warned against a wider drawdown like the one contemplated in Syria. February 17 – The Taliban announced a delegation had been forced to postpone travel to Islamabad to meet with Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan and U.S. negotiators. Afghanistan's deputy representative to the United Nations submitted a letter to the Security Council stating the trip posed a threat to the security and stability of the country, but other reasons for the cancellation included internal Taliban dissension over the appearance of close ties to Pakistan. February 24 – Afghanistan defeated Ireland in all three matches of the Twenty20 International cricket series at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun, India. In the second match, Afghanistan set the world record for the highest ever T20 score, international or domestic. February 28 – The U.S. military was developing a plan, shared with European allies, to withdraw all American troops in three to five years. Half of the 14,000 troops would be withdrawn in coming months, with the remainder focused on counterterrorism strikes while NATO and other troops continued to train the Afghan military. The plan was being offered in renewed U.S. peace talks with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar which included American commander General Scott Miller. Meanwhile, a Chinese military spokesman denied having troops in the Wakhan Corridor, even while defending its military cooperation with neighboring Tajikistan.
March March 1 - Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen made an early morning attack on Afghan forces at Helmand Province's Camp Shorabak, killing and wounding dozens during another round of talks between U.S. and Taliban negotiators. According to an American military spokesman, U.S. Marine advisers (who suffered no casualties) helped Afghan troops repel the attack with air support.