Battle of Jalalabad (1989)

Battle of Jalalabad
	Part of Afghan Civil War (1989–1992), Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes
Date	March 5 – end of June 1989
Location	Jalalabad, Afghanistan and Salang Pass
Result	Afghan government victory
Territorial; changes	ROA regains full control of Jalalabad from opposition forces
Belligerents
Afghanistan	Pakistan ISI; ; AIG HIG; NIFA; IULA; HIK; ; Al-Qaeda; Saudi Arabia Wahhabi volunteers; ; United States CIA; ;
Commanders and leaders
Afghanistan President Najibullah; Shahnawaz Tanai; Mukhtar Gul Zadran †; Nur ul-Haq Ulumi; General Barakzai †; Mohammad Sardar Bajauri; Khushal Peroz (WIA); Abdul Rashid Dostum; Mohammed Ehsan; Mohammed Asif Delawar; Rasul Pahlawan; Haneef Atmar (WIA); ;	Pakistan Benazir Bhutto; Hamid Gul; Mirza Aslam Beg; Nasir Khan; Aitzaz Ahsan; ; HIG Gulbuddin Hekmatyar; ; NIFA Ahmed Gailani; ; IULA Abdul Rasul Sayyaf; ; Saudi Arabia Ibn Al-Khattab; Osama bin Laden (WIA); ;
Units involved
Afghanistan; Afghan Army 9th Infantry Division; 53rd Infantry Division; 55th Motorized Infantry Brigade; 10th Engineer-Sapper Regiment; 11th Infantry Division 66th Motorized Infantry Brigades; 71st Motorized Infantry Brigades; 81st Motorized Infantry Brigade; 11th Tactical Ballistic Missile Battalion; 91st Artillery Regiment; Unknown Mechanized battalion; Unknown Howitzer battalion; ; Afghan Commando Forces 37th Commando Brigade; ; ; Ministry of Interior 7th Operative Regiment (Sarandoy); 12th Mountain Battalion (Sarandoy); 8th Border Guard Brigade; 10th Border Guard Brigade; ; WAD 904th Battalion; ; Afghan National Guard 1st Motorized Infantry Brigade; 88th Heavy Artillery Regiment; 22nd Guards Regiment; ; Afghan Air Force 355th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment; 377th Helicopter Regiment; 373rd Air Transport Regiment; 12th Squadron; 99th Missile Brigade; ; Defense of the Revolution	Pakistan; Pakistani Army 11th Infantry Division; Khyber Rifles (alleged by Kabul); Pakistani volunteers; ; Pakistan Air Force; AIG HIG 5 battalions including a mechanized battalion (during the First Battle of Jalalabad Airport); ; ;
Strength
Afghanistan 15,000 soldiers (initially 12,000);	Pakistan 5,000 soldiers and volunteers; 2 Border Brigades; ; AIG HIG 3,300 fighters; 11 T-54Ms; 3 BMPs; 2 BTR-60PB; 2 BRDM-2; 55 mortars; 12 howitzers; 79 rocket launchers; ; HIK 500 fighters; ; NIFA 1,700 fighters; ; IULA 1,300 fighters; ; JNM 1,300 fighters; ; HEI 1,500 fighters; ; ; Saudi Arabia 1,300 volunteers; ; Total Estimate: 14,000–15,000
Casualties and losses
Afghanistan 1,500–3,000 killed; 1 Antonov An-26 transport plane destroyed; 1 civilian Antonov An-32 transport plane destroyed; 2 airport employees killed; ;	Pakistan; 100-300 killed ; AIG 1,500–5,000 killed; Heavy losses of armor; ; Saudi Arabia; ~100 killed
	Civilian casualties:; 12,000–15,000 killed

The Battle of Jalalabad (Pashto: د جلال آباد جګړه, Dari: نبرد جلال‌آباد) also known as Operation Jalalabad or the Jalalabad War, was a major battle that occurred in the spring of 1989, marking the beginning of the First Afghan Civil War. The battle broke out following the Peshawar-based Seven-Party Union (an alliance of seven Afghan mujahideen groups also known as the Afghan Interim Government or "government-in-exile"), supported by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), attacked Jalalabad, which was then under the administration of the Soviet-backed Republic of Afghanistan.

Although the mujahideen quickly captured the Jalalabad Airport and Samarkhel, the former base of the Soviet 66th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, they were successfully recaptured by the Afghan Armed Forces.