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For the state flags of Afghanistan over the years, see Flag of Afghanistan.

Throughout the history of Afghanistan, there have been many flags used by rebel groups in Afghanistan's various conflicts. This is a list of the Afghan rebel flags flown by various groups throughout the country's history.[1]

Afghan Civil War (1928–1929)

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Further information: Afghan Civil War (1928–1929)
Rebel flags in the Afghan Civil War (1928–1929)
Flag Years of use Rebel group Notes
1916–1934 Basmachi movement The Basmachi movement was a rebel group in the Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and Kingdom of Afghanistan. They existed in cooperation with the Saqqawists during the Afghan Civil War.[2]
1924–1931 Saqqawists The Saqqawists were an armed Islamic conservative movement in Afghanistan from 1924 to 1931. They attempted to establish the Emirate of Afghanistan (1929).[3]
1929 Kingdom of Afghanistan Following the Saqqawists forming the Emirate of Afghanistan (1929), Ali Ahmad Khan started a rebellion and overthrew the emirate. This then established the Kingdom of Afghanistan.[3]

1973 Afghan coup d'état

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Further information: 1973 Afghan coup d'état
Rebel flags in the 1973 Afghan coup d'état
Flag Years of use Rebel group Notes
1973–1974 Republic of Afghanistan In 1973, there was a coup d'état in the Kingdom of Afghanistan that overthrew the king and established a republic.[4]

Saur Revolution

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Further information: Saur Revolution
Rebel flags in the Saur Revolution
Flag Years of use Rebel group Notes
1965–1992 People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan In 1978, there was a communist revolution in the Republic of Afghanistan led by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. The revolution resulted in the creation of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.[5]

1979 Herat uprising

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Further information: 1979 Herat uprising
Rebel flags in the 1979 Herat Uprising
Flag Years of use Rebel group Notes
1979 Hazaras Flag says "God is Great" (الله أكبر) on a green background.

Soviet–Afghan War

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Further information: Soviet–Afghan War
Rebel flags in the Soviet–Afghan War
Flag Years of use Rebel group Notes
1973–present Afghanistan Liberation Organization Maoist factions in the Soviet–Afghan War under the Afghanistan Liberation Organization (ALO) used the ALO flag.[6]
1979–1992 Islamic Unity of Afghanistan Mujahideen The jihadist flag was used by many factions in the Islamic Unity of Afghanistan Mujahideen and is still used by Al-Qaeda to this day.[7]
1987–1989 Tehran Eight The Tehran Eight was an Iran-backed Shia faction in the Soviet–Afghan War. The flag of Hezbollah was used by several factions.[8]

Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)

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Further information: Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)
Rebel flags in the Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)
Flag Years of use Rebel group Notes
1989–1992 Afghan mujahideen Following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Afghan Civil War (1989–1992) began with the Afghan mujahideen continuing to fight the Republic of Afghanistan. This is the same jihadist flag as used by the Islamic Unity of Afghanistan Mujahideen and Al-Qaeda.[7]

Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)

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Further information: Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)
Rebel flags in the Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)
Flag Years of use Rebel group Notes
1975–present Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin After the fall of the PDPA's rule in Afghanistan, the civil war continued with some Islamist group splitting off and continuing to fight against the Islamic State of Afghanistan established by the main Afghan mujahideen.[9]
1988–present Al-Qaeda Osama bin Laden, following the fall of the Republic of Afghanistan, would split from the Afghan mujahideen and establish a new group called Al-Qaeda.[10]
1989–present Hezbe Wahdat Hezbe Wahdat split off from the Afghan mujahideen as the successor of the Tehran Eight.[9]
1992–present National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan The National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan split off from the Afghan mujahideen to protect Uzbek and Turkmen interests.[11]
1994–1997 Taliban The Taliban was formed in 1994 and originally used a plain white flag. They seized almost total control of the country by 1996.[12]

Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)

