Spin Boldak (سپین بولدک; English: White desert) is a border town and the headquarters of Spin Boldak District in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, next to the border with Pakistan. It is linked by a highway with the city of Kandahar to the north, and with Chaman and Quetta in Pakistan to the south. Spin Boldak has the second major port of entry between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Wesh-Chaman border crossing. It is also a major transporting, shipping and receiving site between the two neighboring countries. The district is populated mostly by Noorzai and Achakzai Pashtuns. Kandahar and Quetta are about 40 and 50 nmi (93 km) respectively distant by air, and have the closest medium-sized airports; Pishin, Pakistan has a small airport 40 nmi (74 km) to the east. In January 2006, "a suicide bomber on a motorbike killed at least 20 people and wounded 20 more," according to one report. "The attacker drove the vehicle into a crowd watching a wrestling match and detonated a bomb," said Kandahar provincial Gov. Asadullah Khalid. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The town was the site of a suicide bombing in February 2008 that killed 38 Afghans and injured several Canadian soldiers. In April 2010, three nephews of the former governor of Spin Boldak district, Hajji (or Haji) Fazluddin Agha, aged 15, 13 and 12, were killed in a bomb attack. The bomb was attached to a donkey which was led to the checkpoint in front of the former governor's home and detonated by remote control. Hajji Fazluddin Agha, according to the report, is of one of President Hamid Karzai’s most important political allies in Kandahar, and had also served as Mr. Karzai's top campaign official in Kandahar Province. He was unhurt in the bombing, but two bystanders and two policemen were wounded. On 14 July 2021, Taliban forces as part of the 2021 Taliban offensive captured Spin Boldak along with the border post with Pakistan. The Taliban immediately took over border duties by regulating movement of people and goods between Spin Boldak and the Wesh–Chaman border crossing. It was at this border crossing on 15 July 2021, the Indian photo-journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed by the Taliban and his body mutilated.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SPIN BOLDAK, AFGHANISTAN
10.15.2011
Story by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri 
United States Air Forces Central   
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan -- Members of the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade and a select handful of Air Force service members here carry out a dynamic mission. Their mission: to conduct intelligence-based targeting to disrupt Taliban operations. In layman's terms, they find who the bad guys are and take them out of the fight. The area of operation for the brigade places them in a geographically important area. With neighboring Pakistan only a short way away, the success of the local Afghan National Security Forces is vital. "Spin Boldak is located on a strategic border so we're in a critical position," said U.S. Army Col. Gary Johnston, 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade and native of Russellville, Ark. "We're partnered with the Afghan National Security Forces to ensure the population is secure and that we're interdicting insurgents who come across the border." Not only are the members of the 504th BSB working with the ANSF, but they are also sharing knowledge with them along the way. "The primary theme going into this year is that U.S. and coalition forces aren't going to be here forever," said Lt. Col. Justin Haynes, brigade S3 operations officer and native of Nashville, Tenn. "We're developing them so they can stand on their own two feet. After coalition forces leave, they can continue to grow the Afghan country." In an era where technology is running rampant, the brigade here uses boots on the ground to help develop the sight picture. "Without having guys on the ground, observing and reporting what is going on, the sight pictures wouldn't be as strong," said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Andrew Adams, 1st platoon leader of Bravo Troop, 2-38 Cavalry, 504th BSB and native of Modesto, Calif. "We gather info on terrain, infrastructure, society and gain information to pass to the higher ups to help the decision process." Though the missions conducted here are lead by the Army, they are not the only players. On a majority of their missions, multiple countries are present along with another service, the U.S. Air Force. The Joint Terminal Attack Controller, better known as a JTAC, seems to be a tool no Army ground commander wants to go on a mission without. "The JTAC helps us employ all joint aircraft in the (area of operation)," said Haynes. "The JTAC is one of the first (multipliers) our guys will take with them on missions because they control (intelligence, surveillance and recognizance) and strike platforms. "Their skill set is so unique," said Haynes, "Their ability to communicate and talk to almost anyone out there allows for the ground commander to focus on the mission, knowing that the JTAC can take care of the air assets" Though you can never predict what the enemy will do, JTACs are always prepared to respond with close air support or ISR feeds. "We could be out there just smokin and jokin while pulling security and bam, there's small arms fire," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Dickey, JTAC assigned to Spin Boldak. "First thing I do is grab my radio and I'm talking to aircraft trying to get fast-movers (fighter aircraft) on scene to support the Army ground commander." On a base where the ratio of soldiers to airmen is near 100:1, the JTACs here are taking the opportunity to demonstrate the professionals the Air Force has. " I love how my job lets me change the Army's opinion about the Air Force," said Dickey. "When we hit the ground on a mission, we're hauling (tail) so we're in the front. I'm Air Force; he's Army -- if I do one thing wrong, I'm going to get judged. We're always trying to do things better. If we're rucking, we're up in the front. You're the one setting the pace." Observing the JTAC work