Battle of Kabul (1992–1996)

Belligerents

Islamic State of Afghanistan

Jamiat-e Islami
Hezb-e Islami Khalis (until mid-1992)

Hezb-i Wahdat (until Dec. 1992)

Junbish-i Milli (until 1994)

Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin (until late 1994)

Hezb-i Wahdat (after Dec. 1992)

Junbish-i Milli (Jan.–Aug. 1994)

Taliban (from late 1994)
Al-Qaeda

Commanders and leaders

Burhanuddin Rabbani
Ahmad Shah Massoud
Sibghatullah Mojaddedi
Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi
Hussain Anwari
Abdul Rasul Sayyaf
Abdul Haq

Abdul Ali Mazari
Karim Khalili

Abdul Rashid Dostum

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

Abdul Ali Mazari
Commander Shafi Hazara

Abdul Rashid Dostum

Mullah Omar

Mullah Borjan †Strength 25,000 (1996) Wahdat worked with the Islamic government of Afghanistan until it withdrew in late 1992 joining Hezb-i Islami. Dostum, previously allied with Massoud, joined forces with Hekmatyar in 1994. Harakat, remaining allied to Jamiat, generally fought with Wahdat against Ittehad; however, occasionally it fought against Wahdat as well. In 1995 Massoud and the ISA forces were able to control most of Kabul. Pakistan stopped support to Hekmatyar in 1995, and supported the Taliban instead. Without Pakistani support, and with the arrival of the Taliban, Hekmatyar stopped fighting against the Islamic State of Afghanistan.

The Battle of Kabul was a series of intermittent battles and sieges over the city of Kabul during the period of 1992–1996.

Throughout the Soviet–Afghan War from 1979 to 1989, and subsequent civil war (1989–1992) the city of Kabul saw little fighting. The collapse of Mohammad Najibullah's regime in April 1992 led to a peace treaty between the Afghan political parties and the establishment of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. But soon after, the undisciplined commanders from both former mujahideen and Communist ranks started to vie for power, abetted by foreign powers, namely Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Uzbekistan, who began arming their Afghan proxies to fight for control and influence.