Troop Transport Tactics: Navigating The Complexities Of Deployment To Afghanistan

The US military's involvement in Afghanistan has been a long and complex affair, with troops first entering the country in 2001 following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Since then, over 775,000 US service members have been deployed to Afghanistan, with the number of troops peaking in 2010 and 2011 at the height of the war.

In 2021, the US began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, with the last military forces departing the country in August 2021, leaving it under Taliban rule. The US Embassy in Kabul has since suspended its operations, and the US government is unable to provide emergency consular services to US citizens in Afghanistan.

The US flew 3,000 troops to Afghanistan in 2021 to begin evacuations as the Taliban swept across the country

In 2021, the US flew 3,000 troops to Afghanistan to begin evacuations as the Taliban swept across the country. The Pentagon moved 3,000 marines and soldiers to Afghanistan and another 4,000 troops to the region to evacuate most of the American Embassy and US citizens in Kabul. The Biden administration braced for a possible collapse of the Afghan government within the next month. The situation in the country was sharply deteriorating as the Taliban rapidly advanced across the north, and Afghan security forces battled to defend ever-shrinking territory in the south and west.

The Biden administration accelerated plans to get Americans out. President Biden, after meeting with his top national security advisers, ordered additional expedited flights out of the country for Afghans who had worked with the United States. Their applications for special immigrant visas could then be evaluated. The American Embassy urged Americans to "leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options."

The State Department spokesman, Ned Price, announced a drawdown of an unspecified number of civilians among the roughly 4,000 embassy personnel, including about 1,400 American citizens, to begin immediately. He said:

> "As we've said all along, the increased tempo of the Taliban military engagements and the resulting increase in violence and instability across Afghanistan is of grave concern. We've been evaluating the security situation every day to determine how best to keep those serving at our embassy safe."

The US had been involved in Afghanistan since the 9/11 attacks on the United States in 2001, which were plotted by the al-Qaeda militant group, led by Osama bin Laden, who was in Afghanistan under Taliban protection. The US intervention in Afghanistan aimed to support democracy and eliminate the terrorist threat. However, the militants slipped away and later regrouped, and deadly Taliban attacks continued.

In 2014, NATO's international forces ended their combat mission, leaving responsibility for security to the Afghan army. This gave the Taliban momentum, and they seized more territory. Peace talks between the US and the Taliban started tentatively, and the agreement on a withdrawal came in February 2020 in Qatar. The US-Taliban deal did not stop the Taliban attacks, and they targeted Afghan security forces and civilians.

The Taliban completed their shockingly rapid advance across the country by capturing Kabul on 15 August 2021. The US military departed the country on 30 August, a day ahead of schedule, ending a 20-year occupation and leaving Afghanistan in the Taliban's hands.

In 2021, the US Embassy in Kabul urged Americans to leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options

The US Embassy's notice also warned Americans about the limited capability of the mission at that time to serve citizens. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy urged citizens to develop a plan of action that did not rely on US government assistance and to consider leaving Afghanistan via the earliest available commercial transportation. The Embassy offered repatriation loans for those who could not afford commercial tickets at that time.

The situation in Afghanistan posed significant risks to the safety and security of US citizens, with the State Department advising against travel to the country due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict, and COVID-19. The Embassy's alert highlighted the severe limitations and unpredictability of domestic flights and ground transportation outside of Kabul, which were subject to cancellation or closure.

The Taliban's rapid gains raised questions about the security of the US Embassy and other foreign missions in Kabul. The Biden administration accelerated plans to evacuate Americans from the country, sending additional troops to Afghanistan to facilitate the evacuation of Embassy personnel and Afghan US special immigrant visa applicants. The Embassy remained open during this period, but the drawdown of civilian staff was underway.

The US Embassy in Kabul's urgent advisory reflected the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and the need for American citizens to depart the country immediately using commercial flight options if possible. The Embassy's ability to provide assistance was constrained, and the security threats were escalating, making it imperative for citizens to act swiftly and proactively to ensure their safety.

The US military began a bombing campaign against the Taliban, with British support, marking the start of Operation Enduring Freedom

On October 7, 2001, the US military initiated Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), a bombing campaign against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, with British support. This campaign marked the official commencement of the War in Afghanistan and the broader Global War on Terrorism. The operation was a response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people and was masterminded by al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

The initial military objectives of OEF, as outlined by President George W. Bush, included the destruction of terrorist training camps and infrastructure within Afghanistan, the capture of al-Qaeda leaders, and the cessation of terrorist activities in the country. The US-led coalition successfully removed the Taliban from power and severely weakened al-Qaeda, but they faced ongoing challenges in the form of a resilient Taliban insurgency, infrastructure rebuilding, and corruption within Afghan security forces.

