The Enduring Us Presence In Afghanistan: A Two-Decade Commitment

The USA's war in Afghanistan, which ended in August 2021, lasted for 20 years, making it the longest war in American history. The conflict began in 2001 when an international coalition led by the USA invaded Afghanistan to destroy terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden. The Taliban regime was removed from power and a new government was formed. At the height of the conflict, there were more than 130,000 NATO troops on the ground. The war resulted in thousands of casualties and cost the USA over $2 trillion.

The US invaded Afghanistan to destroy Al-Qaeda

In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the US declared a "war on terror" and led a multinational invasion of Afghanistan, which had been ruled by the Taliban at the time. The stated goal of the invasion was to dismantle Al-Qaeda, the terrorist organisation that had executed the attacks under the leadership of Osama bin Laden, and to deny Islamist militants a safe base of operations in Afghanistan by toppling the Taliban government.

The Taliban had refused to hand over Osama bin Laden to the US and further ignored demands to shut down terrorist bases or extradite other suspected terrorists. In response, the US launched Operation Enduring Freedom on October 7, 2001, alongside the UK, with other countries providing logistical support. The invasion effort made rapid progress, capturing Kabul on November 13 and toppling the Taliban by December 17. However, most members of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban were not captured, and during the Battle of Tora Bora, several fighters, including Osama bin Laden, escaped into neighbouring Pakistan.

The US military presence in Afghanistan bolstered the Northern Alliance, which had been locked in a losing fight with the Taliban during the Afghan Civil War. Prior to the US invasion, the Taliban had seized around 85% of Afghanistan's territory, effectively confining the Northern Alliance to the Badakhshan Province and smaller surrounding areas.

The invasion of Afghanistan marked the beginning of the US's longest war, which lasted 20 years.

The Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden

The Taliban's refusal to hand over Osama bin Laden was the catalyst for the USA's invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Osama bin Laden was the leader of the terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda, which planned the 9/11 attacks on the USA from Afghanistan. After the attacks, the USA demanded that the Taliban—the regime in power in Afghanistan at the time—hand over bin Laden. The Taliban refused, and so the USA invaded Afghanistan, removing the Taliban from power and forming a new government.

The Taliban had offered to hand over bin Laden for trial before the 9/11 attacks, but the USA was not interested. After 9/11, the Taliban again offered to hand over bin Laden if the USA ended its bombing in Afghanistan and provided evidence of bin Laden's guilt. The USA rejected this offer as "non-negotiable".

Despite the USA's invasion of Afghanistan and the removal of the Taliban from power, bin Laden evaded capture and escaped into Pakistan. He was killed in 2011 by US Navy SEALs.

The US spent over $2 trillion on the war

The US spent $815.7 billion on war-fighting costs, which includes the operating costs of the US military in Afghanistan, such as fuel, food, weapons, ammunition, armoured vehicles, aircraft carriers, and airstrikes.

The US spent $143 billion on nation-building, including $88 billion on training, equipping, and funding Afghan military and police forces. A further $36 billion was spent on reconstruction projects, education, and infrastructure, and $4.1 billion on humanitarian aid for refugees and disasters.

The US war in Afghanistan lasted 20 years and was America's longest war. It began in 2001 when an international coalition led by the US invaded Afghanistan to destroy the terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda, after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden. The Taliban regime was removed from power and a new government was formed.

The US had several goals in Afghanistan. The initial goal was to destroy Al-Qaeda and capture Osama bin Laden. After Al-Qaeda was mostly driven out of Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden escaped to Pakistan, the US pivoted to a more open-ended mission of nation-building on a massive scale. The US also aimed to degrade the threat of terrorism against the US and its allies.

The US war in Afghanistan led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people. 2,442 US troops were killed and 20,666 were wounded. It is estimated that over 3,800 US private security contractors were killed. 66,000 to 69,000 Afghan troops were killed, and 47,245 Afghan civilians. 1,144 personnel from the 40-nation NATO coalition were killed. 51,191 Taliban and other opposition fighters were killed.

The US lost thousands of troops

The human cost of the war was substantial, with 2,459 United States military deaths. Of these, 1,922 were a result of hostile action, and 20,769 service members were wounded. In addition, 18 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives also lost their lives, alongside 1,822 civilian contractor fatalities. The loss of life among US troops was not limited to direct combat; vehicle crashes, electrocutions, heatstroke, friendly fire, and suicides also contributed to the death toll.

The war in Afghanistan took a heavy toll on the mental health of US service members, with many veterans suffering from psychological wounds such as PTSD. The consequences of these wounds were profound, with over 30,177 service members and veterans taking their own lives—a number more than four times that of those who died in combat.

The conflict also claimed the lives of coalition partners, with approximately 177,000 uniformed Afghans, Pakistanis, Iraqis, and Syrians losing their lives as of November 2019. The UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and other nations also suffered casualties, further adding to the human cost of the war.

The war in Afghanistan resulted in immense losses for all involved. The US military, coalition forces, and civilians all bore the brunt of the conflict, with thousands of lives lost and countless others forever changed due to the physical and mental wounds inflicted by war.

The US ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan in 2021

The US ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, with the last military plane leaving Kabul. The war began in 2001 when an international coalition led by the US invaded Afghanistan to destroy the terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda, after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden. The Taliban regime was removed from power and a new government was formed.

The US-led coalition toppled the Taliban regime and drove Al-Qaeda out of Afghanistan, but the Taliban leader Osama bin Laden escaped capture and fled to Pakistan. The US remained in Afghanistan to support the new government and prevent the Taliban from returning to power. However, the Taliban reorganised and launched an insurgency against the new Afghan government and coalition forces.

The US and its allies carried out counter-insurgency operations and attempted to rebuild Afghanistan, but the Taliban gradually regained territory. In 2021, the Taliban launched a major offensive and recaptured Kabul, declaring victory. The US carried out an evacuation of its citizens, allies, and vulnerable Afghans, but left behind thousands of Afghans who wanted to flee.

The war in Afghanistan was the longest war in US history and cost over $2 trillion. It resulted in the deaths of more than 170,000 people, including civilians, coalition forces, and Afghan security forces. The US failed to defeat the Taliban and prevent them from returning to power, but it did provide an opportunity for democracy and improved the lives of women in Afghanistan.

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