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Further information: Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)
Rebel flags in the Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)
Flag Years of use Rebel group Notes
1988–present Turkistan Islamic Party Originally a Uyghur Islamic extremist organization based in Western China; in 1998 the group's headquarters were moved to Kabul, in the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where members of the group fought against the Northern Alliance.
1996–2001 Northern Alliance Following the Taliban's establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in 1996, forces loyal to the interim Islamic State of Afghanistan fled to the far north regions of Afghanistan and banded together to form the Northern Alliance.[13]
1997–present Taliban During the Afghan Civil War (1996–2001), the Taliban government (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) wasn't internationally recognized. Because of this, it was regarded as a rebellion by some.
1997–2001 Taliban Variant flag flown by the Taliban during their rule in Afghanistan.
1998–2015 Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan An Uzbek Islamic extremist organization that the Taliban allowed to operate and occupy land within Afghanistan.

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

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Further information: War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Rebel flags in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Flag Years of use Rebel group Notes
1988–present Turkistan Islamic Party The party continued to maintain a presence within Afghanistan following the United States invasion of Afghanistan, allying with the Taliban.
1988–present Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda, under Osama bin Laden, was responsible for the September 11 attacks. They used the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as a base to hide during the attacks. Because of this, the United States invaded Afghanistan and deposed the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda, being an ally of the Taliban, would continue to aid their insurgency.[14]
1997–present Taliban Following the September 11 attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan and deposed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Northern Alliance was put in power of the new Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The Taliban continued to launch an insurgency in the country until August 15, 2021.[15]
2012–present Mullah Dadullah Front A Taliban splinter group that started claiming responsibility bombings and assassinations in 2012.[16][17]
2013–present Fidai Mahaz A Taliban splinter group under the leadership of Mullah Najibullah.[18]
2015–2021 High Council of Afghanistan Islamic Emirate A Taliban splinter group under the leadership of Muhammad Rasul.[19]
2015–present Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province Starting in 2015, the terrorist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant established their "Khorasan Province" in Afghanistan. They began to wage an insurgency against both the Taliban and Islamic Republic of Afghanistan beginning the Taliban–ISIL conflict in Afghanistan as a part of the greater war.[20]
2016–present Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
(splinter faction) 		IMU leader Usman Ghazi declared the group's support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in September 2014,[21] but in June 2016, a new faction of the IMU announced itself, denouncing ISIL and swearing its loyalty to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.[22]

Rebel groups in Afghanistan (2021–present)

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Further information: Panjshir conflict
Flag Years of use Rebel group Notes
2015–present Islamic State – Khorasan Province During the Panjshir conflict, the Islamic State–Taliban conflict resumed with several attacks on 26 August, 6 September, 8 September, and 18 September 2021.[23][24][25][26]
2021–present Panjshir resistance Following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, the remnants of the Afghan National Army and Islamic Republic of Afghanistan fled to the Panjshir Province to form the Panjshir resistance and continue fighting the revived Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[27][28]
2021–present Panjshir resistance Flag of the Islamic State of Afghanistan flown by the Panjshir resistance.[29]
2021–present Panjshir resistance Variant Islamic Republic flag flown by the Panjshir resistance.
2021–present Panjshir resistance, Afghanistan Islamic National & Liberation Movement, Watan Dost Front, National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, Khost Resistance Front, National Azadegan Front, Afghanistan Freedom Front, Andarab Resistance Front,  Freedom Corps Front , West Nuristan Liberation Front Flag of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan flown by the Panjshir resistance.[30][31] and other "Anti-Taliban Groups"[32][33]
2021-

