2012 in Afghanistan

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2012
in
Afghanistan

Decades:
See also:Other events of 2012
List of years in Afghanistan
US and Afghan soldiers on a mission to disrupt Taliban operations in Kandahar Province, March 16.
Ghazni province
, April 28, 2012.

Events from the year 2012 in Afghanistan.

Incumbents

Events

January

February

March

  • March 2 - Afghanistan's National Religious Council submitted a resolution to president Karzai stating that Afghan women should follow a strict code of conduct. Some provisions of the code angered woman rights activists. For instance, the code stated that women should not mingle with strange men in places such as schools, markets and offices. The code also allowed husbands to beat their wives. President Karzai approved the council's resolution, causing criticism.[8]
  • March 4 - The burning of Qurans at a NATO base in Afghanistan advanced the Pakistani-controlled Taliban's cause and any repeat of similar "negligence" by Western forces would be disastrous, according to the Afghan army chief of staff; "The enemy (Taliban) will enlarge it and make use of it in such a way to instigate everybody," General Sher Mohammad Karimi said in an interview.[9]
  • March 11 -An American soldier left his base and went from house to house in Alokozai and Barakzai in Kandahar Province, killing 17 people in their homes, Afghan officials told CNN; the dead include nine children and three women, plus five wounded, leading Hamid Karzai to say "The murdering of innocent people intentionally by an American soldier is an act of terror that is unforgivable." ISAF commander Gen. John R. Allen said the "deeply appalling incident in no way represents the values of ISAF and coalition troops or the abiding respect we feel for the Afghan people."[10]
  • March - Afghans "have run out of patience" with foreign troops, the country's MPs have warned, after a US soldier killed 16 Afghan civilians. The strongly-worded resolution came as US officials issued an alert, fearing reprisals after the Kandahar rampage. Nine children were among those killed. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the act was "unforgivable" and Taliban militants have vowed revenge. The soldier is being questioned. Nato has promised to deliver justice. The killings could further fuel calls for a more rapid withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. They come amid already high anti-US sentiment in Afghanistan following the burning of Quran at a Nato base in Kabul last month. US officials have repeatedly apologised for that incident.

April

  • April - A
    Faryab province
    .
  • 11 April - Afghan President Hamid Karzai raised the possibility to hold presidential elections in 2013, instead of 2014 as scheduled.[11] He issued the concern that having the complete security handover and a presidential election take place in one and the same year could be a problem. Karzai said, "This is a question that I've had and I've raised it in my inner circle. I've not had a final decision yet, but it will not be soon."[11]
  • 15 April - April 2012 Afghanistan attacks

May

June

  • US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said during his visit to Kabul that the US was "reaching the limits of its patience" with the observed lack of willingness on part of Pakistan to tackle the issue of bases used by insurgents inside Pakistan's territory.[14]
  • 2 June - SAS and US Delta force conduct joint operation which successfully rescues five foreign aid workers from a gang of insurgents in Shahr-e-Bozorg district near the Afghan - Tajikistan border. SAS and Delta Force arrived by helicopter and took part in "long march" to a cave where the 5 aid workerswere being held in a maze of caves. The two teams then engaged insurgents in a firefight and overpowered the heavily armed kidnappers, and the hostages were rescued in the cave assaulted by the SAS. 11 insurgents were killed in the assault and there were no SAS fatalities or injuries.[15]

July

  • 7–9 July - over 70 countries attended the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan, pledging to deliver billions of dollars of aid to the country.
  • 30 July - A bomb placed inside a mosque exploded in Tarinkot city, the provincial capital for Uruzgan province, during the morning prayer. The mullah of the mosque and the provincial judge, was killed and four other people present there were injured.[16]

August

September

October

  • 1 October - A suicide attack killed three NATO soldiers, four Afghan policemen and seven civilians. The blast also wounded 37 people.[19]
  • 13 October - A suicide bomber killed two US intelligence officers and four afghan officials.[20]

November

  • 23 November - A suicide bomber killed three civilians and wounded 90 people including NATO soldiers in eastern Afghanistan.[21]

December

  • 2 December - A Taliban attack on a NATO base in eastern Afghanistan killed three Afghan soldiers and wounded a number of NATO soldiers.[22]
  • 8/9 December - DEVGRU operators rescue an American doctor in Laghman Province who was kidnapped by the Taliban three days previously. At least 4 Taliban insurgents were killed whilst one Navy SEAL was killed (he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross) whilst another SEAL was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the mission.

References

  1. ^ "Afghan president orders arrest of family accused of torturing son's 15-year-old wife". Associated Press via The Washington Post. January 1, 2012. Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  2. ^ "Marine tape reaction sets Taliban fighters against commanders". Reuters. January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  3. Agence France Presse
    . January 21, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  4. ^ Cody, Edward and Karen DeYoung, "France to accelerate Afghan withdrawal", The Washington Post p. A1, January 28, 2012.
  5. ^ "Marines killed in crash identified". CNN. January 21, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  6. ^ "U.S. envoy Grossman in Afghanistan to discuss peace, Taliban". CNN. January 21, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  7. ^ Johnson, Kay (January 21, 2012). "Karzai says he's met with Afghan insurgent faction". Associated Press. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  8. ^ Hamid Karzai backs clerics' move to limit Afghan women's rights -The Guardian, 6 March 2012
  9. ^ Ferris-Rotman, Aime (4 March 2012). "Afghan army chief warns against another NATO blunder". Reuters. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  10. ^ Sidner, Sara (11 March 2012). "U.S. soldier kills 16 Afghan civilians, Karzai says". CNN. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  11. ^ a b Ben Farmer (12 April 2012). "Hamid Karzai considering early Afghan presidential elections in 2013". London: The Telegraph.
  12. ^ "Peace negotiator, NATO troops killed in Afghanistan". CNN. 14 May 2012.
  13. ^ Norland, Rod, "In Afghanistan, New Group Begins Campaign of Terror", The New York Times, 19 May 2012.
  14. ^ US losing patience with Pakistan over insurgent bases, warns Panetta - The Guardian, 7 June 2012.
  15. ^ "How the SAS freed hostages from Taliban caves". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  16. ^ "Judge killed in Kandahar mosque explosion". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  17. ^ "Nato curbs Afghan joint patrols over 'insider' attacks". BBC. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  18. ^ Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy - Kenneth Katzman, 27 April 2015
  19. ^ "At least 14 killed in suicide attack on NATO patrol in Afghanistan". Reuters. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  20. ^ "Taliban suicide bomber kills 4 NDS, 2 ISAF personnel in southern Afghanistan". csc.asu.edu. 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
  21. ^ "Afghanistan: Wardak Province Suicide Bombing Injures At Least 40, Officials Say". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  22. ^ Emma Graham-Harrison. "Taliban attack Nato airbase in Afghanistan". the Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2014.