The Afghan Military Might: Pre-2001 Strengths And Challenges

The size of Afghanistan's military prior to 2001 is difficult to ascertain. However, it is known that the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan at the time, had between 28,000 and 30,000 Pakistani fighters and 2,000 to 3,000 Al-Qaeda militants fighting alongside their forces.

In 2001, the Taliban controlled as much as 90% of Afghanistan, with the remaining territory confined to the country's northeast corner, controlled by the Northern Alliance. The Taliban's rapid loss of control following the 2001 invasion by US and UK forces suggests that the Afghan military was relatively small or ineffective at the time.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was a response to the September 11 attacks

The September 11 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks on the United States. Four commercial passenger jet airliners were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and over 2,000 people in the buildings. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after the crew and passengers attempted to retake control of the plane. The attacks killed almost 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000.

The plot was hatched by al-Qaeda, and some of the hijackers had trained in Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda was a terrorist network led by Osama bin Laden, who had been active in Afghanistan since the Soviet-Afghan War. Bin Laden had been wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his role in the 1998 United States embassy bombings.

In the aftermath of the attacks, the administration of US President George W. Bush coalesced around a strategy of first ousting the Taliban from Afghanistan and dismantling al-Qaeda. Bush demanded that the Taliban regime, which had seized around 85% of Afghanistan's territory, extradite Osama bin Laden to the United States and expel al-Qaeda militants from Afghanistan. The Taliban refused, and in response, the US launched Operation Enduring Freedom on 7 October 2001, alongside the United Kingdom. The invasion was supported by a large multinational force, including Afghanistan's local Northern Alliance.

The invasion was a swift military success. Within two months, the Taliban regime had been removed from power, and a new government was formed. However, most members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban were not captured. Bin Laden escaped across the border into Pakistan, and the Taliban regrouped to launch an insurgency against the US-led war effort.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan marked the beginning of a 20-year war, which became the longest war in US military history.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan prior to 2001 and provided sanctuary for al-Qaeda

The Taliban, a Sunni Islamist nationalist and pro-Pashtun movement, ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until October 2001. The Taliban's founding nucleus was composed of peasant farmers and men studying Islam in Afghan and Pakistani madrasas, or religious schools. The Taliban found a foothold and consolidated their strength in southern Afghanistan.

By 1994, the Taliban had moved through the south, capturing several provinces from various armed factions who had been fighting a civil war after the Soviet-backed Afghan government fell in 1992. By September 1996, the Taliban had captured Kabul, killed the country's president, and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Taliban's first move was to institute a strict interpretation of Qur'anic instruction and jurisprudence. In practice, this meant often merciless policies on the treatment of women, political opponents of any type, and religious minorities.

In the years leading up to the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States, the Taliban provided a safe haven for al-Qa'ida. This gave al-Qa'ida a base in which it could freely recruit, train, and deploy terrorists to other countries. The Taliban held sway in Afghanistan until October 2001, when they were routed from power by the US-led campaign against al-Qa'ida.

The Taliban's rule was marked by a strict interpretation of Sharia law, or Islamic law, and they were widely condemned for massacres against Afghan civilians, harsh discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities, denial of UN food supplies to starving civilians, destruction of cultural monuments, banning women from school and most employment, and prohibition of most music.

The Taliban's harsh rule alienated many Afghans, who now fear more of the same with the group seizing control of the capital. The Taliban's swift offensive came as the United States withdrew its remaining troops from Afghanistan as outlined in a 2020 peace agreement with the group.

The Taliban was ousted and an interim Afghan government was established in 2001

The Taliban was ousted from power in 2001 following the September 11 attacks, which were plotted by al-Qaeda, a terrorist group that enjoyed safe haven in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. The United States demanded that the Taliban hand over al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, but the Taliban refused. This prompted the US to launch Operation Enduring Freedom, an invasion of Afghanistan, in October 2001. The US-led coalition forces toppled the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate and established the Islamic Republic.

The US-led forces supported the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance and drove the Taliban from major population centres. However, Osama bin Laden managed to escape to neighbouring Pakistan. The US-led coalition remained in Afghanistan, forming a security mission (ISAF) sanctioned by the United Nations. The goal was to create a new democratic authority in the country that would prevent the Taliban from returning to power.