Present

Freedom and Democracy Front, Hazaristan Resistance Front[33] The front announced its existence in October 2021. It operates mainly in the provinces of Maidan Wardak and Ghazni. It is composed exclusively of Hazaras, both ex-military and civilians. A spokesman for the front announced in a video released in October that the group's goal is to fight the Taliban and the ISKP throughout Hazarajat.[33]
2021–Present Southern Turkistan Armed Independent Operation front/ 'Dzhabhat Turkestan Janubi'[34] On 29 June, a group of fighters announced the formation of the “Southern Turkestan Front” in a one-minute video circulated on the internet and particularly on Telegram. The commander of the group explains in the video that they will fight the Taliban and protect the rights of the Turkic peoples. The group is composed of Uyghurs, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Turkic people and claims to operate in the Balkh province.[33]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Infographic: Afghanistan's flags over the years".
  2. ^ "Basmachi Revolt | Russian history".
  3. ^ a b Muḥammad, Fayz̤; Hazārah, Fayz̤ Muḥammad Kātib; Muḥammad, Faiḍ (1999). Kabul Under Siege: Fayz Muhammad's Account of the 1929 Uprising. Markus Wiener Publishers. ISBN 9781558761551.
  4. ^ "Afghan King Overthrown; A Republic Is Proclaimed". The New York Times. 18 July 1973.
  5. ^ "1978: Afghan coup rebels claim victory". 29 April 1978.
  6. ^ "Veterans of the Afghanistan Liberation Organization".
  7. ^ a b "Stop Mixing Up Islamic Flags: A Guide for Lazy Journalists".
  8. ^ The changing ideology of Hezbollah. OCLC 1141519495.
  9. ^ a b "AFGHANISTAN: POWER STRUGGLE". PBS. Archived from the original on 2007-07-09.
  10. ^ "Osama Bin Laden".
  11. ^ "The Afghanistan Justice Project".
  12. ^ "CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS JANUARY 1995-FEBRUARY 1997" (PDF).
  13. ^ "Northern Alliance | Afghani military organization". 23 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Afghanistan War | History, Combatants, Facts & Timeline". 4 December 2023.
  15. ^ "From the 2001 fall of the Taliban to 2020 Afghan peace talks".
  16. ^ Norland, Rod, "In Afghanistan, New Group Begins Campaign of Terror", The New York Times, 19 May 2012.
  17. ^ Connor Simpson (19 May 2012). "Meet the New "More Radical" Insurgent Group in Afghanistan". The Atlantic Wire. Archived from the original on 20 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Why the Taliban murdered their own leader and the terrifying fallout now threatening the West". The Mirror. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  19. ^ Shah, Taimoor; Nordland, Rod; Sukhanyar, Jawad (19 June 2017). "Afghan Government Quietly Aids Breakaway Taliban Faction". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  20. ^ "Dozens killed in clashes between rival Taliban factions in Afghanistan". TheGuardian.com. 10 March 2016.
  21. ^ "Uzbek militants declare support for Islamic State". AFP. Dawn. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2015. "Hereby, on behalf of all members of our movement, in line with our sacred duties, I declare that we are in the same ranks with the Islamic State in this continued war between Islam and [non-Muslims]," Usman Gazi wrote in an online statement on Sept 26.
  22. ^ "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan faction emerges after group's collapse". Long War Journal. 2016-06-14. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  23. ^ "Who are the Islamic State-Khorasan, group responsible for Kabul airport bombing?". 27 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Taliban Provincial Governor Vows To Fight ISIS".
  25. ^ Rehman, Zia Ur (15 September 2021). "Afghan chaos mounts as ISIS-K tries to tarnish Taliban triumph". Nikkei Asia.
  26. ^ "Afghanistan: Several dead as blasts rock Jalalabad and Kabul".
  27. ^ "Opinion: The mujahideen resistance to the Taliban begins now. But we need help". The Washington Post.
  28. ^ "'Panjshir stands strong': Afghanistan's last holdout against the Taliban". TheGuardian.com. 18 August 2021.
  29. ^ Filseth, Trevor (7 September 2021). "Panjshir Resistance: Heavy Fighting as Taliban Escalate Attacks". Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  30. ^ "The mujahideen resistance to the Taliban begins now. But we need help". Washington Post. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  31. ^ Roggio, Bill (18 August 2021). "After fall of Kabul, resistance to Taliban emerges in Panjshir". Long War Journal. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  32. ^ "Afghan 'Fighting Season' Ushers in New Anti-Taliban Groups". VOA. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
  33. ^ a b c d Garofalo, Daniele. "Resistance movements in Afghanistan are unanimous in overthrowing the Taliban and creating a democratic State". danielegarofalo.substack.com. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
  34. ^ "Afghanistan's Security Challenges under the Taliban". www.crisisgroup.org. 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
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