2001 War in Afghanistan

PzH 2000 in the 2001 War in Afghanistan

Dutch and German PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers were used by NATO-led forces in Afghanistan for indirect fire support, including Operation Medusa, Uruzgan fire-support missions, and German fire missions near Kunduz.

Weapon profilePzH 2000
SideUnited States, NATO, and Afghan government forcesRoleFire Support
PzH 2000, 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, Artillery - 2001 War in Afghanistan
Image source: PzH 2000 Munster image

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Dutch PzH-2000NL howitzers made their combat debut in Afghanistan during Operation Medusa and supported ISAF operations.

Sources: Dutch Defence Press Operation Medusa report, KNDS PzH 2000 brochure

Dutch PzH 2000s were part of Task Force Uruzgan fire support, with positions at Tarin Kowt and Deh Rawod.

Sources: Dutch Defence Press Operation Medusa report, Landmacht Uruzgan Artillery Standard

A Dutch PzH 2000 was photographed firing on Taliban positions in Chora on 2007-06-16.

Sources: Dutch PzH 2000 Chora image

German PzH 2000s fired in Afghanistan near Kunduz, including a Bundeswehr-described support mission after the Good Friday Battle.

Sources: Bundeswehr Good Friday Battle, Bundeswehr Heavy Equipment in Afghanistan

Timeline

PzH 2000 In 2001 War in Afghanistan

  1. Dutch combat debut during Operation Medusa

    Dutch Defence Press reported that the PzH-2000NL made its combat debut during the ISAF-led Operation Medusa offensive in southern Afghanistan.

    Sources: Dutch Defence Press Operation Medusa report

  2. Dutch howitzers assigned to Tarin Kowt and Deh Rawod

    Dutch reporting placed the deployed PzH 2000NL systems in the Task Force Uruzgan fire-support structure, with howitzers intended for Kamp Holland at Tarin Kowt, Deh Rawod, and reserve coverage.

    Sources: Dutch Defence Press Operation Medusa report, Landmacht Uruzgan Artillery Standard

  3. Dutch PzH 2000 photographed firing at Chora

    A Wikimedia Commons file identifies a Dutch Army PzH 2000 firing on Taliban positions in Chora, Uruzgan province, on 2007-06-16.

    Sources: Dutch PzH 2000 Chora image

  4. Bundeswehr artillery support after the Good Friday Battle

    A Bundeswehr retrospective says a PzH 2000 fired from Camp Kunduz after ground troops requested support to prevent Taliban fighters from capturing an abandoned vehicle.

    Sources: Bundeswehr Good Friday Battle

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The PzH 2000 is directly documented in the 2001 War in Afghanistan through Dutch, German, manufacturer, and imagery sources. Dutch Defence Press reported that Dutch PzH-2000NL 155 mm self-propelled howitzers made their combat debut during Operation Medusa in September 2006, where two Dutch systems supported Canadian and coalition forces in Kandahar.

A KNDS PzH 2000 brochure also states that both the Royal Netherlands Army and the German Bundeswehr deployed PzH 2000s in Afghanistan to reinforce and support troops, and identifies Operation Medusa as a combat assignment in which the system provided indirect fire support for ISAF forces.

Sources: Dutch Defence Press Operation Medusa report, KNDS PzH 2000 brochure

Dutch fire support in Uruzgan and Chora

The Dutch record places PzH 2000NL howitzers in the NATO-led mission as fire-support assets for Task Force Uruzgan. Dutch Defence Press said three Dutch systems were deployed to Afghanistan, with howitzers intended for Kamp Holland at Tarin Kowt, Deh Rawod, and reserve coverage between those bases.

The Netherlands' Landmacht magazine later summarized the Royal Netherlands Army artillery contribution in Uruzgan, saying the armored howitzers stood at Tarin Kowt and Deh Rawod and that ISAF operations often depended on the availability of these heavy guns. A Wikimedia Commons image further documents a Dutch PzH 2000 firing on Taliban positions in Chora on 2007-06-16.

Sources: Dutch Defence Press Operation Medusa report, Landmacht Uruzgan Artillery Standard, Dutch PzH 2000 Chora image

German employment near Kunduz

German sources document later Bundeswehr PzH 2000 use in northern Afghanistan. A Bundeswehr retrospective on the Good Friday Battle says a PzH 2000 fired from Camp Kunduz after ground troops requested support to stop Taliban fighters from seizing an abandoned vehicle, and identifies the action as the first combat use of artillery in Bundeswehr history.

A separate Bundeswehr equipment overview says PzH 2000s stationed at several German bases in Afghanistan could fire around their bases, using smoke rounds to cover friendly movement and high-explosive rounds to destroy enemy positions. The sourced record supports NATO coalition fire support by Dutch and German forces; it does not support Taliban use or Afghan government ownership of the PzH 2000.

Sources: Bundeswehr Good Friday Battle, Bundeswehr Heavy Equipment in Afghanistan

Images

Conflict Context

Dutch Army PzH 2000 firing in Chora, Afghanistan
A Dutch Army PzH 2000 firing on Taliban positions in Chora, Uruzgan province, on 2007-06-16.

Sources: Dutch PzH 2000 Chora image

Related Weapons by Role

2S43 Malva, 152 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery2S43 Malva152 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzerThe 2S43 Malva is a Russian 152 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer that places a 2A64 gun on a BAZ 8x8 chassis for faster road moves and lower operating demands than tracked turreted artillery. Developed through the Nabrosok wheeled-artillery program, it entered Russian deliveries in 2023 and has since been documented with Russian forces in Ukraine, including reconnaissance sightings, Ukrainian strike reports, and visually confirmed losses.
152 mm SpGH DANA, 152 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery152 mm SpGH DANA152 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzerThe 152 mm SpGH DANA is a Czechoslovak wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzer built around a Tatra 8x8 chassis, a semi-automatic loading system, and a 152 mm gun compatible with Soviet-pattern ammunition. The family appears in several post-Soviet and coalition conflicts: Georgian DANA guns were documented in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, Polish DANA crews fired in Afghanistan, Azerbaijani DANA M1 systems were reported in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting, and Czech-supplied DANA and DANA M2 howitzers later gave Ukrainian forces mobile 152 mm artillery during the full-scale Russian invasion.
2 more weapons
Back to PzH 2000Browse 2001 War in Afghanistan

Sources