In December 2001, an interim Afghan government was established, and international rebuilding efforts were launched. Hamid Karzai was selected to head the interim government. Karzai was a royalist and ethnic Pashtun who had lived in exile in neighbouring Pakistan for years.

The Taliban regrouped and began a widespread insurgency against the new Afghan government and coalition forces. Insurgents from the Taliban and other Islamist groups waged asymmetric warfare, fighting with guerrilla warfare in the countryside, suicide attacks against urban targets, and reprisals against perceived Afghan collaborators.

The Taliban's resurgence was facilitated by the withdrawal of most foreign forces from Afghanistan, which reduced the risk of being bombed and raided. The group was also emboldened by the lack of international interest in Afghanistan, as attention was given to other world crises.

The US-led coalition remained in Afghanistan after 2001 to form a security mission

The US-led coalition's security mission in Afghanistan was known as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The ISAF was initially deployed in 2001 under the lead of individual NATO allies on a six-month rotational basis. In August 2003, NATO took command of ISAF. The ISAF was tasked with assisting the Afghan government in maintaining security, originally in and around Kabul exclusively. The UN Security Council subsequently mandated the gradual expansion of ISAF's operations to cover the whole country.

ISAF was one of the largest coalitions in history and NATO's longest and most challenging mission to date. At its height, the force was more than 130,000 strong with troops from 50 NATO and partner countries.

ISAF worked to create the conditions whereby the Afghan government would be able to exercise its authority throughout the country. Developing professional, capable and self-sustaining Afghan National Security Forces was at the centre of ISAF's efforts and the core mission of the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan (NTM-A). This work was carried out in close cooperation with the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL Afghanistan) and the Afghan Ministry of Defence.

A gradual process of transition to full Afghan security responsibility – known as “Inteqal” in Dari and Pashtu – was launched in 2011. This process was completed on schedule in December 2014, when ISAF’s mission ended and Afghan forces assumed full security responsibility for their country.

ISAF helped create a secure environment for improving governance and socio-economic development. Afghanistan made the largest percentage gain of any country in basic health and development indicators over the decade of ISAF’s mission. Maternal mortality went down and life expectancy rose. A vibrant media scene sprang up. Millions of people exercised their right to vote in five election cycles since 2004, including the 2014 presidential and provincial council elections, which resulted in the establishment of a National Unity Government.

The Taliban regrouped and began a widespread insurgency against the new Afghan government and coalition forces

Following the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban was ousted from power and a new Afghan government was established. However, the Taliban soon regrouped and began a widespread insurgency against the new Afghan government and coalition forces. By 2003, the Taliban had reorganised under their founder, Mullah Omar, and began a widespread insurgency against the new Afghan government and coalition forces. Insurgents from the Taliban and other Islamist groups waged asymmetric warfare, fighting with guerrilla warfare in the countryside, suicide attacks against urban targets, and reprisals against perceived Afghan collaborators.

The Taliban's resurgence was facilitated by several factors. The withdrawal of most foreign forces from Afghanistan reduced the risk the Taliban faced of being bombed and raided. In June 2014, the Pakistani military's Operation Zarb-e-Azb, launched in the North Waziristan tribal area, dislodged thousands of mainly Uzbek, Arab and Pakistani militants, who flooded into Afghanistan and swelled the Taliban's ranks. The group was further emboldened by the comparative lack of interest from the international community, as attention was given to other world crises, such as Syria, Iraq, or Ukraine. Afghan security forces lacked, among other things, air power and reconnaissance. The political infighting in the central government in Kabul, and the apparent weakness in governance at different levels, were exploited by the Taliban. The Taliban expanded governance in the areas under their control, attempting to build local-level legitimacy. Their governance strategy rested in particular on the provision of justice, which was often viewed as less corrupt than the courts of the government.

The Taliban insurgency intensified considerably in 2021, coinciding with the withdrawal of United States and allied troops from Afghanistan. Since the US withdrawal, the number of casualties of women in the Afghanistan conflict rose by almost 40% in the first quarter of 2021 alone.

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