Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif

Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif
Part of the War in Afghanistan
U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers with Northern Alliance fighters at Mazar-i-Sharif on 10 November 2001
Date 9–10 November 2001 (1 day) Location Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province, Afghanistan Result Northern Alliance and American victory
Belligerents
Northern Alliance Hezb-e Wahdat Jamiat-e Islami Junbish-i Milli  United States	Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Taliban al-Qaeda IMU TNSM[1] ETIM Foreign fighters
Commanders and leaders
Abdul Rashid Dostum Atta Muhammad Nur Mohammad Mohaqiq Tommy Franks[2]	Juma Namangani (KIA) Fazil Mazloom (POW) Nurullah Nuri (POW) Abdul-Razzaq Nafiz (WIA) Abdul-Qahir Usmani (POW) Sufi Muhammad
Strength
2,000+	5,000+
Casualties and losses
8 Junbish-i-Milli Islami[3] and 30 Jamiat-e Islami[4] fighters killed	500+ killed,[5]~500 captured and ~1,000 defected[6][7]

The fall of Mazar-i-Sharif (or Mazar-e-Sharif) in November 2001 resulted from the first major offensive of the Afghanistan War after American intervention. A push into the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh Province by the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan (Northern Alliance), combined with U.S. Army Special Forces aerial bombardment, resulted in the withdrawal of Taliban forces who had held the city since 1998. After the fall of outlying villages, and an intensive bombardment, the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces withdrew from the city. Several hundred pro-Taliban fighters were killed. Approximately 500 were captured, and approximately 1,000 reportedly defected. The capture of Mazar-i-Sharif was the first major defeat for the Taliban.