The Enduring Conflict In Afghanistan: A Decades-Long Struggle

Afghanistan has been in conflict for decades, with the most recent war lasting from 2001 to 2021. The war in Afghanistan was the longest war in US military history, surpassing the Vietnam War by approximately six months.

The war was sparked by the September 11 attacks, which were plotted by al-Qaeda, an organisation led by Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda had bases in Afghanistan and was supported by the Taliban, the ultraconservative political and religious faction that ruled the country. In the aftermath of the attacks, the US demanded that the Taliban extradite bin Laden and shut down al-Qaeda bases in the country. When the Taliban refused, the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan, marking the start of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The US-led coalition quickly overthrew the Taliban regime, but the war continued for another two decades. The conflict resulted in the deaths of an estimated 176,000-212,000+ people, including 46,319 civilians. The war also caused mass displacement, with 2.6 million Afghans remaining refugees by the time the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and another 4 million internally displaced.

The US War in Afghanistan was the country's longest war, lasting 20 years

The US War in Afghanistan was America's longest war, lasting 20 years.

The war began in 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks. An international military coalition, led by the US, invaded Afghanistan, declaring Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the war on terror. The Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate was overthrown, and the Islamic Republic was established.

The US-led coalition remained in Afghanistan, forming a security mission to create a new democratic authority in the country that would prevent the Taliban from returning to power. However, the Taliban reorganised and began a widespread insurgency against the new Afghan government and coalition forces.

In 2011, a US covert operation in neighbouring Pakistan led to the killing of Osama bin Laden. This, along with the realisation that the Taliban could not be eliminated through military means, led to the planning of an exit strategy from Afghanistan.

In 2020, the US and the Taliban signed a conditional peace deal, which included the withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan by 2021. However, the Afghan government was not a party to the deal and rejected its terms. The Taliban launched a broad offensive throughout the summer of 2021, successfully reestablishing their control over Afghanistan.

The US War in Afghanistan ended on 30 August 2021, with the departure of the last American military aircraft from the country.

The war was a response to the September 11 attacks, which were plotted by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan

The War in Afghanistan was a direct response to the September 11 attacks, which were plotted by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were a series of airline hijackings and suicide attacks committed in 2001 by 19 terrorists associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda. The attacks involved the hijacking of four planes, three of which were used to strike significant U.S. sites. The fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to overpower the hijackers. The attacks killed almost 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 others.

The attacks were planned by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the operational planner, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Bin Laden was considered the mastermind of the attacks, while Khalid Sheikh Mohammed came up with the tactical innovation of using hijacked planes to attack the United States. Al-Qaeda provided the personnel, money, and logistical support to execute the operation.

In the aftermath of the attacks, the Bush administration coalesced around a strategy of first ousting the Taliban from Afghanistan and dismantling al-Qaeda. On October 7, 2001, the US military, with British support, began a bombing campaign against Taliban forces, officially launching Operation Enduring Freedom. The war's early phase mainly involved US airstrikes on al-Qaeda and Taliban forces, assisted by a partnership of about 1,000 US special forces, the Northern Alliance, and ethnic Pashtun anti-Taliban forces.

The Taliban regime unravelled rapidly after its loss at Mazar-e-Sharif on November 9, 2001, to forces loyal to Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek military leader. Over the next week, Taliban strongholds crumbled after coalition and Northern Alliance offensives. On November 13, the Taliban retreated without a fight as the Northern Alliance marched into Kabul.

The fall of Kabul in November 2001 marked the end of Taliban power. The end of the Taliban regime is generally tied to December 2001, when the Taliban surrendered Kandahar and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar fled the city. Despite the official fall of the Taliban, al-Qaeda leaders continued to hide out in the mountains.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan marked the beginning of the War in Afghanistan, which lasted from 2001 to 2021 and became the longest war in US history.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan and sheltered al-Qaeda prior to the war

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, before being overthrown by US-led forces in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The Taliban's rule was marked by a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, which included the denial of UN food supplies to starving civilians, the destruction of cultural monuments, and the banning of women from school and most employment.