almost seamlessly with their Army unit, the platoon leader doesn't hesitate to grab a JTAC and put him in a stack. "JTAC, get over here. You're stacking up with us," said Adams as his fire team moves through a closed off fruit orchard at night. Rarely will you find a JTAC further than an arms reach away from the ground commander or platoon leader. Recalling one mission where the JTAC came in handy, Adams paints a vivid picture of how value doesn't always mean dropping bombs, but can be showing where the bad guys are. "We had intel that there were a bunch of bad dudes in the area we were observing," said Adams, a former U.S. Marine. "(The JTAC) was able to use ISR platforms to show us at night where the bad guys were. We'd pop out from our cover only about 20 feet from the target before detaining them. You can tell they were shocked to see us," said Adams with a look on his face of pure excitement. Though the Army will continue to kick down doors and take out bad guys with or without a JTAC, it's obvious what they prefer. "No doubt -- If I could take a JTAC out with me every mission, I would," said Adams. "They're part of our team."  Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) is the U.S. military's operational name for the military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIL, in the vernacular, Daesh), including both the campaign in Iraq and the campaign in Syria. Since 21 August 2016, the U.S. Army's XVIII Airborne Corps has been responsible for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR). In February 2018, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division was awarded a campaign streamer following its deployment to Iraq. In May 2016, the brigade, deployed to advise and assist, train and equip Iraqi security forces to fight the Islamic State of Iraq. The 2nd Brigade also conducted precision surface-to-surface fires and supported a multitude of intelligence and logistical operations for coalition and Iraqi forces. They also provided base security throughout more than 12 areas of operations. The Brigade also aided in the clearance of ISIS from Fallujah, the near elimination of suicide attacks in Baghdad, and the introduction of improved tactics that liberated more than 100 towns and villages. The 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division also played a significant role in the liberation of Mosul.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL; /ˈaɪsəl, ˈaɪsɪl/), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS; /ˈaɪsɪs/), officially known as the Islamic State (IS) and also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh (داعش, Dāʿish, IPA: [ˈdaːʕɪʃ]), is a militant group and former unrecognized proto-state that follows a Salafi jihadist doctrine. ISIL was founded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and gained global prominence in 2014 when it drove Iraqi security forces out of key cities in its Western Iraq offensive, followed by its capture of Mosul and the Sinjar massacre. The group has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations. ISIL is known for its videos of beheadings and other types of executions of both soldiers and civilians, including journalists and aid workers, and its destruction of cultural heritage sites. The United Nations holds ISIL responsible for committing human rights abuses, genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The Islamic State committed genocide and ethnic cleansing on a historic scale in northern Iraq. ISIL originated in 1999, pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and participated in the Iraqi insurgency following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by Western forces. In June 2014, the group proclaimed itself a worldwide caliphate and began referring to itself as the Islamic State (الدولة الإسلامية ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah; IS). As a caliphate, it claimed religious, political, and military authority over all Muslims worldwide. Its adoption of the name Islamic State and its idea of a caliphate have been criticised, with the United Nations, various governments, and mainstream Muslim groups rejecting its statehood. In Syria, the group conducted ground attacks on both government forces and opposition factions, and by December 2015, it held an area extending from western Iraq to eastern Syria, containing an estimated eight to twelve million people, where it enforced its interpretation of sharia law. ISIL is believed to be operational in 18 countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2015, ISIL was estimated to have an annual budget of more than US$1 billion and more than 30,000 fighters. In mid-2014, an international coalition led by the United States intervened against ISIL in Syria and Iraq with an airstrike campaign, in addition to supplying advisors, weapons, training, and supplies to ISIL's enemies in the Iraqi Security Forces and Syrian Democratic Forces. This campaign reinvigorated the latter two forces and damaged ISIL, killing tens of thousands of its troops and reducing its financial and military infrastructure. This was followed by a smaller-scale Russian intervention exclusively in Syria, in which ISIL lost thousands more fighters to airstrikes, cruise missile attacks, and other Russian military activities and had its financial base further degraded. In July 2017, the group lost control of its largest city, Mosul, to the Iraqi army, followed by the loss of its de facto political capital of Raqqa to the Syrian Democratic Forces. By December 2017, the Islamic State controlled just 2% of its maximum territory (in May 2015). In December 2017, Iraqi forces had driven the last remnants of the Islamic State underground, three years after the group captured about a third of Iraq's territory. By March 2019, ISIL lost one of their last significant territories in the Middle East in the Deir ez-Zor campaign, surrendering their "tent city" and pockets in Al-Baghuz Fawqani to the Syrian Democratic Forces after the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani. In October 2019, ISIL media announced that Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was the new leader . .

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