Operation Enduring Freedom encompassed not only military actions in Afghanistan but also counterterrorism operations in other countries. These included OEF-Philippines, which aimed to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines in their fight against terrorist groups such as Abu Sayyaf Group, al-Qaeda, and Jemaah Islamiyah, and OEF-Trans Sahara, which targeted remnants of al-Qaeda and the Taliban in the region.

The campaign lasted for 13 years until December 28, 2014, when President Barack Obama announced the end of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Subsequent military operations in the country by the United States, both non-combat and combat, were conducted under the name Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

The Taliban regime unravelled rapidly after its loss at Mazar-e-Sharif in November 2001

The fall of Mazar-e-Sharif was the result of the first major offensive of the Afghanistan War after American intervention. The United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan (Northern Alliance) pushed into the city, aided by U.S. Army Special Forces aerial bombardment, and forced the withdrawal of Taliban forces who had held the city since 1998. The capture of Mazar-e-Sharif was strategically important as it opened up supply routes and provided an airstrip for American aircraft.

In the days leading up to the battle, Northern Alliance troops advanced on population centres near the city. On November 2, Green Berets from ODA 543 and three members of the CIA's Team Bravo were inserted into the Dari-a-Balkh Valley to support General Mohammed Atta Nur and his militia. They joined forces with General Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek military leader, and his troops.

On November 4, Dostum led an attack on the village of Keshendeh southwest of the city, seizing it with his horse-mounted troops. Meanwhile, General Noor led 2,000 men of the Jamiat-e Islami forces against the village of Ag Kupruk directly south of the city, along with six Special Forces soldiers. It was seized two days later.

On November 7 and 8, as the Taliban were moving 4,000 fighters towards Mazar-e-Sharif in preparation for battle, American B-52 bombers targeted Taliban defenders concentrated in the Cheshmeh-ye Shafa gorge and the Haji Gak pass. This was one of the heaviest bombing campaigns up to that point.

On November 9, members of the two ODAs and the CIA teams positioned themselves in mountainside hides and began calling in airstrikes against the Taliban at Tangi Pass. The Taliban responded with indirect fire from BM-21 Grad rockets, which were quickly suppressed by orbiting air support. At 2 p.m., Northern Alliance forces, under the command of Dostum and Ustad Atta Mohammed Noor, swept across the Pul-i-Imam Bukhri bridge and seized the city's main military base and airport. The Northern Alliance forces entered the city from the Balk Valley and met only light resistance.

After outlying villages fell to precision air strikes on key command and control centres, approximately 5,000-12,000 Taliban combatants, along with members of al-Qaeda and other foreign fighters, began to withdraw towards Kunduz to regroup. By sunset, the Taliban forces had retreated to the north and east. It was later estimated that 400-600 people died in the battle, with approximately 1,500 Taliban captured or defected.

The fall of Mazar-e-Sharif was followed by a rapid succession of Taliban strongholds crumbling after coalition and Northern Alliance offensives on Taloqan (November 11), Bamiyan (November 11), Herat (November 12), Kabul (November 13), and Jalalabad (November 14). On November 14, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1378, calling for a "central role" for the United Nations in establishing a transitional administration and inviting member states to send peacekeeping forces to promote stability and aid delivery.

The US has deployed more than 775,000 service members to Afghanistan at least once

The Army, the Pentagon's largest service, has deployed the most troops to Afghanistan. More than 491,500 soldiers have served there, including active-duty forces, Army reservists, and National Guardsmen. The Air Force, whose presence in Afghanistan has persisted even as the overall number of troops shrank, has deployed the second most, with about 123,000 airmen involved. The Marine Corps deployed about 20,000 service members at a time during the height of the war in 2010 and 2011. Overall, more than 114,000 Marines deployed. Each military service has a legacy there, including the Coast Guard. More than 100 Coasties have served in the conflict.

The US war in Afghanistan has led to the deaths of about 2,400 American service members, including 16 in combat action in 2019. Some 20,000 more have been wounded, many grievously.

The US military presence in Afghanistan began in October 2001 when President George W. Bush announced that US and British troops had begun striking Afghanistan for harbouring the al-Qaida terrorists blamed for the 9/11 attacks. The massive air campaign initially targeted Taliban troops, training camps, and air defences. In November 2001, 1,300 American troops were in the country as commandos and ground troops, mostly Marines. In December 2001, the US force grew to 2,500 as troops scoured the mountainous Tora Bora region looking for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. The Taliban was ousted, and an interim Afghan government was established.

In March 2002, 7,200 US troops were in Afghanistan as Americans led allied Afghan forces in the largest ground assault of the war to date. The number of US troops in Afghanistan continued to grow, reaching 100,000 in August 2010. In May 2011, bin Laden was found hiding in neighbouring Pakistan and killed in a US special operations raid. There were still about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan at the time.

In June 2011, Obama announced his withdrawal plan: bringing home 10,000 troops by the end of 2011 and continuing at a steady pace until handing over security responsibilities to the Afghans by 2014. Troop levels declined to their current number of about 9,800 in March 2015.

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