The Taliban's rule was enabled by the support of Pakistan, which sought to exert control over Afghanistan through a favourable régime. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) helped to create the Taliban in 1994, and the group was largely composed of students from Pakistani religious schools, or madrassas. Pakistan also provided military support to the Taliban, with thousands of Pakistani nationals fighting alongside them.

The Taliban's rule was also enabled by the support of Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organisation. Bin Laden was able to use Afghanistan as a base for training and teaching fighters, and al-Qaeda supported the training camps of other organisations. Bin Laden was sheltered by the Taliban following the 1998 United States embassy bombings, and the Taliban refused to extradite him to the US following the September 11 attacks.

The Taliban's rule was ended by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, which overthrew the Taliban régime and established the Islamic Republic. However, the Taliban regrouped and launched an insurgency against the US-backed government and its allies. The Taliban eventually retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces.

The war ended with the Taliban's return to power in 2021

The war in Afghanistan ended with the Taliban's return to power in 2021, twenty years after their ouster by US-led forces. The Taliban's return to power was marked by a lightning offensive as US-led foreign forces were withdrawing after 20 years of inconclusive war. The Taliban entered the capital, Kabul, on 15 August 2021, as US-backed President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

The Taliban's offensive was swift, with the group capturing all major cities in a matter of days as Afghan security forces, set up with years of Western support, collapsed. The Taliban's victory was facilitated by support from Pakistan. The Taliban's return to power saw the reimposition of their harsh interpretation of Islamic law, with women's rights being rolled back and basic services neglected. The Taliban's rule has also been marked by a crackdown on dissent, with journalists and civil society activists being detained and press freedoms restricted.

The Taliban's return to power has had severe economic consequences for Afghanistan. Malnutrition has soared, and hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost, with most women being banned from working. The country has also faced a humanitarian crisis, with the UN launching the largest single-country aid appeal in its history to finance humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan in January 2022.

The Taliban's return to power has raised concerns among the international community about the country once again becoming a safe haven for terrorists. The Taliban are believed to maintain close ties with al-Qaeda, and there are fears that the group could provide safe haven and allow international terrorist attacks to be launched from Afghan soil. The Taliban have also been accused of committing war crimes during the conflict, including massacres, suicide bombings, and the use of human shields.

The war in Afghanistan was the longest war in US military history, surpassing the length of the Vietnam War (1955-1975) by approximately six months. The conflict resulted in the deaths of an estimated 176,000-212,000+ people, including 46,319 civilians. The war also caused significant displacement, with 2.6 million Afghans remaining refugees as of 2021, while another 4 million were internally displaced.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan was chaotic, with the Taliban taking Kabul and thousands of Afghans fleeing the country

The US Withdrawal from Afghanistan

The US military left Afghanistan on 30 August 2021, a day ahead of schedule, ending a 20-year occupation and leaving Afghanistan in the Taliban's hands. The last evacuation flight departed, leaving behind an estimated 100,000 people who may have been eligible for expedited US visas. The US withdrawal was chaotic, with the Taliban taking Kabul and thousands of Afghans fleeing the country.

The Taliban Take Kabul

The Taliban's campaign to recapture Afghanistan gained ground when officers in rural outposts began to surrender. The campaign picked up steam almost immediately after American troops began to withdraw on 1 May 2021. On 15 August, the Taliban swiftly captured Kabul, seizing control of the country. The takeover followed the Taliban's rapid advance, during which they captured all but two of Afghanistan's provincial capitals and seized border crossings. Afghan security forces in some areas reportedly negotiated surrenders and avoided fighting the Taliban.

Thousands of Afghans Flee the Country

The collapse of the Afghan government, after the US spent billions to support it and the Afghan security forces, was a crushing and violent coda to the US military mission in America's longest war. The US had spent billions to support the Afghan government and security forces. The collapse of the government led to thousands of Afghans fleeing the country. The Taliban victory drove tens of thousands of people to the country's borders. Others flooded to the international airport in Kabul, where crowds scrambled to be part of the evacuations of foreign nationals and their Afghan allies.

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